At the north end of Nellie Drive, off East Nursery Road, there's a small boat ramp onto Choctawhatchee Bay. It doesn't take trailers, and on most days it's probably padlocked. Kayakers carry their boats in. There are picnic tables, a shower and a water spigot for rinsing salt off a paddleboard afterward. South of the ramp, inside a construction fence, Walton County is putting up an 1,800-square-foot building that was first promised to the public in 2003.
Last summer the county said the Kellogg Park Nature Center would open in Summer 2026. That didn't happen. The Walton County Tourism projects page now says the project "is expected to be completed late this fall." The photo of the building on that page has a file name dated Sept. 16, 2026.
The delay sounds bigger than it is. The land was given for two purposes, and only one of them has been waiting.
What Pat Kellogg Asked For
According to Visit South Walton, the late Pat Kellogg donated the parcel of about 10 acres to Walton County in 2003 for a wildlife preserve and nature center. The county's current project page lists it at 9.75 acres. SoWal describes the same terms: the land "was to be used as a wildlife nature preserve and educational center."
The preserve half is already there. The pine flatwoods, the trail and the bay access have been usable for years. What has been missing is a room where a class can meet, a slideshow can run or a school group can get out of the rain. The building now going up is that room.
At the dedication in June 2025, Pat Kellogg's daughter told WJHG that the family didn't want headstones, and that in many ways the park serves as her parents' memorial. She said that hearing how people use the land "warms my heart." WMBB names both Pat and Lewis Kellogg as the donors.
From Gift to Groundbreaking
The education half took a long time. Here is the sequence, using the county's records and local news coverage:
- 2003. Pat Kellogg's land is donated to Walton County.
- April 5, 2022. The Tourist Development Council director lists a Kellogg Park Nature/Community Center among the county's capital-improvement projects.
- 2025. The Board of County Commissioners approves a $995,833.98 award to H&T Contractors under ITB 25-07.
- June 11, 2025. Groundbreaking and dedication. WMBB reports a project estimate of $1.5 million, paid for with bed-tax revenue.
- Summer 2026. The opening date WJHG reported at the dedication.
- Late fall 2026. The county's current estimate. No firm opening date has been announced.
The $995,833.98 contract and the $1.5 million estimate measure different things, one a construction award and the other a total project estimate, so they shouldn't be read as an overrun. Both are paid for by visitor bed taxes.
The Half You Can Use This Week
The trail and the bay launch don't depend on the building, and they're the reasons most people come to this end of Nursery Road.
The loop. Visit South Walton lists the Kellogg trail as a 0.3-mile loop that's easy, flat and paved. It runs through pine flatwoods and connects to Choctawhatchee Bay. Parking is listed. At that length it's a short lap, the kind that fits before work or after dinner.
The bay park. The county's facility listing for Kellogg Bayside Park includes boat and canoe access, fishing, parking, picnic areas and water. WJHG mentions bayside benches and a kayak launch.
The padlock. This is the detail that catches people with a boat on the roof rack. SoWal's listing says that if you need to drive in to unload, you should call Walton County Parks at (850) 892-8108, "otherwise it will probably be padlocked." The ramp also doesn't take trailers. For a kayak or paddleboard, either call ahead or plan to carry it in from the parking area.
The address. Older listings, including Visit South Walton's trail page, give 776 East Nursery Road. The county now lists the Nature Center at 855 E. Nursery Road. For the paddle launch, the clearer direction is the north end of Nellie Drive.
We couldn't confirm posted hours or a dog rule specific to this park. Visit South Walton's general trail guidance asks for dogs on a short leash and waste picked up.
What the Construction Fence Adds
The final phase changes how the preserve works for groups, families with strollers and anyone who uses a wheelchair. It adds less for a solo walker who already knows the loop. Here is the list from the county's project page:
- An 1,800-square-foot assembly-style building for nature observation, educational programs and community gatherings
- A paved parking area with dedicated ADA and bicycle spaces
- ADA-accessible sidewalks connecting the building to a new 16-by-16-foot picnic pavilion at the existing trailhead
- Three 8-by-12-foot pavilions along the trail network, which winds through the property and connects to Kellogg Bayside Park
- New benches and educational signage
The three trail pavilions matter most to regular users. Right now the Bayside Park picnic tables are the main place to sit. Once the pavilions go in along the route, there will be places to stop under cover between the building and the water.
Who Will Teach Inside
No operator has been named. When the dedication took place, Walton County Beach Operations Director Brian Kellenberger told WJHG the building would have photos and interpretive kiosks telling the story of Choctawhatchee Bay over time. He said the county would invite the school system, and that any nature-based organization wanting to hold interpretive sessions or classes would be welcome.
There's an earlier example of this kind of use. In 2015, the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance's summer eco-adventure schedule included a Bayside Fishing Clinic at Kellogg Park, teaching people how to fish Choctawhatchee Bay. That clinic used the land the way it's meant to be used, with no building at all. The new building will let that kind of program run in any weather and give it a place to set up.
Bay-Side Learning Already on the October Calendar
Until the doors open, the two closest events of this kind on the Santa Rosa Beach side of the bay fall on the same day:
| Event | When | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooted in Florida: Florida Native Plants, Walton County Master Gardeners | Thursday, Oct. 8, noon | Padgett Park, 810 J.D. Miller Road | Free, open to the public |
| October Film Series, one of three films in the park this month | Thursday, Oct. 8, 6:30 p.m. | Eden Gardens State Park | Check the SoWal listing |
The county's announcement has the Master Gardeners program details, and the SoWal events calendar lists the Eden Gardens film nights. A native-plant talk at noon fits well with a lap of the Kellogg loop afterward, since the trail runs through pine flatwoods, one of the plant communities those talks cover.
When the county announces an actual opening date for 855 E. Nursery Road, it will most likely appear on the Walton County Tourism projects page, which carries the "late this fall" estimate today.
At Emerald Dunes Realty, we follow projects like the Kellogg building because they change what a normal week on the bay side of Santa Rosa Beach looks like. If you'd like to know which streets near Nursery Road are within walking or paddling distance of the new center, reach out and we'll go through the map with you.
