"Best Kept Secret in Newport Beach..."

(With Margaret returning to work most of the next four weeks, we'd decided to get in a couple more day trips now.)

So, what is the best kept secret in Newport Beach? The Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center at the north end of Newport Back Bay. Made from recycled materials (including melted-down handguns confiscated by local law enforcement), this "earth shelter" is built into the bluff with a roof of natural vegetation. (The Center is built in such a way that it is completely invisible from the nearest street.) Inside are a number of displays regarding such things as the ecosystem of the back bay, how the Center came into being, and descriptions of the animals that make their homes there year round. In a small theatre, a seven minute film "Life In The Salt Marshes" is shown, telling the little known importance of the salt marshes in the Back Bay that are the winter home to countless migrating birds who travel two thousand miles from their summer nesting grounds to end up in Newport Beach. There is also a kid's activity room. Outside the facility is a maze of paths through indigenous plants that are homes to butterflies. And, of course, there are great views of the Upper Portion of the Back Bay from the Observatory Deck on top, beautiful even on such an overcast "May-Gray" day such as this. The facility is free and open to the public six days a week.

Special thanks to our friend Chuck who brought us a copy of the Newport Beach Official Visitors Guide. The Interpretive Center is just one of many points of interest we learned about from this magazine and plan to explore "in our own back yard" in the coming months!