Fall Family Adventure

Break­fast at Upper Crust Bak­ery & Café

Start your pump­kin-hunt­ing week­end off with a quick stop at Upper Crust Bak­ery. Locat­ed in the heart of Down­town Chico, the bak­ery offers an abun­dance of whole­some hand­made baked goods from cin­na­mon rolls and cook­ies to quich­es and scrambles.

Get Some Apples To-Go from Noble Orchards

Before the pump­kin search begins, you should first head up the ridge to pick fresh-from-the-tree apples at the pop­u­lar Noble Orchards in Par­adise. First estab­lished in 1921, Noble Orchards is one of the last remain­ing apple orchards in Butte Coun­ty. While the Novem­ber 2018 Camp Fire destroyed their cold stor­age facil­i­ty, the trees sur­vived and are now laden with deli­cious, fresh apples. 

Make sure to check out their Face­book page for cur­rent hours and to see what vari­ety is cur­rent­ly ripe and ready for u‑pick adventures. 

Enjoy Farm Ani­mals and Hayrides at TJ Farms

Each year, TJ Farms and the Moss fam­i­ly opens their farm to the pub­lic for their fall pump­kin patch. Grab a wag­on and take a stroll among the over 14 vari­eties of pump­kins in the pump­kin field. There are also hay rides, a hay bale obsta­cle course, and a coun­try store with gourmet prod­ucts avail­able for pur­chase. The entire farm expe­ri­ence is enhanced with the oppor­tu­ni­ty to pet and feed the farm animals. 

The pump­kin patch opens the first Sat­ur­day in Octo­ber and is open week­ends 10am-6pm and week­days 2pm-6pm through Hal­loween, as long as pump­kins are available.

Lunch at Woodstock’s

For lunch, spend some time at Chico favorite Woodstock’s Piz­za for a cou­ple of slices. With a wide menu that includes gluten-free and dairy-free opens and a fun-filled atmos­phere, it’s a great place to relax and have fun. 

Dis­cov­er Pump­kins and Ani­mals at Book Fam­i­ly Farm

After lunch, make the short dri­ve to Durham for more pump­kin adven­tures at Book Fam­i­ly Farm. In addi­tion to their Fall Pump­kin Patch, the Book Fam­i­ly Farm is pas­sion­ate about grow­ing healthy food and use their farm to inform both chil­dren and adults about real food. They teach that ​“it mat­ters what you eat and what you eat, eats too!” They grow grass fed beef, pas­tured pork, and pas­tured poul­try. All of their prod­ucts are only sold on the farm. 

Learn at the Patrick Ranch Museum

Step back in time at the Patrick Ranch Autumn Fest. On select week­ends in Octo­ber, the his­toric ranch will offer house tours, pony cart and trac­tor rides, and plen­ty of pump­kins (check their Face­book page for this year’s dates and hours). 

The muse­um is ded­i­cat­ed to enhanc­ing people’s under­stand­ing and appre­ci­a­tion of the community’s rich agri­cul­tur­al her­itage. It is also a great place to bring a picnic!

Dis­cov­er the Annu­al Salmon Migration

And of course, a Butte Coun­ty Fall Fam­i­ly Adven­ture isn’t com­plete with­out a vis­it to the Oroville Feath­er Riv­er Fish Hatch­ery to wit­ness to the annu­al salmon spawn start­ing in mid-Sep­tem­ber through mid-Novem­ber. Enjoy an up-close view through the under­wa­ter view­ing win­dow or watch as they swim up the fish ladder. 

The view­ing win­dow is open at all times, while the main hatch­ery is nor­mal­ly open dai­ly from 7am-3pm — make sure check cur­rent hours and stop in for a tour! 

Butte Coun­ty offers a vari­ety of lodg­ing options that wel­come your kid­dos and your fur babies.