About
Newport Bay Conservancy Education Programs and Tours include guided kayak tours, guided walking tours, and guided water tours. The program offers a guided kayak tour every Saturday morning year-round in partnership with the Newport Aquatic Center located at Northstar Beach. The Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center features a series of exhibits and interactive displays about life in and around an estuary, the Ray and Elsa Watson Theater showing “Newport, Our Bay,” and classrooms with live reptile and amphibian displays, including a gopher snake.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Guided kayak tour every Saturday morning year-round; Interpretive Center upper parking lot and nature preserve trails open 7:00 am to sunset; restrooms open daily 7:00 am–4:00 pm; center open Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 am–4:00 pm
• Price: Admission and parking at the Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center are free.
The Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center is a 10,000 square foot educational facility built into the side of one of the bluffs on the north side of the Bay and offers panoramic views of the Bay. Upper Newport Bay is among the very few remaining undeveloped wetlands on the California coast located in Orange County and includes a square mile of protected tidelands and uplands of the Bay within a 154 square mile watershed of central Orange County that drains to the Pacific via the Bay. The Newport Bay Conservancy has a mission to protect and preserve the Upper Newport Bay through education, restoration, research and advocacy, and its environmental education programs serve over 50,000 people each year. Upper Newport Bay is recognized as a globally significant hotspot of biodiversity.
Newport Bay Conservancy is pleased to support Orange County Parks at the Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center and provides volunteer support for programs organized by its partners at the Interpretive Center and the Back Bay Science Center. Newport Bay Conservancy seeks to advocate for residents of central Orange County and visitors from far and wide to enjoy the natural beauty of Upper Newport Bay and to learn more about its ecological value. The leadership team connected with these programs and facilities includes Alys Arenas, Robin Madrid, Jene Dietz, Molly Waldram, Justin Schmillen, Matt Yurko, and Joe Guzman in their respective management, education, park, program, and laboratory roles. The Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center opened in October 2000.
Last updated May 5, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Guided kayak tour every Saturday morning year-round; Interpretive Center upper parking lot and nature preserve trails open 7:00 am to sunset; restrooms open daily 7:00 am–4:00 pm; center open Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 am–4:00 pm
• Price: Admission and parking at the Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center are free.
The Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center is a 10,000 square foot educational facility built into the side of one of the bluffs on the north side of the Bay and offers panoramic views of the Bay. Upper Newport Bay is among the very few remaining undeveloped wetlands on the California coast located in Orange County and includes a square mile of protected tidelands and uplands of the Bay within a 154 square mile watershed of central Orange County that drains to the Pacific via the Bay. The Newport Bay Conservancy has a mission to protect and preserve the Upper Newport Bay through education, restoration, research and advocacy, and its environmental education programs serve over 50,000 people each year. Upper Newport Bay is recognized as a globally significant hotspot of biodiversity.
Newport Bay Conservancy is pleased to support Orange County Parks at the Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center and provides volunteer support for programs organized by its partners at the Interpretive Center and the Back Bay Science Center. Newport Bay Conservancy seeks to advocate for residents of central Orange County and visitors from far and wide to enjoy the natural beauty of Upper Newport Bay and to learn more about its ecological value. The leadership team connected with these programs and facilities includes Alys Arenas, Robin Madrid, Jene Dietz, Molly Waldram, Justin Schmillen, Matt Yurko, and Joe Guzman in their respective management, education, park, program, and laboratory roles. The Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center opened in October 2000.
Last updated May 5, 2026.
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