College Connection: A Chico State Weekend Getaway

Brunch at B Street Pub­lic House

Start your day like a sea­soned adult with brunch at B Street Pub­lic House.

Indulge in their deli­cious beignets and open-faced sand­wich­es, best enjoyed on their cov­ered patio that’s per­fect for out­door brunch­ing. It’s a relaxed way to ease into your week­end of exploration.

Redis­cov­er Bid­well Park

One of Chico State’s defin­ing fea­tures is the direct access from the uni­ver­si­ty to the expan­sive 3,670-acre Bid­well Park.

Take a leisure­ly stroll through the Low­er Park’s scenic trails, then wan­der over to the One Mile Recre­ation Area and Sycamore Pool for a refresh­ing dip or a relaxed bike ride.

For those seek­ing breath­tak­ing views and a bit more adven­ture, hike up to Mon­key Face in Upper Park for stun­ning vis­tas of the park and canyon. It’s an authen­tic out­door expe­ri­ence for every explorer.

Explore the Chico State Campus

Locat­ed in the heart of Chico, the uni­ver­si­ty’s park-like cam­pus is per­fect for a leisure­ly walk, offer­ing a blend of his­toric charm and vibrant activ­i­ty. Redis­cov­er famil­iar spots or uncov­er new hid­den gems (like Love­bird Cof­fee) as you explore scenic campus.

Chico State Arts and Culture

No vis­it is com­plete with­out immers­ing your­self in the uni­ver­si­ty’s rich arts and cul­tur­al scene.

Catch a cap­ti­vat­ing per­for­mance at Lax­son Audi­to­ri­um, which hosts dozens of shows through­out the year, from local- and stu­dent-led pro­duc­tions to known name performers.

Or explore stu­dent-cre­at­ed exhibits at the Mas­ters of Fine Arts Gallery and Valene L. Smith Muse­um of Anthro­pol­o­gy, or go hands-on at the just-off-cam­pus Gate­way Sci­ence Muse­um.

Stroll the Cam­pus Arboretum

The Chico State cam­pus itself is a cer­ti­fied arbore­tum, boast­ing a remark­able col­lec­tion of trees and plants from around the world. Enjoy a tran­quil stroll through the shad­ed path­ways, observ­ing unique species and enjoy­ing the serene beauty.

Explore the Uni­ver­si­ty Farm

A few miles from cam­pus lies the 800-acre Paul L. Byrne Agri­cul­tur­al Teach­ing and Research Cen­ter (ATRC), known as the Uni­ver­si­ty Farm.

The work­ing farm pro­vides valu­able hands-on learn­ing for uni­ver­si­ty agri­cul­ture stu­dents and con­tributes to research ben­e­fit­ing farm­ers and ranch­ers across the region. Con­sid­er sched­ul­ing a farm tour for an authen­tic glimpse into local agri­cul­ture and innovation.

Chow Down at Madi­son Bear Garden

Din­ner calls for a return to a classic.

Madi­son Bear Gar­den, with its leg­endary burg­ers, famous­ly quirky dec­o­ra­tions, and live­ly out­door patio, is the per­fect spot to relive those cher­ished col­lege memories.

Grab a tasty burg­er, per­haps even one slathered in peanut but­ter, and share old sto­ries over a pint of Sier­ra Neva­da Pale Ale, just steps from campus.

Stay Out Late at the Crazy Horse Saloon

After din­ner, keep the ener­gy going with a vis­it to the Crazy Horse Saloon.

Remind your­self of your youth­ful vig­or (or how time has passed!) with a ride on the mechan­i­cal bull, then show off your moves on their noto­ri­ous dance floor. It’s a guar­an­teed night of live­ly fun.

Need a milder night out? Duffy’s Tav­ern is the per­fect col­lege-meets-matu­ri­ty water­ing hole.

You’ll need a full night’s sleep after such a busy day.

Refu­el at Sin of Cortez

Work out any lin­ger­ing sore­ness from last night’s adven­tures with a deli­cious break­fast at Sin of Cortez. Their famous French toast or Drag­on Pota­toes (famous­ly fea­tured on ​“Din­ers, Dri­ve-Ins, and Dives”) with fresh cof­fee are the per­fect way to refuel.

Embrace a bit of nos­tal­gia: they take deb­it or cash only, rem­i­nis­cent of sim­pler times (but don’t wor­ry, an ATM is on-site).

Catch a Game

Dis­cov­er the thrill of Divi­sion II ath­let­ics through­out the year. From bas­ket­ball to soc­cer and cross coun­try to vol­ley­ball, Chico State stu­dent ath­letes show­case the best of col­lege sports all year long.

And if you vis­it in the fall, make time to catch a Butte Col­lege foot­ball home game. This pow­er­house pro­gram has pro­duced alum­ni like NFL quar­ter­back Aaron Rodgers and Hall-of-Famer Lar­ry Allen, offer­ing excit­ing grid­iron action from a Nation­al Cham­pi­onship program.

After­wards, take time to explore the Butte Col­lege cam­pus. The orig­i­nal Oroville cam­pus rests on a wildlife refuge and is a rec­og­nized leader in sus­tain­abil­i­ty, while the Chico satel­lite cam­pus is just down the free­way from Down­town Chico. It’s an oppor­tu­ni­ty to dis­cov­er anoth­er facet of the region’s edu­ca­tion­al land­scape and its nat­ur­al beauty.

Explore The Bookstore

Nes­tled in the heart of Down­town Chico, The Book­store has been a beloved spot since 1976. This icon­ic shop offers a wide selec­tion of new and used books, from pop­u­lar reads and clas­sic lit­er­a­ture to niche topics.

Step in and dis­cov­er the fun of brows­ing titles for fun, instead of for class.

Nosh at Tea Bar & Fusion Café

For a fresh and healthy lunch, head to Tea Bar & Fusion Café.

From unique fusion of frozen, frost­ed, sparkling, steamed, and iced tea cre­ations to deli­cious and healthy fusion bowls and wraps, ​“fusion of fla­vors” approach extends across the entire menu.

With two loca­tions in Chico, it’s an easy and sat­is­fy­ing stop any­where in town.

Shop Local at Made in Chico

Before head­ing home, pick up a piece of Chico to remem­ber your trip at Made in Chico, which proud­ly show­cas­es local cre­ators, reflect­ing a deep love for the city itself.

From art and pho­tog­ra­phy to sou­venirs and local­ly made foods and more, you’ll undoubt­ed­ly find some­thing for your­self (and those who wish they had come!).

Grab a Slice at Wood­stock­’s Pizza

Since 1983, Wood­stock­’s Piz­za has been a col­lege favorite. Locat­ed just blocks away from cam­pus, it per­fect­ly cap­tures that endur­ing col­lege town vibe.

With its great piz­za, live­ly triv­ia nights, and the lat­est game on the big screen, it’s a fan­tas­tic place to spend an evening with friends.

Chico deliv­ers a vibrant col­lege town expe­ri­ence, deeply influ­enced by its icon­ic uni­ver­si­ty, offer­ing a per­fect mix of cam­pus explo­ration, local fla­vors, and out­door fun. Whether you’re reliv­ing your own stu­dent mem­o­ries or sim­ply soak­ing in that live­ly cam­pus ener­gy, a mem­o­rable get­away in Chico awaits.