20 Attractions to Explore Near Balboa Pier

Balboa Island was originally a sandbar that developer William S. Collins turned into an island between 1905 and 1913. It is accessible to the public via bridge, ferry and several public docks. It is home to local small businesses including restaurants, bakeries, fishing & tackle, and local crafts. The island also has a fire station and a post office. The community is surrounded by a paved concrete boardwalk open to pedestrian traffic, designated as a public walking trail by the city.

Fashion Island is a regional shopping mall, features world-class shopping and restaurants. in Newport Beach, California. Its stores include prestigious department stores and specialty boutiques, more than 30 dining options and restaurants, including Fig & Olive, CUCINA enoteca, True Food Kitchen, and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.

Crystal Cove State Park is a state park of California, United States, encompassing 3.2 miles of Pacific coastline, inland chaparral canyons, and the Crystal Cove Historic District of beach houses. Crystal Cove is one of Orange County's largest remaining examples of open space and natural seashore. It has 3.2 miles of beach, 2,400 acres of backcountry wilderness, which is popular for outdoor enthusiasts and an offshore underwater area.

South Coast Plaza is a global shopping destination with more than 250 extraordinary boutiques, critically acclaimed restaurants a nd so more. Its 275 retailers represent the highest concentration of design fashion retail in the U.S., with the second highest sales-volume in California. The South Coast Plaza is the largest shopping mall in California and the 4th largest in the United States.

This is a modern and contemporary art museum presently operating in a temporary space at South Coast Plaza Village in Santa Ana, California. The museum's collection comprises more than 4,500 objects, with a concentration on the art of California and the Pacific Rim from the early 20th century to present. Exhibits include traditional paintings, sculptures, and photography, as well as new media in the form of video, digital, and installation art.

Tanaka Farms is a living reminder of Irvine's agricultural past. An organic, family-run operation that, offers year-round, hands-on tours of its gardens and U-Pick Pumpkin Patch in the fall. It is one of the iconic attraction in this area and also offers visitors a beautiful experience.

Huntington Beach Pier is one of the longest piers on the West Coast. It is well known for surfing, beautiful ocean views, and legendary bars.One of the main landmarks of Huntington Beach, also known as "Surf City, USA", the pier is the center of the city's prominent beach culture. A popular meeting place for surfers, the ocean waves here are enhanced by a natural effect caused by the edge-diffraction of open ocean swells around Catalina Island, creating consistent surf year-round.

This is a a large oceanfront park that provides access to several beaches, including Picnic Beach and Rockpile Beach, both of which are located on either side of Monument Point at the center of the park. Start your stroll at the northern end of this Highway 1 stop and you'll be treated to plenty of grassy spaces, stately palm trees, patches of wildflowers and some beautiful sculpture work as you venture down the park's waterfront pathway.

A wonderful museum located in Laguna Beach, California, which collects, cares for, and exhibits works of art that were created by California artists or represent the life and history of the state. The museum's collection ranges across all periods and styles since the nineteenth-century, maintaining a dynamic balance between the historical and the contemporary.

A wonderful museum features 17 interactive exhibits designed as a small, interconnected city. Pretend City aims to “build better brains” through purposeful play, hands-on learning experiences, role playing, and educational programming. The exhibits include an Amphitheater, Art Studio, Mind + Body Center, Sandy Beach, Restaurant Café, City Hall and Lobby, Construction Site, Emergency Services with Dispatch Station, Police Station, and Fire Station and so more.

The Great Park is a public park located in Irvine, California, with a focus on sports, agriculture, and the arts.Recognized as one of the most modern metropolitan parks in the world, the carefully designed Orange County Great Park at once pays homage to the military history of this legendary air base while creating exceptional experiences for a new generation. Encompassing a total of 1,300 acres, more than 200 are currently developed and 688 acres are in planning and design.

A majestic 120 acre zoo focusing on the animals and plants of Central and South America. The Santa Ana Zoo hosts more than 270,000 people annually. The zoo maintains an extensive primate collection with over a dozen species from around the world.The Zoo is a place to play, a place to learn and a place to spend time with your family.

A nature reserve to protect a coastal wetland, and its resident threatened and endangered species.

Bolsa Chica State Beach is a popular state beach, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to its location south of the community of Sunset Beach in Orange County. The beach extends 3 miles from Warner Avenue in Sunset Beach south to Seapoint Avenue, where the Huntington City Beach begins. Activities include surfing, sunbathing, play volleyball, and water sports. Tent camping is not allowed at Bolsa Chica State Beach. Fire rings are available.

An art museum with a permanent collection of more than 100,000 objects and features notable strengths in the areas of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, Native American art, the art of Asia, Africa, and Oceania, and California Plein-air painting.

A science museum with more than 100 hands-on science exhibits designed to spark children's natural curiosity.

Angel Stadium of Anaheim is one of the most iconic ballparks in Major League Baseball. Although it’s the fourth-oldest MLB ballpark and and was also the home stadium to the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League from 1980 to 1994. It is the fourth-oldest active Major League Baseball stadium, behind Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Dodger Stadium; it is also the second-oldest stadium in the American League. It hosted the 1967, 1989, and 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Games.

A majestic steel roller coaster at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim. It is the only roller coaster at the Disneyland Resort with an inversion, and is the fastest at the park with a top speed of 55 miles per hour. It is the longest inverting roller coaster in the world as of 2020.

Radiator Springs Racers is an auto racing attraction inspired by the Disney·Pixar movie 'Cars' in Disney California Adventure Park. The attraction features a third-generation version of transport technology originally developed for the Test Track attraction at Epcot in Walt Disney World.The attraction takes guests in a six-person vehicle through encounters with characters from the film series Cars. Guests then race another vehicle through turns and hills, ending with a randomized race result.

Pixar Pal-A-Round is a 150-foot-tall eccentric wheel at Disney California Adventure, at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. This eccentric wheel, differing from conventional Ferris wheels in that 16 of its 24 gondolas ride on interior rails so that they slide inward and outward as the wheel rotates. This results in a more intense experience, and motion sickness bags are provided in each gondola due to the disorienting nature of the ride.