November Adventures: 6 Fun Things to Do in Butte County

Here’s your per­fect to-do list for an unfor­get­table Novem­ber in Butte County:

• Go Bird Watch­ing: Wit­ness the annu­al migra­tion along the Pacif­ic Flyway
• Shop Local: Find unique gifts at Christ­mas Pre­view events in Oroville and Chico
• Ice Skate: Glide under the lights at Chico Ice Rink in the Plaza start­ing Novem­ber 14, 2025
• Chico Tweed Ride: Join a fun, vin­tage-inspired bicy­cle ride through Low­er Bid­well Park on Novem­ber 23, 2025
• Run for Food: Kick off Thanks­giv­ing morn­ing with a 5K fun run/​walk in Low­er Bid­well Park
• Home­town Christ­mas: Step back in time to the 1800s for a Gold Rush-era cel­e­bra­tion at the Yuba Feath­er Muse­um on Novem­ber 29, 2025

Read the full sto­ry below for all the details.

Even if you don’t call your­self a bird­er, win­ter bird watch­ing is a must in Butte County.

Sit­ting along the famous Pacif­ic Fly­way, Butte Coun­ty wel­comes thou­sands of migrat­ing birds, like snow geese and sand­hill cranes, every year start­ing in November.

For the best views, head to the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area in Gri­d­ley, the Llano Seco Unit in Chico, or high­er ele­va­tion view­ing spots to take in this sea­son­al splendor.

Few things feel more like the start of win­ter than ice skat­ing out­side at the Chico Ice Rink in the Plaza, which opens for the sea­son on Fri­day, Nov. 14, 2025.

Come hit the ice, then enjoy a walk­a­ble night of local shop­ping and din­ing in Down­town Chico.

Make the hol­i­days extra spe­cial by shop­ping local. While you can sup­port our small busi­ness­es any time of year, Novem­ber is the best time to find unique, local­ly made gifts while enjoy­ing the fes­tive spirit.

Hol­i­day pop-up shops abound this month, and Oroville and Chico roll out the red car­pet dur­ing their Christ­mas Pre­views for the per­fect evening out:

• Down­town Oroville Christ­mas Preview: Sat­ur­day, Nov. 22, 2025 in Down­town Oroville
• Chico Christ­mas Preview: Sun­day, Nov. 23, 2025 in Down­town Chico

Enjoy car­ol­ers, car­riage rides, live per­for­mances, and shop­ping at the cutest local­ly owned bou­tiques for all your hol­i­day shop­ping needs.

Dress up in your favorite vin­tage tweed-inspired attire for the annu­al Chico Tweed Ride on Sun­day, Nov. 23, 2025. The annu­al bicy­cle ride through Low­er Bid­well Park starts at ​“Our Hands” in Down­town Chico.

While dress­ing up in your favorite tweed-inspired attire is part of the fun, it’s not required to join the ride. Just bring a bicy­cle and pack a pic­nic for the stop at 5 Mile Recre­ation Area.

Start Thanks­giv­ing morn­ing with an active adven­ture that also sup­ports a good cause.

A pop­u­lar 5K walk/​run that winds through Low­er Bid­well Park in Chico, the annu­al Run for Food is a long­time Thanks­giv­ing day fundrais­er that gets you mov­ing and ready for a day of eating.

Step back in time at the Yuba Feath­er Muse­um’s Home­town Christ­mas on Sat­ur­day, Nov. 29, 2025.

Stroll the board­walks under lantern light in Gold Trad­er Flat, the muse­um’s repli­ca Gold Rush town. You’ll enjoy a unique­ly authen­tic and fes­tive atmos­phere with food, ven­dors, hot drinks, and char­ac­ters from the past.