This fall and winter, Beaches Town Center gathers on the blocks around 299 Atlantic Blvd. instead of at the address itself. For more than 40 years that address was Ragtime Tavern, part of The Corner where Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach meet. On Sept. 30 it became a construction site.
The best-known address in town center is out for the whole 2026 holiday season and probably most of 2027. The festival, the art walk, the tree lighting and the newest restaurants still happen. They just happen near the fence.
A 40-year anchor, offline until 2027
Ragtime closed in January 2025, one month after SPB Hospitality sold the restaurant to Kelly Cos. of Southern California, the Jax Daily Record reported. The replacement is Grafton & Fleck's, a steakhouse with a rooftop lounge from River Restaurant Group, which also runs River & Post in Jacksonville and SAINT and River & Fort in St. Augustine.
The opening date is still uncertain. A Sept. 29 Jax Daily Record preview said early 2027 and described an 8,000-plus-square-foot, 260-seat project. The next day's groundbreaking story put the opening at "by summer 2027." Either way, the site stays under construction through the Oct. 28 Fall Festival, the Dec. 5 tree lighting and probably the start of next beach season.
Co-founder Jeff Grafton McCusker told the Jax Daily Record what the building will be once it reopens:
"We want to build a simple steakhouse that's high end on the first floor then a little bit more casual on the rooftop."
His partner, Bob Fleckenstein, called the spot "probably the best location that we can think of in Jacksonville at this time," adding, "There's so much activity in this area." For now, that activity happens on the blocks around the site.
The newest tables are on the edges of town center
Most of this year's new places sit on the edges of town center, either at the oceanfront or a few blocks west on Atlantic Boulevard. Here they are from east to west.
Coastal Farmer, 1 Ocean Blvd. It opened July 3 inside the renovated Dune House Hotel and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It took over the space that was Azurea, according to the Florida Times-Union.
Le Petit Atelier–French Marché, 363 Atlantic Blvd., Suites 2–4. It opened Feb. 12, the Jax Daily Record reported. It's an easy walk west of The Corner.
Jeff's Bagel Run, 628 Atlantic Blvd., Suite 4, Neptune Beach. It's in Seminole Shoppes, in the space that was GNC. It held a soft opening March 4 and 5 and a grand opening March 6.
Farther west, Sierra Grille at 1021 Atlantic Blvd. announced Sept. 13 as its last day, per the Times-Union.
Beaches Restaurant Week + The Shop Local Edit followed the same pattern. It ran Sept. 28 to Oct. 6, opened with an event at Coastal Farmer, closed with one at Salumeria 104, and listed Le Petit Atelier among its participants. Ragtime's corner hosted neither the opening nor the closing event, because it's now a construction site. The program's site already lists Sept. 9–21, 2027 for next year. If the steakhouse opens on either reported schedule, that 2027 edition could be the first one with The Corner open again.
The calendar works around the fence
The Beaches Town Center Agency's free events are on the calendar as usual, from late October through December. Several are set up away from the construction site. Here they are in order, counting from this week.
- BTC Fall Festival: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 5 to 7 p.m. The festival page lists the address as 1st Street and Atlantic Boulevard, but the festival itself is in the Seahorse Oceanfront Hotel parking lot. It's billed as the "beach version" of trunk-or-treating. Children visit decorated golf carts for candy, and cart owners can register to compete for best decorated and most engaged cart. Crafts, games, refreshments and a costume contest with prizes donated by town center businesses round out the evening.
- 9th Annual Beaches Tour of Homes: Saturday, Nov. 7. It's listed on the Beaches Town Center calendar.
- North Beaches Art Walk: Thursday, Nov. 19, 5 to 9 p.m. The Art Walk is free and runs on the third Thursday of each month, with local visual artists and live performers set up through town center. The Adele Grage Cultural Center also takes part.
- Tree Lighting & Holiday Celebration: Saturday, Dec. 5, starting at 3 p.m. The event page promises a hayride, make-your-own craft tables for all ages, community performers, a mayoral address with the tree lighting, and Santa meeting with children. Activities are "set up throughout Beaches Town Center." The Beaches Town Center Agency and Merchants Association sponsor it along with the cities of Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach.
- North Beaches Art Walk: Thursday, Dec. 17, 5 to 9 p.m. This is the last Art Walk of the year.
The Fall Festival shows best how this season works. Its address points to the town center intersection, but families will spend the evening in a hotel parking lot by the ocean, one block from the fence on Atlantic Boulevard. The holiday celebration page also describes activities spread throughout town center. For residents, that means the newest restaurants and the free events are on the blocks around The Corner this year.
Two closures and detours outside town center
Two projects outside town center also change local routines this season. Both have more definite timelines than the steakhouse.
Mayport Road. The Florida Department of Transportation started work June 15 on Mayport Road from Atlantic Boulevard to Dutton Island Road. The project narrows the road from six lanes to four. It adds a shared-use path on the northbound side and a bike lane on the southbound side, along with resurfacing and new signals, lighting, drainage and sidewalks, according to the City of Atlantic Beach. On FDOT's project page, the cost is $9.6 million and completion is expected in fall 2027, close to the time Grafton & Fleck's is due to open. Most work happens at night, and no lane closures are allowed on Mayport Road between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Daytime trips to town center along that stretch should see open lanes. Late-night drives home may not.
Tide Views Preserve Sunset Pier. On Oct. 15, Atlantic Beach reminded the public that the pier remains closed until further notice for safety repairs. Barriers and signs are up, and the city says going onto the pier is strictly prohibited. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin by Nov. 15. The city says a firm schedule and a completion date will come once they're finalized, and questions can go to [email protected], per the city's news page. Plan on the pier staying closed through the holidays.
The Corner will reopen as a two-level building
When the fence comes down, the corner will look different from Ragtime. Grafton & Fleck's plans a high-end steakhouse on the first floor and a more casual rooftop lounge designed with views over the beach community. Valet parking is planned once it opens. River Restaurant Group may open more restaurants in the future, although Fleckenstein said at the groundbreaking that he had nothing to announce.
Until then, the season runs on the dates above. Fall Festival is Oct. 28 in the Seahorse lot, the Art Walks are Nov. 19 and Dec. 17, and the tree lighting starts at 3 p.m. on Dec. 5.
If you own a home or a rental near Beaches Town Center and want to know how a reopened Corner in 2027 might affect your plans to sell or lease, Ponte Vedra & Co. can walk through it with you. Request a Free Consultation & Home Valuation, and Claudia Hilbert will review your property and timing with you herself.
