Travis Newport Beach attractions, top destinations selection? The Orange County Museum of Art focuses on the art of California from the early 20th century to the present and is one of the top Newport Beach attractions. The collection contains more than 3,000 objects including paintings, photography, and sculptures. The museum also features new art media including digital, installation, and video art. The Orange County Museum of Art is one of the best things to do in Newport Beach, California for art lovers. Exhibitions of contemporary art are regularly mounted at the museum and it hosts many events including lectures and activities for children. The museum is well-known for its education outreach programs including a film series called Cinema Orange, Free Second Sundays, School Tours for children, Studio Sundays, Third Thursdays lectures, and more. Things to do in Orange County.
Just south of Santa Monica lies bohemian Venice. A stroll down the iconic Venice Boardwalk provides gorgeous ocean views, shopping opportunities, food, bars and eclectic street performers. Key spots in the area include Venice Skate Park and Muscle Beach Venice. Enhance your stroll with a coffee from Groundwork Coffee Company or Menotti’s Coffee Stop. Rodeo Drive is synonymous with luxury and affluence. Though the Beverly Hills street itself is two miles (3.2 kilometers) long, the Rodeo Drive tourists flock to is a much shorter section bounded by Wilshire Boulevard to the south and Santa Monica Boulevard to the north. High-end stores like Louis Vuitton, Versace and Dior call this area home. Visitors may also want to stop by the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, the exterior of which was prominently featured in the film Pretty Woman(1990).
The Balboa Fun Zone is a family destination located on East Bay Avenue on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach. Built in 1936 by Al Anderson, the attraction began with a small beach and a Ferris Wheel. The area was rebuilt in 1986 but went into decline until a new owner began reviving the Fun Zone in 1994. Today the area includes Balboa Village with its beach, boardwalks, hotel, restaurants and shops. Amusement rides include an 18 foot tall bungee ride called Ocean Motion, the Ferris Wheel, Fish Pipe, Burt the Bull Shark, and many others. Other attractions include the historic 1905 Balboa Pavilion, arcades, harbor cruises, and more. See more information at Travis Newport Beach.
The Museum of Contemporary Art consists of three separate facilities and is dedicated to works from the 1940s onwards. Pieces from the permanent collection are on display, and regularly changing exhibits feature new works and emerging media. The MOCA Grand, on Grand Avenue, is the museum’s primary facility, with the main galleries as well as the largest museum store and a café. The MOCA Geffen is in Little Tokyo, in what was formerly a police car warehouse. The MOCA Pacific Design Center is in West Hollywood and features rotating exhibits. Santa Monica. Shops, fabulous restaurants, blonde beaches, and the famous Santa Monica Pier make this a natural magnet for tourists and locals alike. Easy access to Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive are also a bonus for sightseers. The Viceroy and the eco-conscious boutique Shore Hotel are popular high-end accommodation options, and the stylish Shutters on the Beach exudes all the casual elegance of a family beach house. For those seeking a fantastic salt-laced location without breaking the bank, try the Ocean View Hotel.
The world-famous Santa Monica Pier is actually two piers in one. With its bait shop and pier-end restaurant, the longer section built in 1909 is characteristic of most Southern California piers. It’s the shorter adjacent pier constructed in 1916 that most attracts visitors. The elevated plaza linking the two piers is home to an old-fashioned amusement park with a vintage roller coaster, a wooden carousel and one of L.A.’s most recognizable landmarks, a solar-powered Ferris Wheel that sparkles with an ever-changing LED light show every night. There’s a small aquarium, a trapeze school and an array of tasty eateries at the pier too.
Universal Studios is an incredibly fun amusement park themed around how movies are made, making it a favorite amid L.A. tourist attractions. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, an attraction which debuted in 2016, immerses visitors in the beloved world that J.K Rowling created. The thrilling tram tour is the park’s signature ride, and the park’s many other experiences immerse you into famous movies and TV shows. Just outside the park is the admission-free CityWalk, a neon-lit pedestrian enclave of shops, restaurants, live entertainment, movie theaters, and nightlife. For more than 100 years, the Santa Monica Pier has been one of the most iconic Los Angeles landmarks. Its 90-foot-tall Ferris wheel lights up at night, while below it bustles an arcade, a roller coaster, a carousel, and several seafood stands and restaurants. If you’re not a fan of the thrill rides, you can walk along the pier for its impressive views over the Pacific. Within easy walking distance is lively Third Street Promenade, a pedestrian street full of restaurants, street entertainers, movie theaters, and inviting stores. Discover more details at Travis Newport Beach.