Summer Family Adventure

The weath­er is too nice to stay indoors, so grab some sand­wich­es to go from the Great Har­vest Bread Com­pa­ny in Chico! Serv­ing fresh­ly baked and hand­craft­ed breads, sand­wich­es, grilled pani­nis, soups, sal­ads, and even sweets, Great Har­vest has every­thing you need to cre­ate a deli­cious and fill­ing pic­nic lunch for the whole family!

With kids of any age, Bid­well Park is the per­fect place for a pic­nic. Find some shade in the park to enjoy your lunch, and then relax by Sycamore Pool, which offers a nat­ur­al and refresh­ing swim­ming expe­ri­ence. If you have lit­tle ones, you might also want to explore Caper Acres, a whim­si­cal fairy­tale-inspired spot that will inspire the kid in all of us.

After the park, head over to Bird in Hand for some Chico sou­venirs. While you’re there, if it’s reopened, take a tour of the Nation­al Yo-Yo Muse­um. Every kid (and par­ent) wants to see the world’s largest wood­en Yo-Yo, BIG YO, and on most Sat­ur­days, you can even try your hand at some tricks with free lessons.

Enjoy din­ner at Chico’s Tres Hom­bres, a spot that has some­thing for every­one in the fam­i­ly, includ­ing a kids menu for the lit­tle ones and ​“Best in Chico” mar­gari­ta for the adults.

Reward your fam­i­ly adven­tur­ers with the most deli­cious trea­sure at Shubert’s Ice Cream and Can­dy. Oper­at­ing since 1938 in the same build­ing in Down­town Chico, Shubert’s is made using local ingre­di­ents to con­coct their sea­son­al water­mel­on sher­bet. For a real treat try the home­made ​“Chico Mint” fla­vor. You def­i­nite­ly don’t want to miss their delec­table, home­made ice creams that have been named the sec­ond best ice cream shop in the nation by ​“Good Morn­ing America.”

End your day with star gaz­ing at the Chico Com­mu­ni­ty Obser­va­to­ry at Bid­well Park. Kids and adults alike will love explor­ing the won­ders of the night sky and the uni­verse first-hand free of charge. Just make sure to check their web­site for weath­er con­di­tions and cur­rent open hours and days.

On most Fri­days through­out the sum­mer, you can expe­ri­ence excite­ment and thrill at the Sil­ver Dol­lar Speed­way. The his­toric quar­ter-mile high-banked clay oval race track hosts a wide range of enter­tain­ing events, includ­ing the pop­u­lar Fri­day night point cham­pi­onship sea­son fea­tur­ing the winged sprint cars, IMCA Sport Mods, Street Stocks and Hob­by Stocks. Oth­er events include July 4^th Fire­works and Dol­lar Night. Join the crowds, pick your favorite, and get ready to cheer! Check its web­site for the exact sched­ule this season.

Any­one head­ing out to the Lake Oroville knows that the Wag­on Wheel Mar­ket is a must for pick­ing up high-qual­i­ty local prod­ucts to enjoy out on the water. With a wide vari­ety of meats pro­duced in-house, deli, bak­ery, and deli­cious local goods to choose from, you can cre­ate a unique and deli­cious pic­nic lunch at the Wag­on Wheel.

With lunch in hand, it’s a quick dri­ve up the hill to Lake Oroville. With 25 square miles of water, it has miles of shore­line and mil­lions of acres of water to enjoy through­out the year, but sum­mer espe­cial­ly. Bring your own boat and inner tubes, or rent water­crafts, a house­boat, or even a unique float­ing camp­ground to tru­ly expe­ri­ence the lake’s beau­ty. Whether you want to rent a ski boat for a cou­ple of hours or a house­boat that sleeps 12 for the week, every­one in the fam­i­ly will enjoy their time on Lake Oroville.

Look­ing for a place clos­er to town to bar­be­cue and relax on land instead? River­bend Park, a 210 acre site sit­u­at­ed along the Feath­er Riv­er, includes four rentable pavil­ions with a bar­be­cue pit and seat­ing, a rock struc­ture play area, a splash water fea­ture, paved trails, sandy beach, boat dock, fish­ing ponds, and a Disc Golf Course! With so much to do in one beau­ti­ful park, the whole fam­i­ly will enjoy spend­ing an after­noon here. So bring a fris­bee and your sun­glass­es, and have some fun!

If you changed your mind about being on the water, don’t wor­ry — the Fore­bay Aquat­ic Cen­ter is a short dri­ve away from River­bend Park. With kayaks, stand-up pad­dle boards, ped­dle boats, and more avail­able to rent by the day or the hour, the whole fam­i­ly will enjoy an after­noon there. Whether you’re a sea­soned enthu­si­ast of water sports, or a begin­ner look­ing to learn some­thing new, they have some­thing for every­one! Get your rental and enjoy a few hours on the water. Make sure to check their web­site for their cur­rent hours.