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. Estab­lished in 1921, Noble Orchards is one of the last remain­ing apple orchards in Butte Coun­ty. Even though the Novem­ber 2018 Camp Fire destroyed their cold stor­age facil­i­ty, the trees sur­vived and are still laden with fresh apples. 

TIP: Check their Face­book page for cur­rent hours and to see what vari­ety is cur­rent­ly ripe. You can even make it a u‑pick adven­ture if you vis­it at cer­tain times in the sea­son (typ­i­cal­ly October).

Enjoy Farm Ani­mals and Hayrides at TJ Farms

Each year, TJ Farms opens its farm to the pub­lic for their Octo­ber 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.

Lunch at Woodstock’s

For lunch, stop at the Chico favorite Woodstock’s Piz­za for a cou­ple of slices.

With a wide menu, includ­ing gluten-free and dairy-free options, and a fun-filled atmos­phere, it’s a great place to relax before con­tin­u­ing your fall adventure.

Dis­cov­er Pump­kins and Ani­mals at Book Fam­i­ly Farm

After lunch, make the short dri­ve to Durham for more pump­kin adven­tures at Book Fam­i­ly Farm at their Octo­ber pump­kin patch.

The Book Fam­i­ly Farm is also ded­i­cat­ed to grow­ing healthy food, includ­ing grass fed beef, pas­tured pork, and pas­tured poul­try. They edu­cate both chil­dren and adults that ​“it mat­ters what you eat and what you eat, eats too!”

Note: All their prod­ucts are only sold direct­ly on the farm.

Learn at the Patrick Ranch Museum

Step back in time dur­ing the Patrick Ranch Autum­n­Fest. On select week­ends in Octo­ber, the his­toric ranch offers 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

No Butte Coun­ty fall fam­i­ly adven­ture is com­plete with­out wit­ness­ing the annu­al salmon spawn at the Oroville Feath­er Riv­er Fish Hatch­ery. Start­ing in mid-Sep­tem­ber through mid-Novem­ber, you can enjoy an up-close view through the under­wa­ter view­ing win­dow or watch as the salmon swim up the fish ladder.

Vis­it­ing Hours: The view­ing win­dow is open at all times, while the main hatch­ery is nor­mal­ly open dai­ly from 7am-3pm — make sure to 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.