Love Is In The Air: The Couple’s Guide to Butte County

Ped­al through par­adise togeth­er on Butte Coun­ty’s net­work of trails, where every turn reveals a per­fect moment for two. Chal­lenge each oth­er on Upper Bid­well Park’s rugged ter­rain, or cruise in tan­dem along Lake Oroville’s shore­line trails, stop­ping at seclud­ed coves for pri­vate pic­nics. Make lunch an adven­ture of its own by pack­ing a blan­ket and fresh­ly made sand­wich­es and treats from a local café, and enjoy­ing a pic­nic for two at your favorite viewpoint.

Feb­ru­ary trans­forms Butte Coun­ty into a roman­tic won­der­land as thou­sands of almond trees burst into bloom. Dri­ve the back roads around Durham where orchards stretch to the hori­zon, cre­at­ing tun­nels of del­i­cate pink and white blos­soms per­fect for impromp­tu pho­to­shoots. Pack a ther­mos of cof­fee and break­fast pas­tries for an ear­ly morn­ing dri­ve, or plan a sun­set pic­nic when gold­en hour illu­mi­nates the petals.

Come spring, nature’s show con­tin­ues with spec­tac­u­lar wild­flower dis­plays. Hike hand-in-hand through North Table Moun­tain Eco­log­i­cal Reserve’s rolling mead­ows car­pet­ed in a stun­ning dis­play. In Bid­well Park, fol­low trails dot­ted with Cal­i­for­nia pop­pies, find­ing qui­et spots among the blooms for a roman­tic pause.

Blos­som View­ing Tips:

• Ear­ly morn­ing and late after­noon offer the best light for photos.
• Bring a blan­ket for spon­ta­neous pic­nic stops.
• Respect pri­vate prop­er­ty and view orchards from des­ig­nat­ed roads.
• Avoid step­ping on wild­flow­ers by stay­ing on des­ig­nat­ed trails to enjoy views of the blooms.
• Con­sid­er a roman­tic bike ride through Durham’s orchard-lined streets.

Turn Down­town Chico into your per­son­al trea­sure map of love. Hunt for vibrant murals and hid­den art pieces togeth­er, mak­ing each dis­cov­ery a chance for a roman­tic self­ie or stolen moment. Con­tin­ue your trea­sure hunt in Par­adise and Oroville, fea­tur­ing unique murals and pub­lic art of their own.

Step back into a real-life love sto­ry at the C.F. Lott Home in Oroville. As you explore this Vic­to­ri­an revival man­sion, let the romance between Cor­nelia Lott and Jesse Sank inspire your own sto­ry. Wan­der the per­fect­ly pre­served rooms hand in hand, imag­in­ing the ele­gant par­ties and qui­et moments these walls have wit­nessed. The sur­round­ing Sank Park offers per­fect spots for a post-tour embrace.

At Wild Ink Press, revive the lost art of romance through hand­craft­ed cards and sta­tionery. Choose beau­ti­ful let­ter­press prints to express your feel­ings for a spe­cial occa­sion, or buy a vari­ety of unique cards and cre­ate your own trea­sure hunt of love notes when you return home.

Cre­ate last­ing mem­o­ries while learn­ing a new skill togeth­er at one of Butte Coun­ty’s local craft work­shops. Cre­ate your own stained glass mas­ter­piece at Vang’s Plants & Suc­cu­lents Hub, where cou­ples can craft side-by-side in a relaxed atmos­phere. Express your cre­ativ­i­ty through linocut print­mak­ing with artist Marisa N. Segovia, or unleash your inner artist at a paint par­ty host­ed by Paint Par­ties by Dawn. These hands-on expe­ri­ences are a per­fect update to the clas­sic movie-din­ner date night.

Inti­mate wine bars across Butte Coun­ty set the per­fect stage for romance. At Wine Time, dim light­ing and cozy cor­ners invite shared plates and whis­pered con­ver­sa­tions. VillaVi­no’s expert­ly curat­ed wine selec­tion pairs per­fect­ly with their region­al appe­tiz­ers, while Roselle Bar & Lounge adds craft cock­tails and con­tem­po­rary ambiance to the mix. Let skilled servers guide your taste adven­ture — some­times the best roman­tic moments come from try­ing some­thing new together.

Trans­port your­selves to Italy with­out leav­ing Butte Coun­ty. Down­town Chico’s beloved Sicil­ian Café charms with tra­di­tion­al recipes and an exten­sive wine list. Rione Ital­ian Restau­rant ele­vates date night with mod­ern inter­pre­ta­tions of clas­sic dish­es in an inti­mate set­ting. And at Grana, local­ly-sourced ingre­di­ents trans­form into arti­sanal piz­zas and hand­made pas­ta per­fect for shar­ing. Each venue offers its own take on Ital­ian hos­pi­tal­i­ty, from casu­al wine-and-piz­za dates to ele­gant mul­ti-course affairs.

Step into the past while savor­ing the present at Butte Coun­ty’s his­toric venues. Live music fills the restored walls of Pro­vi­sions in Oroville, while The Grill at Hotel Dia­mond pairs clas­sic archi­tec­ture with con­tem­po­rary cui­sine. For spe­cial occa­sions, 5^th Street Steak­house­’s vin­tage ambiance and pre­mier cuts cre­ate mem­o­rable date nights. Each loca­tion bal­ances his­toric charm with mod­ern culi­nary excellence.

Cap your evening with dessert at one of Butte Coun­ty’s beloved sweet spots. Joy Lyn’s Can­dies in Par­adise lets you hand-select truf­fles and choco­lates to share, while the arti­sanal fla­vors at Chico’s Savor Ice Cream high­light 100% gluten-free local fla­vors along with dairy-free options. At Sweet Chico Con­fec­tions & Gela­to, savor authen­tic Ital­ian gela­to and enjoy it while strolling down­town togeth­er with a sweet treat in hand.

Per­fect Timing

While romance blooms year-round in Butte Coun­ty, cer­tain sea­sons offer extra magic:

• Feb­ru­ary brings almond blos­soms and Valen­tine’s festivities.
• Spring fea­tures wild­flower blooms at Table Moun­tain and Bid­well Park.
• Sum­mer is best cel­e­brat­ed on the water at Lake Oroville, Big Chico Creek, or the Sacra­men­to River.
• Autumn is per­fect for fall foliage explo­rations and sun­set picnics.

Plan Your Per­fect Roman­tic Getaway

• Request roman­tic touch­es when mak­ing din­ner reservations.
• Pack pic­nic sup­plies for spon­ta­neous out­door moments.
• Bring a cam­era to cap­ture your discoveries.
• Leave room in your sched­ule for unex­pect­ed adventures.