Tours expose jewels of the harbor

As Southern California warms up under the summer sun, tourists and locals alike will be searching for new ways to have fun in their own backyard.

In Newport Beach, a number of companies are offering visitors and county residents a unique experience on the water with tours of the harbor that highlight the history and jewels of the area.

For a leisurely tour during a weekend visit to the Balboa Peninsula, the Fun Zone Boat Company out of the Balboa Fun Zone offers visitors 45- and 90-minute tours through Newport Harbor.

On one of the company’s four boats that can seat up to 140 people, visitors can be regaled with stories of Newport Beach’s rich, celebrity-filled past. Sightseers can see Shirley Temple’s childhood home or John Wayne’s boat, the Wild Goose.

And when that time of year comes for the sea lions to swarm the waters — what company manager Hank Wiessner said is a favorite for out-of-towners — the boats can come face to face with them. The Fun Zone Boat Company allows pets to make the trek, too.

“As long as they’re friendly they’re always good, and they’re free,” Wiessner said.

Prices range from $14 for the 45-minute tours to $19 for the 90-minute tour, with lower prices for children. For more information go to funzoneboats.com or call (949) 673-0240.

If above water isn’t your fancy, there’s always a kayak to give you a new view of Newport Beach.

“You can spend days and see new sights every day and not venture out with special skills in open water,” said Lynn Haskell, an employee with Southwind Kayak Center who takes groups on tours through the harbor and Back Bay.

Southwind Kayaks, with a rental and tour location just off the Pacific Coast Highway bridge between the harbor and Back Bay, offers two- and three-hour tours through either the Back Bay or Newport Harbor. You can “kayak back to nature,” Haskell said, and realize the contribution of the wetlands and the various species who live there, or hear the history of the harbor and how it developed into what it is today.

“It’s an activity for the whole family to enjoy,” Haskell said.

For more information on touring Newport Beach’s waters in a kayak, go to southwindkayaks.com or call (949) 261-0200.