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City in California, United States
Photo: Travis from Fullerton, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Newport Beach is a city famous for its lavish lifestyle and beautiful surroundings. Television enthusiasts will recognize the resemblance to the show The O.C., and not just by virtue of its location in Orange County, California. The American city has its share of "beautiful people" often with wealth to spare. Yet it's very possible to enjoy life in Newport Beach amongst the millionaires on a relatively low budget.
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Located on Irvine Avenue, and facing out onto coastal wetlands, this is an excellent introduction to the flora and fauna of Pacific Coast wetlands. There is an excellent film presentation, and many exhibits of interest to young and old.
This museum gives an introduction to the extensive maritime history of this area.
It is a quaint throwback to simpler times, with a strip of stores and restaurants (Marine Avenue) and a pedestrian walkway which incicles the island. It's accessible from the Balboa peninsula via a short car/passenger ferry, or you can drive there over a bridge from near the Pacific Coast Highway.
Over 700 artifacts from Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
Located near the Balboa Pavilion, the Fun Zone has a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, rock wall, arcade, and bungee jump.
During the summer months, view Blue Whales (more than 90 feet in length), Minke Whales, Humpback Whales and several types of dolphin and other marine life. During the winter months you can view Grey Whales, the occasional Orca, and many dolphins and sea lions. The trip has a 96% viewing success rate of marine life on each cruise. The company's primary whale watching ship is 65 feet in length with a large upstairs sun-deck, wrap around outside seating, snack bar with food and beverage and indoor seating with large windows. 2½ hours.
The 10-day festival features over 300 short and feature length films. April
Along South Bayfront Drive on Balboa Island. Over 100 artists showing and selling their work, ranging from paintings to sculptures to jewelry. Free. May
Summer-long Jazz music festival on two stages. Held at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach. May–October.
A day-long celebration with carnival games, crafts, face painting, music by a DJ, hula-hoop and limbo contests, volleyball and horseshoe tournaments and drawings by a caricaturist. A fireworks show occurs over the lagoon after dark. $25. Fireworks show can be seen for free from outside the Resort. July 4; 11AM-9PM with fireworks show at 9PM.
Exhibit of the latest and greatest in yachts, mid-April.
Annual water parade of boats decorated with Christmas lights. The boats take a nightly tour of Newport Harbour on five consecutive evenings. Free viewing from most locations. Some restaurants and organizations have premium seating for a fee. See the website for more information and map of parade route. December.
Sand sculptures from novice to expert. The contest is held at Corona del Mar State Beach. Free admission for spectators. Fee for entrants. October.
The Combo Salad will fill you up and is very well priced for how much you get ($4-6). A nice option if you are stuck on the peninsula.
Tasty and fairly authentic gourmet southern fare in a casual roadhouse-style diner with fantastic ambience. Service is excellent, but informal. For lunch, try the 1/2 pulled pork sandwich and bowl of gumbo. Parking is sometimes a problem between non and 1PM on weekdays.
Family restaurant popular among locals for breakfast on Balboa Island (not the peninsula!), although they also serve lunch and dinner. The wait can be as long as an hour on summer weekend mornings.
Good pasta and seafood restaurant with live music. As the restaurant is small, reservations are essentiell for weekends.
Fine dining seafood restaurant with view of marina. Has a full bar on the second floor.
Seafood restaurant offering a good variety of options with a notable bar selection.
This bakery went viral and there's long lines depending on the time of day but the baked stuff is worth the wait. Attracts lots of influencers and youths.
Longtime restaurant overlooking the ocean. Famous for its seating and milkshakes, but it also serves food like hamburgers, hot dogs, and more. Pretty iconic for the area, might be worth it to order online because lines tend to form. Hours vary by the season.
Pretty good Italian restaurant with a good wine list. Good atmosphere with large portions.
Fine dining establishment specializing in wine, seafood, and steak. Very popular with the Sunday Brunch crowd. They may have a piano player when you're there.
Waterfront diner on the end of Harbor Island. Usual diner foods, but it's quite small inside so there may be a wait.
Longtime dessert place and bakery. One of the frozen banana places on Balboa Island, also serves cookies, donuts, and more. Old timey, you can't miss the banana sign.
The other frozen banana place on Balboa Island, claims to be the original. They also serve a signature item called Balboa bars. Loads of options for frozen bananas.
Good Happy Hour (10PM to midnight) nightly with 2-for-1 drinks.
Irish pub with a glass enclosed patio as well as an intimate secondary dining room. Serving up lots of varieties of beer and traditional Irish food. Super friendly staff and lots of TVs for watching sporting events. Good place to have a drink or a meal, preferably both.
Higher-end restaurant with dishes inspired by Hawaii, California, and Mexico. Popular with brunch on the weekend.
Fun, has music. They check IDs. Before this, there were loads of underage people. Minor chain with other locations around SoCal.
Younger crowd, but never really seems busy.
Best happy hour in Newport. Rat pack vibe.
A true locals haunt. "A little slice of a California beach community."
Sports bar with pool tables. Reasonable food.
Irish pub that also serves food, like hamburgers. They also have live music and Irish coffees. It's inside The Landing.
Rough around the edges bar and grill right off of Newport Boulevard. They don't usually answer the phone. They also serve food as the name would suggest. There is also a billiards (pool) table.
Stag Bar
Bar with a notably long list of drinks like cocktails and whiskey. Also serves food. Come for the happy hour.
Long time bar with pool tables that's closed for 4 hours any day. Right next to the water, too. They do not serve food, but they sell merchandise.
Blackie's
Bar that draws in a certain type of people. Very local spot. They sell merchandise.
Bar which also serves a lot of food. Rooftop patio with live music and a dance floor. Nice interior, really longtime classy place.
Longstanding bar with pool tables on the peninsula. Inexpensive drinks with outdoor seating.
Special features on site: barber/beauty shop, bar/lounge, restaurant, shops, hot tub, sauna, fitness center on site, bayfront property, full service spa.
On the peninsula.
Near the Newport Pier on the peninsula.
Reasonable sized rooms, small refrigerator and microwave, but interior a little musty.and in need of renovation. Basic breakfast. Free parking a plus for the area.
Across from the Fashion Island shopping center and within walking distance of the Orange County Museum of Art.
Located on Balboa Peninsula by Newport Beach Pier offers free Wi-Fi and parking is Big Plus coming to Newport Beach. Walking distance to the Beach, Board Walk, Lido Village and Famous restaurants like Carb Cooker & Woody's Wharf and Famous BAR like Mutts and Malarky’s Irish Pub.
Bedroom suites each with a step out balcony, living room, and marble bathroom. French doors separate the bedroom from the living room with fold out sofa and second television.
1/2 mile from the John Wayne Airport, near the business districts of Irvine, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach.
The premiere shopping center in Newport Beach, this is a beautiful outdoor mall with great landscaping, and fountains of every description. Stores include Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, Anthropologie, Barnes and Noble, Nike for Women. Restaurants include Cafe R & D (crowded, but good) and the Neiman Marcus Restaurant (with a beautiful view towards the ocean).
This is the real Newport, as few tourists make it over here. Located near the corner of Westcliff and Irvine Avenue, this is a small, luxury mall, with ultra upscale clothes, furnishings, and services. Restaurants include Haute Cakes (breakfast and lunch only) and Pizza Bakery. You will also see the colorful spectrum of local teen lifestyles.
This is on Pacific Coast highway in the southern reaches of Newport, called Newport Coast. Stop here on your way to Laguna Beach and find both chain and private retailers. This mall is breathtaking as it overlooks the ocean. Stop for a bite to eat.
By rail
Metrolink and Amtrak serve Santa Ana, Tustin (Metrolink only), and Irvine. A taxi would probably be the most convenient option.
By car
Take CA Highway 1 or the I-405 freeway to the 55 or 73 freeway south. The former will take you to West Newport and the latter to the east side of the Newport Bay.
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) serves the Newport Beach area.
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Santa Ana · International · SNA
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