Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society

Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society Mission: To collect, preserve and promote the culture and history of Balboa Island and Newport Beach. Vision: Inspiring our community. A place to gather.
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Celebrating our heritage. Balboa Island, with all its allure and charm, has been a favorite California location for locals and vacationers alike. Now residents and visitors can discover all sorts of interesting and fascinating facts about this magical Island by visiting the Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society. Visitors will be fascinated by the display of Island memorabilia, including classi

c photographs that depict the Island’s captivating history. The Museum was founded in 2000 after local Pat Buderwitz had the idea of turning the old Fire Station into an Island Museum. Pat and a group of Island neighbors started meeting regularly and formed an organization, the Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society (BIMHS). On May 13, 2000, a reception was held at the Newport Beach Yacht Club to introduce the BIMHS to the Island residents. When the fire station option fell through, the BIMHS decided to rent a space until a more permanent location could be found. They moved into their first location across from the ferry during March of 2002. In the spring of 2011, the Board of Directors made the decision to relocate the Museum to 331 Marine Avenue, becoming part of Balboa Island’s “Main Street.” This charming vintage cottage is the perfect site to showcase the Museum’s artifacts and it is the hope and desire of the committee that this location will also provide a meeting place for the local community. (Coincidentally, the new location is very close to the old Fire Station, their original chosen spot!)

Locals and visitors are welcome to check out the new location and learn a little bit of Balboa Island’s enchanting history.

Join us at the brand new Witte Hall for an unforgettable cinematic evening.In the 1920s and 30s, Newport Beach became a ...
05/29/2026

Join us at the brand new Witte Hall for an unforgettable cinematic evening.

In the 1920s and 30s, Newport Beach became a glittering seaside escape where Hollywood charm met underground nightlife.

Follow and visit the link in bio for tickets, tours, and upcoming events.

.in.the.rearview.mirror

Hacky Sack Craze at Balboa Island Museum!!
05/28/2026

Hacky Sack Craze at Balboa Island Museum!!

Inside Don Phillips’ The Original Frozen Banana first opened on the peninsula in 1940
05/26/2026

Inside Don Phillips’ The Original Frozen Banana first opened on the peninsula in 1940

Body builders at The Original Frozen Banana on the peninsula in the 1940’s
05/25/2026

Body builders at The Original Frozen Banana on the peninsula in the 1940’s

Miss Balboa and other contestants celebrating at The Original Frozen Banana in the 1940’s
05/24/2026

Miss Balboa and other contestants celebrating at The Original Frozen Banana in the 1940’s

Image of Balboa Island in 1923 with the water tower visible to the right of the boat house.
05/23/2026

Image of Balboa Island in 1923 with the water tower visible to the right of the boat house.

"120 Years of Welcome” explores how tourism shaped Newport Beach through vintage photographs, forgotten stories, and the...
05/20/2026

"120 Years of Welcome” explores how tourism shaped Newport Beach through vintage photographs, forgotten stories, and the people who built a seaside escape that still lives in our memories today.

Follow Balboa Island Museum and visit the link in bio for upcoming exhibits, events, and walking tours.

A Short History of the Balboa FUN ZONEThe FUN ZONE area has always been fun. In 1892, just thirty years after the spit w...
05/16/2026

A Short History of the Balboa FUN ZONE

The FUN ZONE area has always been fun. In 1892, just thirty years after the spit was completely formed by the Santa Ana River, Edward Abbott purchased the area (from today’s 9th Street to just beyond Main St.). Under the California Tidelands Act, he purchased the land for $1 an acre. Along with his wife, sister and brother-in-law, he built a shack and the first pleasure dock in the bay. Known as Abbott’s Landing, he ran pleasure rides on his paddlewheel steamer, “The Last Chance”, built cottages for overnight stays and sold shells that he polished using the windmill he erected on Bay Island. Abbott brought mainland soil over to plant the first trees on the spit. Well water was prevalent at the time and the trees flourished when he began “planting” a shark in each tree well. Later, Abbott’s Landing was the site of the first pleasure sailboats in the bay. The tourist trade gradually grew and then exploded when the Red Car tracks reached “East Newport” and Balboa in 1906.  

Fast forward to 1936 when Al Anderson leased the property from, then boat yard owner, Fred Lewis. Anderson cleared the area and constructed the precursor to the FUN ZONE we know today. Anderson owned and operated the Ferris Wheel and Merry-Go-Round, while Harold Hannaford did the same for the kiddy rides and arcade. In 1948, Anderson purchased the property from Lewis and continued the operation until 1972. Jordan W**k owned the FUN ZONE in 1985, at which time he bulldozed the area and constructed the buildings we see today. After a series of owners and operators, the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum purchased the property in 2005 to showcase nautical displays and ship models. The 75-year Merry-Go-Round lease expired in 2011 and was moved to Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland, CA. Since 2013, the property was held by Explore Ocean, which merged with the Discovery Science Center in 2016. With the recent purchase of the property by the Pyle family, there is a feeling of excitement and hope that we will experience FUN at the FUN ZONE for decades to come.

1. McMillan
2. McMillan
3. Dennerline
4. Abbott’s Landing
5. Hunting Party, 1895

A Short History of the Balboa FUN ZONEWithout exception, the FUN ZONE area has always been fun. In 1892, just thirty yea...
05/16/2026

A Short History of the Balboa FUN ZONE

Without exception, the FUN ZONE area has always been fun. In 1892, just thirty years after the spit was completely formed by the Santa Ana River, Edward Abbott purchased the area (from today’s 9th Street to just beyond Main St.). Under the California Tidelands Act, he purchased the land for $1 an acre. Along with his wife, sister and brother-in-law, he built a shack and the first pleasure dock in the bay. Known as Abbott’s Landing, he ran pleasure rides on his paddlewheel steamer, “The Last Chance”, built cottages for overnight stays and sold shells that he polished using the windmill he erected on Bay Island. Abbott brought mainland soil over to plant the first trees on the spit. Well water was prevalent at the time and the trees flourished when he began “planting” a shark in each tree well. Later, Abbott’s Landing was the site of the first pleasure sailboats in the bay. The tourist trade gradually grew and then exploded when the Red Car tracks reached “East Newport” and Balboa in 1906.

Fast forward to 1936 when Al Anderson leased the property from, then boat yard owner, Fred Lewis. Anderson cleared the area and constructed the precursor to the FUN ZONE we know today. Anderson owned and operated the Ferris Wheel and Merry-Go-Round, while Harold Hannaford did the same for the kiddy rides and arcade. In 1948, Anderson purchased the property from Lewis and continued the operation until 1972. Jordan W**k owned the FUN ZONE in 1985, at which time he bulldozed the area and constructed the buildings we see today. After a series of owners and operators, the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum purchased the property in 2005 to showcase nautical displays and ship models. The 75-year Merry-Go-Round lease expired in 2011 and was moved to Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland, CA. Since 2013, the property was held by Explore Ocean, which merged with the Discovery Science Center in 2016. With the recent purchase of the property by the Pyle family, there is a feeling of excitement and hope that we will experience FUN at the FUN ZONE for decades to come. Edward Abbott would be so pleased.

#1 Photo credit to Hugh McMillan
#2 Photo Credit Hugh McMillan
#3 Photo Credit Celeste Dennerline
#4 Abbotts Landing - Photo credit to First American Title
#5 Hunting party at Abbott’s Landing circa 1895
Photo credit to First American Title

A photo from 1923 with heavy traffic on PCH with The Arches on the left
05/14/2026

A photo from 1923 with heavy traffic on PCH with The Arches on the left

Aerial Photo of Newport Blvd. and PCH where you can see the Arches in the Distance
05/13/2026

Aerial Photo of Newport Blvd. and PCH where you can see the Arches in the Distance

Address

210 Marine Avenue, Ste B
Newport Beach, CA
92662

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+19496753952

Website

https://www.balboaislandmuseum.org/upcoming-events, https://msha.ke/balboaislandmuse

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