A local's loop around the Balboa Peninsula and Balboa Island: ocean sand on one side, calm bay water on the other, the ferry between them, and a frozen banana to finish.
The Balboa Peninsula is one of our favorite stretches of Newport, and it is the rare spot where you get two completely different days within a few hundred feet of each other. The ocean side is wide, open sand with real surf. The bay side is flat, protected water that is easy with little kids. In between runs a narrow strip of old-school Newport: the pier, the Fun Zone, the ferry, and a walkable run of shops and restaurants. We tend to make a morning of the beach and let the rest of the day unfold from there.
where to set up on the sand
The peninsula has two faces, and which one you want depends on the day. On the ocean side, the stretch near the Balboa Pier is the easy choice: lifeguards, restrooms, and enough room to spread out without being on top of anyone. Walk a few blocks down the boardwalk from the pier and the crowd thins quickly. If the surf is up or you have strong swimmers, the Wedge at the very end of the peninsula is famous for its bodysurfing, though the shore break there is no joke and is better watched than swum by most of us. For a calm bay morning with toddlers, cross to the harbor side near the ferry landing, where the water barely moves.
However you set up, the routine is the same for us: claim a spot early, get the chair facing the water, and stake the umbrella before the breeze picks up around midday. A sand free towel earns its keep here, because the peninsula sand is fine and gets everywhere, and the waffle weave shakes clean instead of coming home with half the beach in it.
the balboa fun zone
Right on the bayfront, the Fun Zone has been a Newport fixture since 1936. The 45-foot ferris wheel is the landmark, but the boardwalk, the small rides, and the Cape Cod style shops and restaurants are the real draw, and it is the kind of place that is just as good for a slow walk as it is for the rides. It is also home to ExplorOcean, which teaches kids ocean literacy through hands-on exhibits, and it is the launch point for harbor cruises, whale-watching, and the day boat to Catalina. If you are traveling with kids, this is the part of the day they will remember.
the balboa ferry
The Balboa Island Ferry has run continuously since 1919, carrying cars, bikes, and walk-ons across the short channel between the peninsula and the island. It is the scenic way over, and it saves the six-mile drive around by bridge. A few cars at a time, a few minutes across, and one of the more charming rides in Newport. We almost always walk or bike on rather than bringing the car, both because the line for cars can be long on a summer weekend and because the crossing is more fun from the open deck.
balboa island
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Hop the ferry or walk the bridge to Balboa Island, a small grid of cottages and shops you can loop in an afternoon. Marine Avenue is the main stretch: coastal boutiques, a few good restaurants, and the two desserts the island is known for, the Balboa Bar and the frozen banana, both dipped in chocolate and rolled in whatever toppings you point at. They have been a local habit for about 75 years, and there is a quiet rivalry over which shop does them best, so you may as well try more than one. Past Marine Avenue, the residential lanes are worth a wander: the houses sit close together, the front porches face the water, and the whole island feels like a slower version of the coast.
parking and getting around
Parking is the honest catch on the peninsula. The lots by the Balboa Pier fill early on warm weekends, so arrive before mid-morning or plan to circle the metered street spots. On Balboa Island, street parking is tight and the lanes are narrow, which is the best argument for leaving the car on the peninsula and taking the ferry over as a walk-on. Bikes are genuinely the easiest way to cover the whole loop, and the boardwalk along the ocean side is flat and made for it.
If you want to stretch the day into a slower second act, lido marina village is a short drive up the bay for waterside tables and shops, and there is more of Newport in the newport beach notes.
Bring the chair and a sand free towel for the ocean side first, then go explore. Tag us @sunyvibesig from the peninsula.
the gear behind the stories
built for the day, made from the ocean.
The chair, the towel, the umbrella. Made from recycled ocean bound plastic, designed in Newport Beach.
shop the kit
