Quietly waiting for a noce beach family day, no waves and view of docks and nice hanahou kayakers singing songs of freedom

I've been making regular sails out of Newport Harbor for the past couple of months and have tried checking in but after several queries, I could not find anything; did a small bit of research and here we are! Area map - https://www.yelp.com/writeareview/biz/Or_Nl1emJAcaGKm6FaI8_g?return_url=%2Fbiz%2FOr_Nl1emJAcaGKm6FaI8_g&source=biz_details_war_button Great harbor, beautiful houses, amazing boats! Recently learned, Judy Garlands former residence is located on the water, the Gilette Brothers houses are also a few doors down, and a condo complex/construction project had come to a complete halt about six month ago for reasons unknown. It's a nice harbor with a fair amount of traffic on the water but unlike Dana Point; lots of space. Photo - https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/newport-harbor-newport-beach?select=swuQP7sPq2iLDEAbshBjaQ If you're on the water or near it, you may be able to see the "Wild Goose," John Wayne's corner yacht. Photo - https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/newport-harbor-newport-beach?select=JtqNjROYsYDRSB13IniY4w If you ever get an opportunity to get on the water, I highly recommend it. People have several options to choose from: - Newport Harbor Sailing Excursion - Whale watching tours - Deep-sea fishing charters - Sunset cruises - Jet ski/Seaa Doo rentals - Nature & wildlife tours - Kayak/SUP rentals - Newport Harbor Sightseeing Cruise 'Just to name a few! "Nearing sunset" - https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/newport-harbor-newport-beach?select=gM1AZfnUSZQeS7aF3dTfVQ History - Newport Harbor is a semi-artificial harbor that was formed by dredging Newport Bay estuary during the early 1900s. Several artificial islands were built, which are now covered with private homes: Newport Island, Balboa Island, Little Balboa Island, Collins Island, Bay Island, Harbor Island, Lido Isle and Linda Isle. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries such as boatbuilding, shipbuilding, and commercial fishing, but today it is used mostly for recreation. Its shores are occupied mostly by private homes and private docks. With approximately 9,000 boats, Newport Harbor is one of the largest recreational boat harbors on the U.S. west coast. It's a popular destination for all boating activities, including sailing, fishing, rowing, canoeing, kayaking, and paddleboarding. Commercial maritime operations today include the Catalina Flyer ferry to Catalina Island, harbor tours, sport fishing and whale watching day trips and charters, and a few small commercial fishing boats. Newport Bay is divided by the Pacific Coast Highway bridge, which is too low for most sailboats and very large boats to pass under. North of the bridge is referred to as Upper Newport Bay, or the Back Bay. South of the bridge is commonly called Lower Newport Bay, or Newport Harbor. However the Back Bay also has harbor facilities, especially the marina and launch ramp at The Dunes. The north end of the Newport Harbor channels around Lido Island have a number of small business centers and were at one time used by the fishing fleets as their home. On the North East side of the channel, the Lido Marina Village now provides the local port to many "Newport Party Boats" as well as small merchants and local restaurants. It also hosts the area boat show each year as well as an organic "Farmers Market" Sundays, in addition to being the port for the local Gondola Company. In 2014, the center was closed for a renovation. Upper Newport Bay is an estuary that was formed by a prehistoric flow of the Santa Ana River. Today it is fed by a small stream from San Diego Creek. Much of Upper Newport Bay is a protected natural area known as the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve, established in 1975. Source: Wikipedia Link - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_Beach,_California#Newport_Harbor_and_Newport_Bay - Big Aloha! Food: n/a (You have a lot to choose from the various, local eateries.) Ambiance: 5 Service: 5 Value: Priceless read more

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We love the Newport Harbor! One of our favorite weekend activities is to take a little cruise around the water in a duffy boat, checking out the gorgeous houses. It's so relaxing. Here's some tips: ***There are tons of places to rent Duffy's. My advice is to SHOP AROUND and check out GROUPON! I have checked out all of the Duffy rental places in the harbor, rented from 3 and my favorite is OC Boat Rentals. 2nd place to EB Boats. See my reviews of both for more info ***You can park at the public dock over by the beach and walk over to 7-11 if you need drinks/snacks. ***I suggest you bring drinks/snacks. There is nothing like a good mimosa on the water or in my case, a nice warm coffee ***Check out the holiday lights during December. We went one night and some of the boats were decked out for the Boat parade which starts around December 19th each year. That was super cool as was many of the houses that were all done up! ***Bring layers: Depending on the time of day, the weather, the wind etc. it can get really cold! Make sure to bring layers and if you're renting a boat, find out if it has plastic around it so you can plan accordingly. ***There are lots of cool restaurants right on the water. If you want to pull up in a duffy though, make sure you check with the restaurant to reserve a spot. We'll be back! read more

Me and my family saw 2 grey whales, a bunch of common dolphins and a few sea lions or seals. It was really fun and enjoyable.