The Balboa Peninsula is the long, narrow spit of sand that separates Newport Harbor from the open Pacific. It runs for about three miles from the Newport Pier down to the Wedge at its southern tip, lined the whole way by surf-front cottages, beach houses and a paved boardwalk where everyone bikes, blades, walks or pushes a stroller.
The peninsula has more of the funkier old Newport character than the polished neighbourhoods north of the harbour. The middle section around the Balboa Pier and the Balboa Pavilion is the busiest, with the Balboa Fun Zone arcade, a small ferris wheel, and the ferry dock for Balboa Island. The southern end at the Wedge is famous among bodysurfers for huge, refracted shore-break waves that draw a crowd whenever a south swell is running.