6 Fun November Things to Do in Butte County

Locat­ed along the famed Pacif­ic Fly­way, Butte Coun­ty is home to dozens of great bird­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties in the win­ter as thou­sands of birds make their annu­al migra­tion. From Gray Lodge Wildlife Area in Gri­d­ley to the Llano Seco Unit in Chico to high­er ele­va­tion view­ings, there’s a beau­ti­ful spot to catch the best views of vis­it­ing snow geese, sand­hill cranes, gros­beaks, and more (even if you’re not a bird­er, this is a sea­son­al must!).

With the hol­i­days fast approach­ing, it’s time to start check­ing off your Christ­mas list. You’ll find plen­ty of oppor­tu­ni­ties to find the per­fect local­ly made gifts for every­one on your list at a vari­ety of events in Novem­ber. Make it an evening out at Oroville Christ­mas Preview or Chico Christ­mas Preview, where you can enjoy car­ol­ers, car­riage rides, and oth­er enter­tain­ment while shop­ping at some Butte County’s best local shops.

Few things are more win­tery than ice skat­ing under the stars, and you have two beau­ti­ful spots to choose from — but why choose when you can skate at both?

Open­ing Fri­day, Nov. 10, 2023, Par­adise on Ice is an inti­mate ice rink nes­tled among the pines at the Ter­ry Ashe Recre­ation Cen­ter. The Ridge fam­i­ly favorite offers dai­ly skat­ing hours as well as sev­er­al spe­cial events and theme days. Just down the hill, the Chico Ice Rink in the Plaza is a vibrant hub of fes­tive hol­i­day activ­i­ty in Down­town Chico. Open­ing Fri­day, Nov. 17, 2023, this is the spot for a walk­a­ble night of skat­ing, shop­ping, and dining.

Dress up in your favorite vin­tage tweed-inspired attire for the annu­al Chico Tweed Ride on Sun­day, Nov. 19, 2023. This casu­al ride through Low­er Bid­well Park fea­tures vin­tage bicy­cles and out­fits and a whole lot of fun. Don’t wor­ry if you don’t have the right attire — while some effort to recre­ate the spir­it of a bygone era is always appre­ci­at­ed, it’s not required to par­tic­i­pate. Remem­ber to pack a pic­nic for the half-way stop at 5 Mile Recre­ation Area.

Kick off Thanks­giv­ing with a 5K through Low­er Bid­well Park dur­ing Chico’s Run for Food. Join thou­sands of oth­er run­ners and walk­ers Thanks­giv­ing morn­ing at this annu­al fundrais­ing event that doesn’t just sup­port a good cause but also gets you ready for a day of eating.

Get ready to be trans­port­ed to the 1800s dur­ing the Yuba Feath­er Museum’s Home­town Christ­mas on Sat­ur­day, Nov. 25, 2023. Stroll along the board­walks under lantern light in Gold Trad­er Flat, the museum’s repli­ca Gold Rush town. Enjoy unique ven­dors, deli­cious food, and hot drinks along with char­ac­ters from the past.