6 Favorite June Activities in Butte County

Since the con­struc­tion of the city’s his­toric dam, Oroville has always been the spot for out­stand­ing water recre­ation oppor­tu­ni­ties, espe­cial­ly in the sum­mer. Lake Oroville​’s west branch (call ahead to check water lev­els) is qui­eter and typ­i­cal­ly bet­ter for bass anglers, but also can pro­vide a mel­low spot to find a cove and hide out for the day, while the north branch is wide open and ide­al for skiers, wake­board­ers, boaters and jet skiers alike.

The Fore­bay Aquat­ic Cen­ter, mean­while, is eas­i­ly acces­si­ble and great for quick fam­i­ly excur­sions. A pic­nic and a swim or a mod­er­ate kayak ses­sion are always on the table here. Sim­i­lar­ly, the Ther­mal­i­to After­bay is a more serene aquat­ic option meant for pad­dling, swim­ming and fish­ing. As with all Butte Coun­ty recre­ation­al areas, it’s worth check­ing in with the sites to ensure access.

Both Chico and Oroville have vibrant pub­lic art scenes, rife with oppor­tu­ni­ties to build an impres­sive cam­era roll fold­er. While pub­lic art in both cities extends beyond wall paint­ings (sculp­tures and oth­er var­i­ous land­marks beau­ti­fy both areas), mak­ing a list of murals you haven’t seen in per­son yet, then snag­ging a pho­to with each, is a reward­ing way to take in the sights.

Check out Chico’s offer­ings, or if you’re fur­ther south in the coun­ty in Oroville, see how many of the down­town murals, paint­ed as part of Down­town Oroville revi­tal­iza­tion efforts, you can find. Not to be for­got­ten, Par­adise has its share of pub­lic art as well.

Butte Coun­ty has dozens of amaz­ing parks and recre­ation areas, so you should explore them before the heat picks up — and few things beat a pic­nic in the park. Grab lunch to-go from any num­ber of deli­cious eater­ies that offer pick-up options for your health and con­ve­nience. For a clas­sic sand­wich lunch, check out Ike’s Place in Chico for car­niv­o­rous and veg­an options aplen­ty, Upper Crust Bak­ery & Café for nosh from a Chico favorite, or Oroville’s Wag­on Wheel Mar­ket for fresh deli sand­wich­es that’ll be per­fect for your day on Lake Oroville. Look­ing for some­thing dif­fer­ent? Grab a char­cu­terie board from Nic’s as you explore Par­adise Ridge, veg­an dumplings from Drunk­en Dumplings, or a British pasty from The Allies Pub.

If you’re look­ing for some­thing a lit­tle fanci­er, check out Luxe Pic­nic for a lux­u­ry expe­ri­ence at some of the most pop­u­lar spots around the county.

What­ev­er you choose, the only oth­er thing you need is a blan­ket big enough for the fam­i­ly, and you’re set for your picnic.

Butte Coun­ty has some of the best pro­duce in the state, and by June, all the county’s farm­ers mar­kets are open and the sum­mer fruits are ripen­ing. You can check out Paradise’s Tues­day mar­ket, Oroville’s Wednes­day mar­ket, or Chico’s Wednes­day mar­ket for deli­cious goods. For a larg­er mar­ket expe­ri­ence, you’ll want to make it out to Chico’s pop­u­lar Sat­ur­day mar­ket, where you’ll find local grow­ers and pro­duc­ers sell­ing fruits, veg­eta­bles, meats, bread, nuts, hon­ey, and more, as well as crafters, food trucks, and live per­for­mances. And with a prime spot right across the street from the hub of Down­town Chico, it’s a great place to start your Chico explo­rations. You can even get your hands a lit­tle dirty at one of the region’s u‑pick farms!

Chico and Par­adise kick off the sea­son with free concerts.

Since 1978, Down­town Chico has host­ed their sum­mer clas­sic Fri­day Night Concert series, stretch­ing from May all the way through Sep­tem­ber. June has four great shows to take in, whether you’re seek­ing to get some fam­i­ly enter­tain­ment after a down­town din­ner and an ice cream cone, or just begin­ning your evening with some festivities. 

Up in Par­adise, the Par­ty in the Park cel­e­brates the sum­mer with eight weeks of live music and ven­dors every Wednes­day in June and July. It feels like the whole town comes out for this event, which also includes inter­mis­sion acts fea­tur­ing dance, youth groups, and demonstrations.

June is Pride Month, and Chico invites you to cel­e­brate! There’s a vari­ety of events in the lat­ter half of June, with the Stonewall Chico Pride Down­town Fes­ti­val the cul­mi­na­tion of the fes­tiv­i­ties. Can’t make it to any of the events? Then show your sup­port by shop­ping at one of Butte Coun­ty’s LGBTQ+ friend­ly businesses.