Balboa Island Museum & Historical Society, Newport Beach

Small yet cute FREE museum with wonderfully charming staff! They have a nice gift shop but the museum section isn’t large. There was cool info about Balboa Island, Shirley Temple and more. You probably won’t spend more than 15 minutes in the museum. HOWEVER! I noticed an empty storefront down the street that said: Coming soon: The Balboa Island Historical Museum... so maybe they’re moving soon and will have more room! I never give FREE museums less than 4 stars, because anything they offer is gravy. Definitely check this out when strolling down the strip!

Staff is knowledgeable and more than friendly. Spoke with in older woman named Susan, who was very polite and informative. Merchandise that they sell in the shop is very neat. And a history of the islands had details I did not know of. Mostly that both John Wayne and Shirley Temple had homes there. Definitely a place to check out, learn something new, & meet a smiling face.