Muth Interpretive Center

The Newport Bay Conservancy is pleased to support Orange County Parks at the Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center. This 10,000 square foot educational facility was built into the side of one of the bluffs on the north side of the Bay. It offers panoramic views of the Bay yet is nestled so unobtrusively that many local residents are still unaware that the Interpretive Center is there. The center is open from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM Tuesday through Sunday. Admission and parking are free. For more information, call (949) 923-2290. The center, which opened in October 2000, provides a focal point for the public’s enjoyment of the Bay. Here young and old alike can take a journey through a series of exhibits and interactive displays that make the Bay come alive. Visitors learn about life in and around an estuary and why Upper Newport Bay is such an important estuary. The knowledge and understanding gained here will give people an even greater appreciation of the Bay when they take guided walking and water tours or explore the Bay on their own. Watch “Nature in Your Backyard” in the Ray and Elsa Watson Theater or check out the live reptile and amphibian displays in the classrooms. (These include the gopher snake shown here.) The classrooms are open to the public when programs are not being conducted in them. Feel free to let your children feel at home.