Sights, sounds of summer

Built in 1936, the Balboa Fun Zone has long been a summer destination for locals and visitors alike, and although this is the first year coastline cavorters will be without the bumper cars, Drummer Boy and the Scary Dark Ride, there is still plenty of fun to be had as Memorial Day kicks off the sunny season.

The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum made a new home for itself there in September, maintaining its devotion to the rich maritime culture of Newport Beach. In addition to the thousands of historical photos and dozens of model ships housed at the museum, a sport-fishing simulator was unveiled in March as well as a touch-tank full of sea creatures like bat stars, giant keyhole limpets and sea cucumbers to keep the hands and minds of youngsters engaged.

“Our goal is to make sure this portion of the village remains the drawing card that it is,” museum executive director David Muller said.

The museum is preparing for summer with a new selection of surf films to play in the East Wing Learning Center — “Step into Liquid” and “Riding Giants” — and reservations are being taken for a Nautical Adventure Camp series designed for children ages 7 to 12.

Muller was particularly pleased to announce the upcoming arrival of a traveling Smithsonian exhibition celebrating 200 years of charting America’s coasts — “From Sea to Shining Sea” — set to open on June 21.

“Building a relationship with the Smithsonian is a big step for us and an indication of where we hope to take the museum in the future,” he said. “We are working hard to raise the quality of the museum to be at least equivalent to our peer institutions here in Orange County.”

The Newport aficionado hopes visitors to the museum will also delight in the traditional summer pastimes of the area, such as a ride on the Ferris wheel, a chocolate-dipped ice cream bar or a round of Skee-Ball.

“The Balboa Village has so much to offer everybody, and they can experience old and new Newport all at the same time,” he said. “The fun zone is a great place for people to spend the day, and it covers all ages from 3 to 93.”

The Balboa Fun Zone is at 600 E. Bay Ave. The nautical museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Monday. There is a $5 suggested donation for adults, and there’s no charge for children 12 and under. For more information, go to www.nhnm.org or call (949) 675-8915.

With summer around the corner, here are some of the highlights of Newport-Mesa’s many summer offerings.

Cinema Orange

Experience the posh atmosphere of an art museum combined with the fresh air of a drive-in theater this summer at Cinema Orange in Newport Beach. Held out in the open-air patio of the Orange County Museum of Art every other Thursday, now through August, each screening includes live question-and-answer sessions with filmmakers and a chance to explore the exhibits.

Presented by the museum and the Newport Beach Film Festival, the free film series began May 10 with “Shanghai Kiss.” The film won the award for outstanding achievement in filmmaking at this year’s festival.

The museum will show the surf documentary “Chasing the Lotus,” made by Greg Schell and local Greg Weaver, on June 14. The film, which won awards at the X-dance Film Fest as well as at Newport’s festival this year, follows Weaver and Spyder Wills around the globe filming the evolution of the surf culture.

All films begin at 8:30 p.m. at the back of the museum, 850 San Clemente Drive. For more information, go to the museum’s website, www.ocma.net .

Fashion Island’s Summer Concert Series

It’s hard to beat free music, and this year the longest-running Southern California concert series will present an eclectic lineup, kicking things off on July 11 with former Monkee Micky Dolenz.

Other performers include ‘80s pop band Berlin, Grammy-winner Poncho Sanchez and his Latin jazz band and the Fab Four, a Beatles tribute band.

The concerts run at 7 p.m. each Wednesday from July 11 through Aug. 15, and first-come, first-served complimentary seating will be available two hours before each show. Preferred seating is available for $20.

For more information, call (949) 721-2000.

Summer Jazz Series

The Hyatt’s summer concert series — under the stars in its outdoor amphitheater — kicks off June 8 and continues every Friday night through October.

Headliners include Brian Culbertson, Rick Braun, Mindi Abair and Candy Dulfer.

Concerts begin at 8 p.m., with buffet dinner seating at 5:30 p.m. in the Sol Restaurant. Tickets are $45 to $50 for the concert only; $80 for dinner and the concert. The Hyatt is at 1107 Jamboree Road.

For information, call (949) 729-6400 or go to www.summerjazzseries.com .

Cruise the canals

With warm summer nights on the horizon, grab that someone special, settle into a gondola, and spend a romantic evening gliding along the canals of Newport Beach.

Gondola Adventures Inc., 3101 W. Coast Highway Suite 110, Newport Beach, offers both authentic and modern gondolas to choose from, and the company’s staff of gondoliers row exclusively in the traditional Venetian style.

If privacy is more your style, custom-built, motorized gondolas with canopy covers offer a more intimate setting.

Dinners catered by the company’s chef and served on the gondola can be arranged, or a stop along the harbor at a restaurant of your choice is another option.

Basic cruises start at $135, with complimentary champagne included. Upgraded packages are available; discount coupons can be found at https://caladventures.com/Gondola1.htm .

For more information, call (866) 646-2061.

BEACH CAN’T CLEAN ITSELF

With hundreds of thousands of people using Newport’s beaches as their playground, they sure can get dirty. But you can do you part on June 21 when the Surfrider Foundation celebrates International Surfing Day with an evening beach cleanup followed by a bonfire on the south side of Balboa Pier. Cruise to the beach around 6 p.m. and help pick up trash. Then it’ll be time to party.

Surfrider is also set to host beach cleanups at about 9 a.m. every Saturday during August at the Newport Pier. More information can be found at www.surfrider.org/newportbeach .

GET WET

You don’t have to brave beach crowds to enjoy water activities in Newport-Mesa. Both cities offer recreational aquatic programs and there are a number of other tours and boat rentals people can participate in for a dose of the wet stuff.

At Costa Mesa’s Downtown Community Center pool, kids and adults can enjoy swimming lessons, free swim time and other activities without having to brave traffic on Newport and Balboa boulevards. Swim lessons begin June 25 for kids, and open registration for the program is Tuesday. A two-week session costs $36. Newport Beach also offers private and group lessons at Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor high schools for five-week sessions.

Costa Mesa offers adult swim lessons as well. And only 10 to 15 people per summer participate, so the instruction ends up being more personal.

“Especially here in Southern California, everybody needs to know how to swim,” Costa Mesa recreation coordinator Robby Waite said.

The city also offers youth water polo classes for $39 and $45, depending on what session kids enroll in. The participants learn the basics of water polo and scrimmage against each other. It’s open to kids ages 8 to 14.

You may also rent electric and cruiser boats in the bay. At Marina WaterSports in the fun zone, customers can rent 16-foot Marina runabouts for up to four adults for $60 an hour. The boat rental company also offers 18-foot “party pontoon boats” for $70 an hour and electric boats for $80 to $95 an hour. Sailboats and kayaks are also available for rent. The company also offers boats for ocean rentals, including Boston whalers.

You don’t have to own a fishing boat to enjoy local fishing. Davey’s Locker Sportfishing offers private charters as well as “open” parties on its boats.

A half-day trip on the Western Pride, which pushes off at 6 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., costs $33 for adults and $26 for kids and seniors. Spend the majority of the day aboard Freelance — trips are from 1 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to midnight for the twilight trip — and catch bass, sheepshead and sculpin from Huntington Beach to Laguna Beach or Catalina Island. The daytime trip costs $60 for adults, $50 for kids and seniors. There’s a discount for the twilight trip, which costs $33 for adults and $26 for kids and seniors.

Davey’s Locker also offers overnight trips and shark fishing. For more information, go to www.daveyslocker.com .

For those who want to learn about their natural surroundings, kayak tours led by Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends could be the best bet.

Every Saturday and Sunday, the group leads tours through the Upper Newport Bay and talks about bird migration, endangered species and how the ecological reserve is managed.

On Saturdays through June, the two-hour tours leave from the Newport Aquatic Center for $15, and on Sundays it leaves from Newport Dunes for $20. After July, those launch points will be switched and will all cost $15.

ORANGE COUNTY FAIR

The 2007 Orange County Fair will blend perennial favorites, such as the demolition derby, with a few new attractions, including sand animation artist Ferenc Cako. Returning this year are the popular Peking Acrobats and wrestlers of Lucha Libre. Evenings can be spent in the Pacific Amphitheater seeing a list of performers topped by the legendary Bob Dylan. Other concerts this summer include Queens of the Stone Age, Tears for Fears and Ziggy Marley.

One of the more unusual events this year is the July 27 cattle drive, when organizers want to drive 300 steers through Costa Mesa streets to go with this year’s fair theme, “Cowabunga! The year of Herefords, surfers and sand.” Promotions are scheduled in connection with the cattle drive, and free admission days at the fair will be offered for kids, seniors and members of the military and law enforcement. For a fair schedule, go to www.ocfair.com .

FOURTH OF JULY

If you’re swelling with patriotic pride or just dazzled by fireworks, visit the Newport Dunes for the 49th annual fireworks show and daylong celebration. Beginning at 11 a.m. families can watch or play in volleyball tournaments and hula-hoop contests, make crafts, have their faces painted and listen to a deejay.

The fireworks show, co-sponsored by the city of Newport Beach and touted as the largest in the region, will be seen above the Back Bay at 9 p.m. to the sounds of a musical salute to the armed forces. It’s $25 per car to drive in, but events are free, and the fireworks can be seen from nearby Castaways Park.

If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, Costa Mesa allows “safe and sane” fireworks to be sold at licensed stands from July 1 to July 4 — but if you set them off, remember to clean up after yourself. The fireworks stands are often a major fundraiser for sports teams and other youth activity groups. Fireworks aren’t allowed in most Orange County cities, by the way.

— Amanda Pennington, Alicia Robinson, Kelly Strodl and Sue Thoensen contributed to this report.