See all Things to do in Newport Beach
Spend A Day on Orange County's Tiny Balboa Island
311 Marine AveNewport Beach, CA 92662-1205 Phone: (949) 673-6580About
Right in the middle of Newport Harbor is Balboa, the island that time forgot. Newport Harbor, Balboa with its narrow streets still lined with quaint beach cottages built in the 1920s and ’30s was established as a summer getaway for rich Angelenos. The promenade that circles the island makes a great car-free stroll, and it’s the perfect spot for gawking at the yachts coming and going in front of the multizillion-dollar waterfront homes. While here, don’t miss the chance to sample heaven on a cone. The famed Balboa Bar, sold around the island, tastes like pure summertime. Vanilla ice cream is dipped into a vat of boiling chocolate then deftly rolled in your choice of toppings as the chocolate cools to a crust. Wipe yourself up before stepping into the Debra Huse Gallery to admire paintings by local artists of classic Southern California scenes, including the Balboa Pavilion, Crystal Cove, and Avalon on Catalina Island. Then hop the tiny ferry across the harbor to the 6-mile-long Balboa Peninsula. Its Pacific side has lovely beaches and two great fishing piers (Newport and Balboa) and, in summer, there are few places better for people-watching. If you stay until evening, you can see the landmark 1905 Balboa Pavilion (opposite the Balboa Pier on the peninsula’s harbor side) decked in a fairy-tale rain of lights.
