$50 Date Night: Affordable Fun in Butte County

Whether it’s a sun­rise adven­ture, a mid­day escape, or an evening out­ing, these Butte Coun­ty expe­ri­ences are craft­ed for two, prov­ing that qual­i­ty time does­n’t have to break the bank. Explore these afford­able ideas, all designed to keep your shared adven­ture under $50.

Prices may have changed since they were orig­i­nal­ly con­firmed, so always check before you visit.

Chal­lenge your part­ner to clas­sic games at Back in Time Arcade II dur­ing their Fri­day night open play ($10 per per­son), then share a deli­cious small spe­cial­ty piz­za and two small sodas from Our Town Pizze­ria & Deli ($19) — and since they’re neigh­bors, you can even have your meal deliv­ered to you!

Cap it off with a medi­um milk­shake from long­time Gri­d­ley favorite Ice Burgie ($5 cash) for a live­ly and bud­get-friend­ly game night in Gridley.

When to enjoy: Any Fri­day year-round

Enjoy a roman­tic night out in Par­adise, start­ing with a serene stroll and scenic views at Bille Park (free).

After­ward, head to Nic’s to share one of their deli­cious 7‑inch flat­breads ($11) — plus, you can get an addi­tion­al 10% off your meal at Nic’s if you present your The­atre on the Ridge show tick­et on per­for­mance night.

The high­light of your evening awaits with gen­er­al admis­sion to a cap­ti­vat­ing play at The­atre on the Ridge ($16 each). Here, you can dis­cov­er local tal­ent per­form­ing in (often) orig­i­nal works by local and oth­er writers. 

When to enjoy: Year-round; just check The­atre on the Ridge sched­ule for showtimes.

Oth­er Options:

Those more into musi­cal the­ater can skip the pre-show din­ner and catch one of the musi­cals for only $22 per person.

For those want­i­ng more bud­get for the meal por­tion of the date, enjoy reduced tick­et prices on Thurs­days and Sun­day mati­nees, when plays are only $14 and musi­cals are only $18.

Enjoy an evening blend­ing art, ambiance, and live per­for­mance in Oroville.

Explore the local­ly curat­ed art gallery at Brush­strokes for free.

Then, savor Hap­py Hour at Union (3pm‑5:30pm) with two cock­tails ($12) and a shared bread and oil board ($6).

After­wards, enjoy a post-din­ner walk across the Table Moun­tain Bridge for a dif­fer­ent per­spec­tive on the Feath­er Riv­er and a great spot for pho­tos together.

Cap off the night with a live show at the his­toric Bird­cage Theatre with dis­count­ed tick­ets on ​“Thrifty Thurs­day” ($15 per person).

When to enjoy: Select Thurs­days for show nights; year-round for every­thing else

Make it a scenic and active date night on the waters of the Ther­mal­i­to Forebay. 

Grab a mar­ket-fresh sand­wich from the Wag­on Wheel Mar­ket ($13) to share before head­ing to the fore­bay, where you’ll rent a tan­dem kayak ($25) at the Fore­bay Aquat­ic Cen­ter for an hour-long jour­ney across peace­ful waters. 

Make sure to bring your swim­suit so you can enjoy the sandy beach and cool waters of the fore­bay when you’re done.

When to enjoy: Fri­days, Sat­ur­days, and Sun­days in the summer

Grab your best friend and treat your­self as you stroll the charm­ing streets of Down­town Oroville.

Start off by brows­ing The Book­worm for a new used book or two ($5), and then head to Shake Tea for a bub­ble tea ($6) to enjoy as you take a lit­tle read­ing break.

After­wards, browse the eclec­tic racks at Lunatic Fringe Bohemi­an Bou­tique and snag a new pair of quirky ear­rings ($5) — make sure to pet the shop cat, King Louie (free)! Then, grab a sweet treat from Mug Shots Cof­fee House ($4) for a lit­tle snack.

Final­ly, head to the Feath­er Riv­er Fish Hatch­ery to take in the views along the Feath­er Riv­er (free). If you vis­it mid-Sep­tem­ber through Mid-Feb­ru­ary, you’ll be able to get up close and per­son­al with migrat­ing salmon and spawn­ing steel­head in the under­wa­ter view­ing window.

When to enjoy: Anytime

Unleash your inner adven­tur­er with a live­ly evening out.

Start with Hap­py Hour at The Hatch­et Hang­out on Thurs­day or Fri­day (4 – 5:29 PM, reser­va­tions required) for a thrilling hour of axe throw­ing ($31.80 for two).

After­ward, walk across the street to Ram­ble West for refresh­ing pints ($8.50 each). If it’s Fri­day, make it a sing-off with their free Karaōke Night.

If you have a lit­tle extra bud­get, Axes & Ales on Fri­day and Sat­ur­day nights includes 45 min­utes of throw­ing for two and two 12oz beers at the Hatch­et Hang­out plus two pints at Ram­ble West for only $53 (must book online).

When to enjoy: Thurs­day or Fri­day nights year-round

Enjoy a clas­sic din­ner and movie date night that’s both mem­o­rable and budget-friendly.

Begin with Hap­py Hour at Sicil­ian Café (3:30pm-6pm) for two cock­tails ($16) and a shared small plate of your choice ($12).

After­ward, catch the lat­est art-house show­ing at the inde­pen­dent­ly owned Pageant The­atre ($8.50 per per­son, cash only) for a per­fect blend of deli­cious food and cin­e­mat­ic enter­tain­ment for a relaxed evening out.

When to enjoy: Year-round

Gath­er your bestie for the ulti­mate ​“girl din­ner” expe­ri­ence in Chico.

Start with the dai­ly 3pm-6pm Hap­py Hour at Tres Hom­bres, where you’ll share a Mar­gari­ta Flight ($17), chips and gua­camole ($6), and an order of tacos de papa ($6).

Con­tin­ue the fun with a shared ice cream flight ($12) from Savor Ice Cream, then walk over to The Barn to enjoy one of their free live music per­for­mances or oth­er events.

When to enjoy: Anytime

Enjoy a sophis­ti­cat­ed yet light and refresh­ing date savor­ing unique fla­vors and local art.

Head to North Chico for speakeasy vibes and the best mock­tails ($10 each) around at Strong Water. Pair with a char­cu­terie board ($10) and a small snack of choice ($5).

After­ward, take a free pub­lic art stroll through Down­town Chico, dis­cov­er­ing vibrant murals and sculptures.

Con­clude your artis­tic adven­ture by check­ing out the lat­est exhibits at the Muse­um of North­ern Cal­i­for­nia Art ($5 per person).

When to enjoy: Year-round

For your next date night, embrace the spir­it of sports and friend­ly com­pe­ti­tion with your sweetie.

Start with a Chico State home game ($12 per adult) for excit­ing col­lege ath­let­ics. From bas­ket­ball to cross-coun­try, you’ll find some of the best in the West Divi­sion II ath­let­ics in the heart of Chico.

After­ward, head to Com­mu­ni­ty Park with your soc­cer ball, base­ball glove, or pick­le­ball gear for free, casu­al play (or not-so-casu­al, if that’s more your speed!).

Cap off your sporty date at Woodstock’s Piz­za, split­ting a medi­um sig­na­ture piz­za ($25.50) while watch­ing a game and soak­ing in the col­lege town atmosphere.

When to enjoy: Sep­tem­ber – May (check game schedules)

Enjoy a roman­tic night for two under the Butte Coun­ty sky.

Begin your al fres­co din­ing expe­ri­ence at Grana with a shared cheese plate ($22) and sparkling waters ($8).

After­wards, pick up four deli­cious choco­late truf­fles ($12) from Sweet Chico Con­fec­tions to savor later. 

As dusk set­tles, take a free, peace­ful sun­set hike to Mon­key Face, cul­mi­nat­ing in breath­tak­ing views. Then, head to the Chico Com­mu­ni­ty Obser­va­to­ry for free stargaz­ing, turn­ing your gaze to the twin­kling cos­mos above. Make it an extra spe­cial night with free events at the obser­va­to­ry, such at Sto­ries by Starlight.

When to enjoy: Spring through Fall

Max­i­mize your Thurs­day evening with food, fun, and local charm in Down­town Chico.

Start at Crush for a shared large piz­za and sal­ad ($22) plus two cock­tails ($18) dur­ing their hap­py hour from 4pm-6pm.

Then, take a free stroll through the live­ly Thurs­day Night Market from 6pm-9pm, brows­ing local ven­dors, enjoy­ing live music, and soak­ing up the com­mu­ni­ty vibe.

Fin­ish your evening by split­ting a sweet treat (or two) from a local mobile favorite, like Denine’s Cup­cakes, Love­ly Layers, or Churro’s Daisy ($5), that are often fea­tured at the market.

When to enjoy: Thurs­days, April – September

Call­ing all music lovers — your per­fect date awaits in Down­town Chico. 

Start with a slice of deli­cious piz­za and soda from Bode­ga Slice Shop ($9 per per­son), then let the good times roll with free live music at Down­town Chico’s Fri­day Night Concerts.

Cap off the night by unleash­ing your own inner rock­star or Broad­way diva with a one-hour pri­vate ses­sion at Karaōke Tele­vi­sion ($10 per per­son). You’ll even have enough left over for a lit­tle sweet treat after­wards if you want.

When to enjoy: Sum­mer

Bring­ing the kids along? These Butte Coun­ty activ­i­ties are per­fect for a fam­i­ly of four, offer­ing mem­o­rable expe­ri­ences that fit your bud­get. Enjoy qual­i­ty time togeth­er with­out stretch­ing your wal­let, all while keep­ing the fun under $50.

Gath­er the whole fam­i­ly for a bud­get-friend­ly day out in Oroville.

Catch a Sat­ur­day mat­inée show­ing of a fam­i­ly friend­ly favorite at the his­toric Oroville State The­ater ($5 per per­son), then sweet­en the deal with deli­cious scoops from Uni­cone Ice Cream & Treats ($4.50 per person).

After­ward, head to River­bend Park for free, wide-open spaces to play, explore, or sim­ply relax. Let the kids burn off some steam on the play­grounds, run along the riv­er, or enjoy a fam­i­ly stroll.

When to enjoy: Select Sat­ur­days year-round; check the Oroville State The­ater’s cal­en­dar for showtimes

Enjoy a movie night under the stars with the Chico Recre­ation & Parks Dis­trict (CARD) at one of their Movies in the Park events. 

The month­ly al fres­co show­ings of fam­i­ly friend­ly movies are com­plete­ly free, includ­ing com­ple­men­tary movie the­ater pop­corn, so you can spend your bud­get on fun and deli­cious food from local food trucks. 

Make sure to bring blan­kets and low-back chairs, and then get ready for a fun night out.

When to enjoy: Select Fri­days in the Sum­mer and Fall; check CARD’s cal­en­dar for dates.

Escape to the scenic Par­adise Ridge for a fam­i­ly-friend­ly outing.

Begin with a refresh­ing hike on the trail at Par­adise Lake ($3 for park­ing cash), then set­tle in for a free pic­nic lunch and play­time at the near­by playground. 

After­ward, treat your­selves to sin­gle scoops from Ridge Top Par­lor ($5 per person).

For extra fun, head to Par­adise Play­di­um where you can enjoy arcade games (bud­get of $25), plus lots of free clas­sic games, shuf­fle­board, a Lego table, and soft play areas. Look out for 50% off every Thurs­day from 6 – 8 PM to stretch your bud­get even fur­ther and enjoy free karaōke on Sundays.

When to enjoy: Year-round