The Newport Elementary beach playground is shared between the elementary school and the public. It is open to the public ONLY during non-school hours. School hours are Mon-Fri 8am-3pm September-June.
It makes it a fun place to play for afternoons and sunsets. Shared playgrounds are such a treat and make so much sense! Rather than locking up the playground so no one can play after school hours, it becomes a community resource and gathering place.
It is not a City of Newport Beach park. It's a Newport Mesa Unified School District park/playground. Let's all work together to help take care of this playground in those outside of school hours. I loved my early morning visit just as the sun was coming up. There is a bike lane in between the elementary school and the playground.
Directions to Newport Elementary Beach Playground: It's right along the beach bike path on the Balboa Peninsula. All you have to do is put Newport Elementary school into your nav system to find exactly where this playground is located. The playground is at the dead end of 14th Street on the Balboa Peninsula. For context, Marina Park is between 18th and 16th Street, so it's just a little bit further down the peninsula from there.
The peninsula is a little hard to figure out until you've been there a couple times. You can enter the Peninsula from either Balboa Blvd (Superior Ave in Costa Mesa turns into Balboa Blvd) from the north or from Newport Blvd (the 55 Freeway turns into Newport Blvd) from the south. Imagine a Y. The top left branch of the Y is Balboa Blvd, the top right branch of the Y is Newport Blvd -- and at about 21st Street they both merge into West Balboa Blvd. Continue on that street until you get to 15th Street where there are a few more parking spaces than on 14th. I parked in the small lot where 15th Street meets the beach and walked a block on the bike lane to the playground. And at other times, I've ridden my bike in! During the summer, you might be able to take the trolley and avoid having to park. (Newport Elementary School address is: 1327 W. Balboa Blvd, Newport Beach -- but you can't really park there. You'll have to find metered parking nearby). MAP TO NEWPORT ELEMENTARY BEACH PLAYGROUND
Highlights:
The whale is the first part of the playground that caught my eye! Sometimes playground animals can be creepy, but I just loved this cute whale and the barnacles to climb.
There is tons of space to spread out on the grassy area, on the asphalt, and even on the playground area. I think my elementary school self would have loved to roller skate here.
So thankful to parent, Aaron, who pointed out the renovations being completed and sent me an email. He said: "A fun stand out feature to us is the unique log balance structure which my 5 year old loves." I loved it, too!
There's a nice big bank of 6 bench swings.
The entire playground has an ocean feel to it. Aaron also pointed out the unique playground surface: "The ground is made of slightly bouncy tiles with holes in them. Who knows how long these will last or if sand will eventually cover them up when the wind blows but they are nice to look at/play on now."
There are steps where parents or caregivers can sit that separates the playground from the sand, but I imagine you'll be standing between the playground and the bike lanes!
Two sand volleyball courts sit in the sand alongside the asphalt. Along with four tetherball poles equipped with chains. Look at that ocean view!
There are public restroom buildings up by 15th Street. It's actually a nice spot for some beach access, as well since you can take the paved sidewalk in a loop around the restroom building to see the ocean.
On crystal clear mornings, you can see down the coast to Dana Point and out to Catalina Island.
Having the beach as a playground extension is an added bonus! Plan to picnic on the beach or picnic on the grassy area or sand!
It's a huge improvement on the former playground which was dated and entirely located in the sand. I included photos of the old playground at the end of this post. (It used to have monkey bars and now just has some chin-up bars.)
You can see the proximity of the playground to the school.
Be Aware:
This playground is SHARED with Newport Elementary -- so it is CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC during school hours! Posted school hours are Mon-Fri 8am-3pm September-June. Only open to the public during non-school hours.
Parking is a PAIN on the peninsula. If you are not up for fighting to find parking, then don't come to this playground -- ESPECIALLY during the summer. But an amazing alternative is to take the Balboa Peninsula Trolley on the weekends.
It's a very active bike path with riders, walkers, joggers, and even skateboarders. The playground is right next to the bike lanes so if your littles wander even a bit into the path they might be at risk of getting knocked down by a passing bike.
It's not always as empty or sunny down at the beach as you can see in my photos. It's often foggy and much cooler than inland. So bring jackets and bring a change of clothes in case your kids get sandy or wet, too.
Summer can be insanely busy down here! I recommend going on early weekend mornings during the off season for a trip where you can worry less about parking and crowds.
The playground surface can get slippery with moisture or sand.
Bring towels to wipe down wet slides if you come on a foggy day or early in the morning.
Checklist:
- Playground surface is sand-friendly tiles which keep the area as sand-free as possible.
- Public restrooms are nearby right off 15th Street
- You will have to pay for metered parking between 8am and 6pm
- Bikes lanes nearby
- Large asphalt area with basketball courts, backstops, and views of the ocean
- Volleyball courts
- Tetherball courts
- Get there by bike or trolley (during summer)
- Official NMUSD information about the playground (grand opening was April 2025)
- See my post about other Beach Playgrounds in Orange County
- Official Balboa Peninsula Trolley information from the City of Newport Beach
- See my post about the 6 Free Summer Trolleys in Orange County and How to Ride Them
- Nearest public library is the Balboa Branch of the Newport Beach Library system. It is open now, but set to undergo an upgrade starting in Fall 2025 when there will be a closure.
Nearby Newport Beach parks on Newport and Balboa Peninsulas:
- Marina Park (lighthouse theme)
- Peninsula Park (lifeguard/rescue theme)
- 38th Street Park (fenced with ship theme)
- West Newport Park
- Channel Place Park
- Newport Island Park
- Another favorite is Sunset Ridge Park just off the peninsula
Photo Archive of Former Newport Elementary Playground
