The Balboa Fun Zone, a seasonal tourist attraction that draws visitors to the bank of Newport Harbor with its Ferris wheel, amusement rides and souvenir shops, could soon draw historical tall ships, famous sailing skippers and thousands of maritime buffs.
The Newport Harbor Nau-tical Museum closed a deal in the last days of 2005 to purchase the Balboa Fun Zone and will relocate there from its current location aboard the riverboat "Pride of Newport". David Muller, the museum's executive director, sees the museum anchoring Balboa Village, with visitors coming to the area year round to see nautical exhibits, hear lectures and tour historical vessels.
The museum is housed currently aboard "Pride of Newport", similar to San Diego's "Ruben E. Lee", on Coast Highway in Newport Beach. Although it owns the riverboat, the museum's lease for the Irvine Co.-owned parking lot expires June 30 and will continue on a month-to-month basis. The eventual fate of the boat, which houses a recently opened restaurant, has yet to be decided.
The purchase price of the Fun Zone was not disclosed. It is being funded by a loan and the museum plans on holding numerous fundraisers to help pay the costs.
The deal to buy the Balboa Fun Zone represents the end of the museum's more than three-year search for a new location. Muller and Joe Tunstall, president of the property's former owner, Balboa Fun Zone Rides Inc., see it as a match made in heaven with plenty to gain for all involved.
"Our gain is that hopefully the museum will increase foot traffic to Balboa and help the harbor cruises, restaurants, gift shops and other businesses," Tunstall said.
Balboa resident Gay Wassall-Kelly, who lives a block from the Fun Zone and publishes the Balboa Beacon, said she was so excited about the idea of having the museum at the Fun Zone, she dropped the phone, screaming with delight, when Tunstall called to ask her thoughts on the prospect.
"I'm so excited," Wassall-Kelly said. "I think it's what Balboa has needed for many years."
Museum officials are formulating the relocation plan and will likely operate out of both locations later this year, Muller said.
Their first move will be sometime this spring or summer to a space previously occupied by an indoor golf arcade. They are still working out if it will be an exhibition, preview space for the museum's future plans or some other kind of attraction, Muller said.
Most of the Fun Zone tenants are on month-to-month leases, so the museum will have time to decide whether or not to renew them. Two things that won't be leaving, however, are the Ferris wheel and carousel, though the carousel may eventually relocate to another part of the Fun Zone, Muller said.
Muller sees the museum strengthening Newport Beach's nautical tradition with exhibits, lectures from world-class sailing skippers and plenty of hands-on educational programs. He also plans to forge partnerships with sailing programs at Orange Coast College and the Boy Scout Sea Base.
"Maybe we could provide the catalyst to upgrade the area," Muller said. "What would be the ultimate endorsement would be when residents walk down to dinner and come to the museum and/or kids ride their bikes down for activities like our virtual fishing machine. Our role is to inspire, as well as to educate."
He would also like to continue the museum's relationship with the tall ship "Lynx" and bring in more ships, harbor depth allowing. The 1,000 lineal feet of dock space available would also allow for a classic wooden boat show, like Lake Tahoe's "Concours d'Elegance", he said.