Spring Family Adventure

Take a Bike Ride

Strap on a hel­met and enjoy rid­ing through Chico. With miles of both leisure­ly and chal­leng­ing trails through­out Bid­well Park and across the rest of the city, it’s no won­der why. Bring your own bikes or rent them for the fam­i­ly from Cam­pus Bicy­cles, which offer both half- and full-day rates. Gain a new per­spec­tive as you explore the city on two wheels.

Explore Under-the-Radar Wild­flower Spots

If you want to take in breath­tak­ing wild­flower blooms in more seclud­ed areas, then you’re in luck — Butte Coun­ty has plen­ty of places to explore! Head to Upper Bid­well Park to catch blooms through­out Big Chico Creek Canyon as you enjoy a vari­ety of hikes. Or head to Oroville for more under­stat­ed, but equal­ly beau­ti­ful, blooms around Lake Oroville. And for late spring blooms, you can explore the shores of Par­adise Lake for high­er-ele­va­tion wildflowers.

Lunch at Ike’s Place

See what all the col­lege kids are rav­ing about when you grab sand­wich for lunch from Ike’s Place. This casu­al eatery serves a menu of cre­ative sand­wich­es, includ­ing veg­an options. And with sand­wich names like ​“Chico State,” ​“Some­times I’m a Veg­e­tar­i­an,” and the Chico-exclu­sive ​“Gar­den of Eden,” they’re as fun to order as they are tasty to eat! Enjoy Ike’s right in the shop or take it to go for a per­fect pic­nic lunch.

Dis­cov­er the Scenic Dri­ve on High­way 70

After lunch, hop in the car and enjoy a dri­ve on High­way 70 along the Feath­er Riv­er Scenic Byway and through the Feath­er Riv­er Canyon. Few Cal­i­for­nia high­ways fea­ture such nat­ur­al beau­ty and diver­si­ty in ter­rain, land­scape, wildlife and ele­va­tion as the Canyon Route. Cas­cad­ing water­falls and wild­flow­ers in the spring high­light the canyon’s nat­ur­al beauty.

Dine at The Union

On the way back from your scenic dri­ve, head into Oroville for din­ner at The Union. The restau­rant serves up sea­son­al Cal­i­for­nia-inspired fare in the heart of Down­town Oroville. The whole fam­i­ly will love the expand­ed out­door din­ing area, the per­fect place to spend a spring­time evening.

Break­fast at Jen­n’s Café

Look­ing for a cozy and clas­sic Amer­i­can din­er expe­ri­ence? Look no fur­ther than Jen­n’s Café in Oroville. Gath­er in a booth and enjoy the gen­er­ous por­tions and down-to-earth staff. The dai­ly menu has all the deli­cious tra­di­tion­al fare — short stack pan­cakes, hash browns, eggs you way — but make sure to check the board for the cur­rent special!

Explore the Wild­flow­ers at Table Mountain

With the wild­flow­ers final­ly in bloom, spring is the per­fect time for the fam­i­ly to explore the North Table Moun­tain Eco­log­i­cal Reserve! Every year, thou­sands of wild­flow­ers cov­er the ter­rain at Table Moun­tain, as it’s more com­mon­ly known, cre­at­ing a pic­turesque scene per­fect for a day hike. With a most­ly flat trail, the hike is acces­si­ble to most every­one – just remem­ber to buy a day use pass for every fam­i­ly mem­ber 16 and old­er and to leave no trace dur­ing your visit!

Lunch at Shakey’s

Every­body loves piz­za, so head over to Shakey’s after your hike for a slice with the whole fam­i­ly. This clas­sic piz­za place offers not only piz­za, but fried chick­en and lunch buf­fets in a relaxed atmos­phere with a kids’ game area. Give the kids some quar­ters while you enjoy a drink or two.

Explore Bolt’s Antique Tool Museum

Dis­play­ing over 12,000 ​“of the most impor­tant tools ever invent­ed and used by mankind,” Bolt’s Antique Tool Muse­um is one-of-a-kind! (No, seri­ous­ly — it’s the only known muse­um of it’s kind in the world!). This unique Oroville favorite is full of pret­ty much any tool you can think of (and prob­a­bly more than that) and is a fun stop while you’re in town. 

Explore the Kir­sh­n­er Wildlife Sanctuary

Equal parts wildlife sanc­tu­ary, edu­ca­tion­al park, and research cen­ter, the Kir­sh­n­er Wildlife Sanc­tu­ary in Oroville is home to a remark­able assort­ment of non-releasable wild and exot­ic ani­mals, many of them endan­gered species. Whether you’re take a tour on your own or make an appoint­ment to enjoy a guid­ed tour, the Kir­sh­n­er Wildlife Sanc­tu­ary is an edu­ca­tion­al and fun adven­ture for the whole family.

Grab Dessert at La Flor de Michoacan

End the day with a scoop or two at La Flor de Michoa­can. This fam­i­ly-owned Mex­i­can ice cream shop serves authen­tic Mex­i­can ice cream, pale­tas, and a fun selec­tion of oth­er over-the-top desserts.