California travel expert Veronica Hill shares her Balboa Island Travel Guide in this episode of “California Travel Tips.”
Home to the famous Balboa Bar and Balboa Fun Zone, Balboa Island in Newport Beach is a great place for a California holiday or day trip.
The Balboa Fun Zone coastal amusement park, located in Newport Beach, is one of Southern California’s oldest, dating back to 1936.
During your Balboa Island vacation, you’ll find a ton of things to do, from a great Ferris wheel and festive merry-go-round to the Kids at Heart bungee jumper. In the Bay Arcade, you can play a round of air hockey or skee ball.
For some great salt-water taffy, try the nostalgic Balboa Candy, or grab a gooey slice of New York pizza at Pizza Pete’s, a favorite hangout since 1946.
Balboa Pavilion dates back to 1906. Today, it’s a popular marine recreation center.
This is the place to pick up a whale watching cruise, go on a sportfishing tour from Davey’s Locker, or take a morning ride to Catalina Island aboard the Catalina Flyer. Tours depart daily at 9 a.m. and return to Balboa Pavilion at 5:45 p.m.
The Fun Zone Boat Company offers hourly celebrity home tours through Newport Bay, or you can charter your own little duffy boat through Balboa Boat Rentals.
Balboa Pier is home to the very first Ruby’s Diner, which opened in 1982. This is a great spot to chow down on crisp fish and chips or kobe beef sliders while enjoying gorgeous views of the Pacific. Of course, the milk shakes are great too!
Balboa Island, accessible by ferry from Balboa Peninsula or across the bridge from PCH near Newport Beach Fashion Island, is a quaint seaside community filled with dozens of fun boutiques.
While you’re in town, take the time to sample some Balboa Island restaurants along Marine Avenue. A few good recommendations include Amelia’s Ristorante, Wilma’s Patio and The Village Inn. To pack your own lunch, visit Hershey’s Market — a staple since 1929.
But its main claim to fame is the Balboa bar and frozen chocolate banana, invented around 1945. Practically every little snack shop sells these cool confections, but one of the most renowned is Sugar & Spice, which has the autographs of “The OC” cast members posted on its window.
Many Balboa Island homes are available for week-long stays. For Balboa Island rentals, check out Burr White Realty, one of the most popular companies in Newport Beach.
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Balboa’s home to the famous Balboa bar
an old-fashioned Fun Zone is a great
place to spend the afternoon this
coastal amusement park is one of
California’s oldest dating back to 1936
here you’ll find a ton of things to do
from a great ferris wheel and festive
merry-go-round to the kids at heart
bungee jumper in the bait arcade you can
play a round of air hockey or skee-ball
for some great saltwater taffy try the
nostalgic Balboa candy or grab a gooey
slice of New York Pizza Pizza peace
Balboa Pavillion dates back to 1906
today it’s a popular marine recreation
center this is the place to pick up a
whale watching cruise go on a sport
fishing tour or take the morning ride to
Catalina Island aboard the Catalina
flyer tours depart daily at 9:00 a.m.
and return to Balboa Pavilion at 5:45
p.m. the fun zone boat company offers
hourly tours to Newport Bay or you can
charter your own little duffy boat
through Balboa boat rentals
Balboa Island accessible by ferry from
Balboa Peninsula is a quaint seaside
community filled with dozens of fun
boutiques and restaurants but its main
claim to fame as the Balboa Bar and
frozen chocolate banana which were
invented here around 1945 Balboa pier is
home to the very first Ruby’s diner this
is a great spot to chow down on crisp
fish and chips or Kobe beef sliders
while enjoying gorgeous views of the
Pacific for more California travel
videos advice and tips log on to
California travel expert calm
27 Comments
Sounds nice! I'd love to live there!
I don't think it's ruined. They just removed a few attractions — the scary dark ride and the bumper cars. There's still plenty of stuff to do here. Hope this helps!
@yeomanrycavalry Yes, Balboa is awesome. I went to HB a lot as a kid too. Remember the huge punk scene there at the Golden Bear. I used to drive my 69 Dart across the Ferry just for fun! Good times.
@yeomanrycavalry Yes, Balboa is awesome. I went to HB a lot as a kid too. Remember the huge punk scene there at the Golden Bear. I used to drive my 69 Dart across the Ferry just for fun! Good times.
@lizapoo Not sure. Guess it didn't get enough business….
@xXMidnightdoveXx I'm so sorry…
@xXMidnightdoveXx Hope you can too!
THIS IS MY FAVOURITE PLACE ON EARTH! AHHHH
This is Balboa Pennesula, not the island
Might wanna change the title
@ncwdane This video includes both the peninsula and the island. Thanks…
@CaliforniaTravelTips No Problem
I watch a lotta your vids you make & enjoy them
HB & Newport plus Balboa have been my stomping grounds forever,
just a suggestion, I though most the video by far was the pennisula, maybe not 🙂 GBU
I also Love Bog Bear & the river, so cals awesome to live in 🙂
@ncwdane Hi and thanks! Yes, I know what you're saying. I just wanted to include both spots because the ferry goes back and forth there. It explains what to do in that area. Cheers, V
@FloridaVilla4Bed It definitely is great for families!
Christy Miller got me here. (L)
@TheReneeWest I know the carousel is moving, but I haven't heard of any other major changes aside from ExplorOcean.
It sucks that they took out all the cool stuff in the fun zone. Like the bumper cars and that spooky ride.
thanks for the videos!!
The new attractions they've added are really expensive per person. The bull shark and ocean motion as $10 a person and the water ball ride is $15! They should lower the prices by half and that way they'll gain more tourists and it's literally a complete rip off!
They still have the arcade and the ocean motion and two new attractions. The ocean motion and the bull shark are $10 a person and the new water ball ride is $15! They really need to lower the prices. So in a way it's fun and not fun.
Balboa Island is a piece of my childhood. I went back last year and was really sad to discover that the fun zone (which carried many strong memories of me and the time I had with my father) had been torn down and replaced with a new version of the Newport Nautical Museum. So not only one part of my childhood was gone, but also the museum that my dad took me to was changed drastically and moved into the former funzone. He would be really upset if he had been alive when these changes were made. I know I cried when I saw it. I desperately want to go back in time and go back to the old balboa island and the old nautical museum one more time.
Balboa is one of my favorite places in California. Very special 50's memories of family vacations, beach and real rock n roll.Miss the 50's California was a gracious awesome place, still is but things and people have changed a lot. No place like it. Lauri
I love your videos !!
do you have a recent video?
my friend said's she wants your job lol
Do you have a email veronica
Balboa Island Ferry 2019: https://youtu.be/TNq6ZqPjANU
I just go for the bears