In 1959, Richard Prather set parts of his book Over Her Dear Body in the Fun Zone. The patio is handicap accessible from East Bay Avenue. The Balboa Fun Zone also features a raised patio open to the public offering views of Newport Harbor. Chartwell real estate under the Pyle family, the company seeks to further the revitalization of the Balboa Fun Zone. In September of 2021, Chartwell Real Estate Development purchased the area from OceanQuest after the company ran into financial struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ocean Motion is an 18’ tall bungee ride that allows people to jump and flip through the air in complete safety, the ride Happy Swing is an automatic swing which can hold up to six people, and Coconut Climb, multiple fake coconut trees with holds for Balboa Fun Zone guests to race on. The greater Balboa Fun Zone area also includes the Balboa Village which consists of more retail shops, restaurants, several saloons, a boutique hotel, the Balboa Pier, the beach, and the boardwalks along both the beach and the harbor fronts. In 2016, ExplorOcean merged with Discovery Cube Orange County forming OceanQuest adding new attractions and updating the property. They include Ocean Motion, Fish Pipe, and Burt the Bull Shark. In 2013, the Balboa Fun Zone underwent a major renaissance with the addition of three rides owned and operated by Fun Zone Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of ExplorOcean. The Balboa Fun Zone was purchased in December, 2005 by NHNM Property Holdings, LLC with plans to renovate the existing building, boardwalk and waterfront. The Ferris wheel is a frequently photographed night landmark on the Balboa Peninsula.
Tourists and residents can still enjoy harbor cruises and old fashioned arcades on the boardwalk. The Fun Zone consisted of a newly restored Carousel purchased in 1985, a #5 Eli Ferris Wheel, bumper cars, Drummer Boy, and the Scary Dark Ride There were also a few souvenir shops, restaurants, and tour boat companies offering boat rides and narrated cruises. In 1994, the Balboa Fun Zone was purchased by former employee Joe Tunstall. The property languished for several years and the area went into decline. In 1988, Doo & Sons owned the Balboa Fun Zone, but they walked away after not receiving zoning permits to develop the property into a mixed use of retail and housing. In 1986, Jordan Wank rebuilt the entire area and re-opened it. The Fun Zone was built in 1936 by Al Anderson featuring a small beach and a 45’ Ferris Wheel as the main attractions. The Balboa Fun Zone offers both an ocean and harbor experience for an estimated seven million annual visitors to Newport Beach. The Balboa Fun Zone is a family destination located on the Balboa Peninsula in the city of Newport Beach, Orange County, California.
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