The Ultimate Butte County Summer Family Adventure

After­noon: Check-in & Scenic Vistas

After arriv­ing in Chico, head straight for Pere­grine Point Disc Golf Course. You don’t need a set of discs to enjoy the view; the cliff­side over­looks pro­vide a mas­sive open space for kids to stretch their legs after a car ride while you soak in the most dra­mat­ic sun­set views in the county.

Evening: Thurs­day Night Market

Head to the heart of down­town for the Thurs­day Night Mar­ket (6pm – 9pm). The streets are closed to cars, mak­ing it a safe, bustling block par­ty where kids can dance to live street per­form­ers and snack on fresh local fruit.

Din­ner in Downtown

Sam­ple the food trucks lin­ing the mar­ket — per­fect for picky eaters who want a bit of every­thing — or grab a table at Tres Hom­bres for a ​“Best of Chico” mar­gari­ta while the kids dig into tacos. Or check out Burg­ers and Brew, anoth­er fam­i­ly favorite, which offers a kid’s menu and a wide-open patio that’s great for fam­i­lies and watch­ing all the action of the market.

Morn­ing: Cof­fee with a View

Start your Fri­day at Sto­ble Cof­fee. This beau­ti­ful­ly designed space is a down­town hub; grab a lat­te and head to the rooftop patio.

It’s a great spot for kids to watch the ​“minia­ture” peo­ple and cars in City Plaza below while they enjoy a break­fast pastry.

Mid­day: Down­town Discovery

Explore the shops that define Chico’s local pride.

• Nation­al Yo-Yo Muse­um: Inside Bird in Hand, kids will be floored by ​“Big Yo,” the world’s largest wood­en yo-yo. Check their sched­ule for free Sat­ur­day lessons if you’re stick­ing around.
• Shop: Adults will love brows­ing Made in Chico for region­al gifts and Upper Park Cloth­ing for local­ly-inspired gear.
• Cam­pus Walk: Take a qui­et sum­mer tour of Chico State. The ivy-cov­ered brick and creek-side paths are stun­ning in the sum­mer sun, mak­ing it the per­fect time to imag­ine what it would be like to have a future Wild­cat in the family.

Lunch al Fresco

Enjoy a farm-to-fork meal at Grana, where the shad­ed patio is a hit with adults and kids alike. For a more casu­al lunch, Farm Star Piz­za serves up local, sea­son­al pies in a set­ting where a lit­tle noise is no big deal.

Evening: Oroville Explo­ration & Thrills

Dri­ve south to Oroville to see the Chi­nese Tem­ple. Kids will love the intri­cate arti­facts and the serene gar­dens. After­ward, head to his­toric Down­town Oroville for a treat at Shake Tea, where kids can get their favorite boba to enjoy on-the-go while explor­ing the his­toric blocks and bou­tique shops.

Din­ner & Dessert

Enjoy the styl­ish, expan­sive patio at Union for local fla­vors and live music (and plen­ty of space for danc­ing), fol­lowed by a gen­er­ous scoop at the kid-favorite Uni­cone Ice Cream.

High-Ener­gy Fun

If your fam­i­ly loves excite­ment, stay in Chico and head to the Sil­ver Dol­lar Speed­way for Fri­day night fun. High-banked clay oval rac­ing is loud, fast, and a total thrill for kids — just be sure to bring ear pro­tec­tion for the lit­tle ones!

Morn­ing: The Sat­ur­day Tradition

Fuel up at the Chico Sat­ur­day Farm­ers Mar­ket. Grab a giant crois­sant from Tin Roof Bak­ery and lis­ten to live music while explor­ing stalls filled with per­fect­ly-in-sea­son fruit.

For a sit-down break­fast, close-by Mom’s and Café Coda are the local sta­ples where kids are always welcome.

Mid­day: Par­adise Ridge

Escape the val­ley heat by head­ing up to Par­adise Lake in Mag­a­lia. The wind­ing trails through the pines offer plen­ty of shade and easy exploration.

Stop at Nic’s for a sand­wich on their Sky­way patio, and don’t miss Joy Lyn’s Can­dies for their famous Beer Brit­tle before return­ing to Chico.

After­noon: Bid­well Park Swim­ming Holes

Cool off in one of Chico’s pop­u­lar Bid­well Park swim­ming holes:

• Sycamore Pool: A con­crete-walled nat­ur­al pool in Low­er Park is a must for fam­i­lies, and even has life­guards on duty on the week­ends in the summer.
• Alli­ga­tor Hole: The tamest and shal­low­est Upper Bid­well Park swim­ming hole is per­fect for even the lit­tlest mem­bers of the family.
• Bear Hole: For old­er kids, the rock for­ma­tions here are stun­ning, but stur­dy water shoes are a must for everyone.

Din­ner for Everyone

Franky’s offers reli­able Ital­ian-Amer­i­can fare (and plen­ty of pas­ta), or vis­it the Sier­ra Neva­da Tap­room. Its mas­sive out­door patio area is famous­ly kid-friend­ly, giv­ing par­ents a chance to relax while kids explore the gar­den paths.

Sun­set & Stars

Hike Mon­key Face for val­ley views, then end the night at the Chico Com­mu­ni­ty Obser­va­to­ry. It’s free to peer through the pro­fes­sion­al tele­scopes, and the vol­un­teer astronomers are great at explain­ing the stars to curi­ous kids.

Ear­ly Morn­ing: Break­fast

Get one last hearty meal at Deja Vu Break­fast Com­pa­ny in Chico or Ethan’s Eatery in Oroville.

Mid-Morn­ing: His­toric Landmarks

On the way to Oroville, make a slight detour to the Hon­ey Run Cov­ered Bridge. The Butte Creek is clear and shal­low, per­fect for wad­ing and one final fam­i­ly photo.

Mid­day: Kayak the Forebay

Before head­ing home, vis­it the Fore­bay Aquat­ic Cen­ter. They have life jack­ets for all sizes and sta­ble kayaks and pad­dle­boards that can fit the whole fam­i­ly. It’s an easy, flat-water way to cap off a sum­mer trip.