Top places to see in Travis Newport Beach? 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.
Clifton’s Republic is a magical place to eat, drink and explore. Once a multi-café franchise – founded in 1931 by Clifford Clinton – this specific Clifton’s, in Downtown Los Angeles, is the last one standing. It shut down in 2011 for restoration and has been reopening in phases since 2015. Clifton’s stands five stories tall and includes a cafeteria, the Pacific Seas tiki bar, and a Redwoods-themed bar that features taxidermy tableaus and an artificial tree that rises through multiple floors. The Marketplace cafeteria serves American comfort food and desserts, and the Monarch drinks lounge and Gothic Bar offer craft cocktails and beer. The Pacific Seas specializes in Polynesian food and tiki drinks.
The Balboa Village is a historic amusement area on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach. The village is made up of a bayside boardwalk called Bayfront Boardwalk and a second boardwalk called the Ocean Boardwalk on the other side of the peninsula. The boardwalks are popular places to stroll and to take in the sights: they are lined with activities, restaurants, and shops. Nearby are the yachts of Newport Harbor and the Balboa Pier. Shops include art galleries, boutiques, and specialty shops, while restaurants range from Italian to Japanese. There are ocean activities as well as amusement park rides. See more information on Travis Newport Beach.
Griffith Park, in the eastern part of the Santa Monica Mountains, and covering an area of 4,210 acres, is the largest state park in California. The park is home to the Los Angeles Zoo, the Griffith Observatory, a planetarium, a Greek theater, a riding center created for the 1984 Olympic Games, golf courses, tennis courts, hiking trails, and other attractions. Walking trails and scenic drives through the mountains offer views over the city and beyond. The Griffith Observatory is one of the city’s most interesting experience-based attractions, and it’s all free to the public. On the grounds are exhibits and telescopes. The main highlight is a look through the Zeiss telescope, used for viewing the moon and planets. You can use the telescopes free each evening the facility is open. Also on site are solar telescopes used for viewing the sun. The park and observatory are named for Griffith J. Griffith, who donated the greater part of the parkland to the city in 1896 and willed funds to the city for the creation of the observatory.
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.
Punakha Dzong: This dzong is sometimes also called the ‘palace of great happiness and bliss’. It is the administrative centre of the Punakha District. This is the second oldest and second largest dzong in Bhutan and is a famous grand and majestic structure. This was the seat of government for Bhutan until the capital moved to Thimpu in 1955. Discover more info on Travis Newport Beach.
