Shopping trips frequently revolve around special interests, but other times it is just a means of entertainment or exploring new and different stores. There are some interesting Chico stores to explore. Let us show you around.
Morning
Let’s start out at a very unique store and museum. Bird in Hand 320 Broadway is a mini department store with many unique items from clothing to toys to gifts. Housed in the store is the National Yo-Yo Museum where you can see the largest display of Yo-Yo memorabilia in the nation.
From Bird in Hand we’ll walk north up broadway to Collier Hardware where we can visit an old fashion hardware store experience a 140 year old Chico icon. The building was completed in 1871, with the upper story housing the Masonic and Odd Fellows Lodges, and the ground floor housing a hardware store, along with agricultural implements, wagons, buggies, and, of course, buggy whips.
Our final stop for the morning will be Diamond W Western Wear 181 E. 2nd. St. Winner of the prestigious Golden Rose Award for 2001 , owner David Halimi took his time to “get it right” in designing and restoring this building, which is a work of art—done by local artisans. Just for starters you’ll walk on a copper slate floor, mined in the mountains of India and laid in a diamond pattern. You’ll admire the Galaxy granite store front and the fireplace hearth that has copper naturally inlaid in it.
Lunch
Were right next door to Panama Bar & Cafe, (177 E. 2nd St.) so let’s stop in for one of their 31 famous burgers. They are also famous for their 31 iced teas.
Afternoon
Our first stop after lunch is the Satava Art Glass Studio 819 Wall St. a nice walk south after lunch. Richard Satava opened his studio in 1977 using ancient techniques to create beautiful art glass by combining technical skill and delicate artistry. Vivid colors and unique nature themes are his trade-mark. Passion is visible in his creations. The studio is open featuring glass blowing demonstrations Tuesday-Saturday, 9-4.
Since we’re in the general neighborhood we may want to stop by Shubert’s for an old-fashion ice-cream cone with ice cream made on the premise. You’ll find Shubert’s at 178 East 7th street. (530)342-7163.
Our next stop is a short drive to 2201 Pillsbury Rd., Suite C-5 where we’ll find String Bead for a unique experience viewing thousands of beads of every size, shape, and color. You’ll see some collector’s items. Note especially the handmade lampworked glass beads. You’ll find glass, wood, bone, metalized, horn, precious and semiprecious stones, and seed beads from which to choose. They have a fully operational jewelry fabrication and glass bead-making shop.
Evening
It’s been a long day we’ve cover a lot of ground. How about a Basque style dinner at Basque Norte? 3355 Esplanade 530-891-5204. A family owned restaurant serving among other things, the best T-bone steak in chico.
There are a lot of things for kids to do in Chico. Indoor things and outdoor things. Quiet things and athletic things. You’ll find more to do here than you can find time to do them all. We’ll help you explore some of them and we’ll include those where the entire family can have a fun and learning experience. Lets get started.
Morning
We are going to start the day off at Funland or Kids In Motion. The choice is yours. Either choice will get you off to an exciting day. Both will get your blood flowing.
Whether it’s done for the exercise or just for the fun, there’s no denying that roller skating is a popular sport engaged in year round in Chico. We know of some parents who plan their kids’ birthday parties here just so they can get a little extra time on skates. There are others that need to “supervise” offspring’s batting skills at the batting cages here or their putting on the 18-hole miniature golf course, which features a natural setting with rivers and is a challenge for both adults and kids. Also, it’s a great activity for a date. So, who needs an excuse—just go and enjoy!
Kids in Motion’s 6,000 sq. ft. wing serves children from infants through teens with over a dozen programs and is an absolute visual delight. Known as “Childcare with an Ocean View,” Kids will view a 150 ft. “Under the Sea” mural; mermaid, sea turtles and octopus mosaics; and salt water aquariums (some of the largest in the Chico area).
One aquarium features a living reef with corals and other creatures. Another houses larger, more aggressive sea life. The In Motion facility also has a Kids Splash Park and 5 pools and offers year round swim lessons. It’s no wonder that kids call it the “In Motion Ocean” and that it has become a very popular spot for birthday and pool parties.
Bidwell Park
(530) 896-7800, 4th Street and Cypress Avenue, www.chico.ca.us (click Park Dept.)
Caper Acres, an imaginative fairy-tale themed playground featuring just about everything to keep small children busy. (My favorite is the castle, but I think the treehouse thingy is more popular with the youngsters.)
Lunch
For lunch we’ll be heading for Fun Zone & Pizza 966 East Ave. (530) 894-0400
Fun Zone & Pizza has video games and other high-tech stuff that today’s young adults as well as kids seem to revel in, plus kiddie rides for the wee tots. They also have birthday party packages for a minimum of six children.
Afternoon
Following lunch, it off to the Nature Center in Bidwell Park. This will be a fun, learning, hands-on experience.
Entrance is off of East Eighth St. just beyond Cedar Grove. (Turn off of Highway 32 onto Fir Street, go straight through the stop sign, and Fir St. becomes Eighth St.).
Hours: Wed.-Sun., 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Free nature walks with knowledgeable naturalists, classes, and environmental ed programs are all available here. Weekly day-camps are held June- August and over the holiday break in December for ages 5-11 years. Summer sessions include themes like Aquatic Adventure, Earth Island, Native’s Ways, and Jammin’ Salmon, while the winter session helps kids learn about hibernation, migration, and critters’ food storage, along with what happens to plants during winter.
The nature museum includes a living display of wildlife and features other displays of nature. Pick up the “World of Trees” brochure and walk the trail to experience Portuguese Cypress, English & Cork Oak, among others. When we leave here we’ll be heading downtown to the Yo-Yo Museum inside Bird In Hand mini department store. But, on our way, let’s stop at Shubert’s for an ice cream treat.
At Shubert’s, Chico’s oldest ice cream and candy store, they’ve been making these creations since 1938. We like them all, but two special ice cream flavors are Chico Mint and Mount Shasta. You can also enjoy milkshakes, root beer floats, freezes and sodas. In the candy department, you’ll find everything from chocolate creams to English Toffee, and you can buy it by the piece or by the pound.
National Yo-Yo Museum Inside Bird in Hand, 320 Broadway, (530) 893-0545, www.nationalyoyo.org
Open 7 Days a Week, Free AdmissionAwarded the most popular toy of the 20th Century, the Yo-Yo continues to be very popular with all ages. Visit the largest display of Yo-Yo memorabilia in the nation. Ninety years of Yo-Yo artifacts are on display here. The display includes photos, competition awards, and Yo-Yo’s from the 1920’s through today, as well as the world’s largest Yo-Yo at 50 inches in height and weighing 256 pounds.
This exhibit is a fascinating look at the childhood we all have in common.If you’ve learned about the natural world at Chico Creek Nature Center, gotten into shape at In Motion fitness, learned a new trick at the Yo-Yo Museum and you’re still full of energy and have time before dinner, then, maybe it’s time to try one of these.
Ross Shopping Center, 2483 Notre Dame Blvd., (530) 894-6800
Kids Park is a childcare indoor play and party center. They offer a preschool program, arts and crafts, and games galore. They also host birthday parties. They are open seven days a week.
Two by Two Ranch & Petting Zoo is a unique educational opportunity for kids to experience a variety of animals. This zoo has mobile capabilities and attends many area events.
Farm Sanctuary Hwy. 32, 19080 Newville Rd., Orland, (530) 865-4617, E-mail: [email protected]Open to visitors April 1-Nov. 30
Farm Sanctuary is a 300-acre farm that shelters, rescues, rehabilitates, and provides life-long care for hundreds of animals (cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and turkeys) every year. Open to the public for tours on Saturdays. Tours begin every hour on the hour, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Powell’s Sweet Shoppe
121 W. 3rd St., (530) 332-9866Powell’s Sweet Shoppe, has the largest selection of sweet treats in town. Besides a stock of over 5,000 types of candies, they also serve all-natural gelato, old-fashioned sodas, retro toys, root beer floats, and a huge selection of nostalgic candies. Treats you have not seen since your childhood—Clark bars, Candy Buttons, Nik N’Lips, Walnettos and more. A stop here is a walk down Memory Lane and a sweet experience.
We are going to head to Basque Norte for a family style dinner. Now’s you’re last chance if you want to invite someone to meet you there. Basque Norte™ has been serving quality dinners since 1975. Enjoy the warm hospitality of this family-operated restaurant. After dinner, around sunset we’ll end the evening under the stars at the Observatory & Planetarium.Basque Norte™ Restaurant3355 Esplanade Chico, Calif. 95973, Tel. (530) 891-5204 (after 3:30pm Wed.–Sun.)
Closed: Monday & Tuesday
Open: 5:00pm Wednesday through Sunday. Closed for vacation early July. Call for specific dates.
Evening
Kiwanis Chico Community Observatory & Planetarium
Upper Bidwell Park near Horseshoe Lake parking lot, (530) 879-0207, (530) 513-0135, www.chicoobservatory.com
From sunset and for the next three hours, Kiwanis Chico Community Observatory & Planetarium is open to the public. Located in Bidwell Park, near Horseshoe Lake parking lot, check out the planets yourself.
Along with education, activities, and live performances, this campus (located adjacent to Chico’s downtown) is also known for its beautiful grounds and its architecture. Laxson Auditorium, along with Kendall Hall and Trinity Hall with its bell tower, was built of red brick in the early 1930’s in a lovely Romanesque style similar to that of Mediterranean cultures. True beauties.
The new Bell Memorial Union is home to a huge bookstore (including clothing and gift items in addition to the books,) the Union Express, and the Associated Students offices, and 12 conference and assembly rooms, plus auditorium seating for 1,000 people.
Meriam Library, named after Ted Meriam, who was a former university trustee and Chico mayor, is the largest library north of Sacramento and serves as a resource for all of Northern California.
Thanks to General John Bidwell, who was an amateur horticulturist, the grounds of the campus contain hundreds of varieties of trees and plants that he introduced to the area. You’ll note, as you walk through the campus, many huge trees; some of these date back to when Bidwell planted them. The plantings, along with Big Chico Creek running through the middle of the campus, make it a nature lover’s dream. Spring is especially gorgeous with the azaleas in bloom and the creek running strong. A tour of the grounds and buildings is well worth taking since it is informative, entertaining, and just plain beautiful.
California State University,
Chico Office of Admissions
Tours/Pre-Admission Information
West 2nd & Hazel St.
(800) 542-4426 (530) 898-4428 www.csuchico.edu
Born in 1819, John Bidwell led the first overland expedition to California when he was 22. When he struck gold on the Feather River near Oroville,he bought 26,000 acres beside Chico Creek, and in 1860 founded Chico.
In 1868, after having served two years as a Washington congressman, he and Annie Kennedy were married with President Johnson attending.
Soon the Bidwells moved to Chico and worked in many causes including Indian education and women’s suffrage. Mr. Bidwell was also an amateur horticulturist, and planted many varieties of trees and shrubs on his vast land holdings and around the community.
The Bidwells entertained prominent Americans, including Susan B. Anthony and John Muir, until Bidwell died in 1900 and Annie in 1918.
In 1887 Bidwell donated the land for the state teacher’s college that later became CSUC; and Bidwell Park, about a mile east of the mansion, was donated to the city by Annie in 1905.
The three-story mansion is furnished with Victorian pieces, many having belonged to the Bidwells. The carriage house stores four of Bidwell’s carriages.
The mansion is home to many annual events including a Christmas Open House each December. Next to the mansion is a visitor center offering displays, a gift shop, and a 25-minute movie of this generous, progressive couple.
Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park
525 Esplanade • 530-895-6144
Sat.-Sun. 11-4, Mon. 12-4
Donated to the city by Annie Bidwell in 1905 were the original 2,238 acres, and in 1995 the city purchased and added an additional 1,380 acres, making it the third largest urban park in our nation. As per Bidwell’s designation, no alcohol, or hunting is allowed.
These over 3,600 acres offer picnicking, swimming, equestrian and bicycling trails, golf, archery, pistol ranges, playgrounds, baseball/softball fields, and organized recreational activities year round. It was seen nationally in 1937 when the original Adventures of Robin Hood was filmed among the towering oaks and sycamores. The park has been designated as an official California Watchable Wildlife site. California Watchable Wildlife.
Because of its large size, the park is divided into two sections: Upper Bidwell Park is a wilderness section along both sides of Big Chico Creek Canyon. It contains more than 35 miles of hiking trails, 25 of which are open to equestrians and bikers. The canyon of Big Chico Creek has many beautiful swimming holes. The two major trails are North Rim and South Rim.
North Rim Trail (for hiking, biking, and horseback riding) starts at Wildwood Avenue, close to the entrance to Upper Park. Beautiful vistas are the reward for this sometimes steep trail. South Rim Trail is used less and is pretty rugged. It begins where Centennial Avenue deadends into Chico Canyon Road and runs above Bidwell Golf Course and into the newly acquired south side of the canyon.
Upper Bidwell Park also contains Hooker Oak Recreation Area (this part of Upper Park was originally called Middle Park), three softball diamonds, playgrounds, and picnic areas. You might view some kite flyers here. To get to Hooker Oak, take Vallombrosa Avenue, turn left on Manzanita Avenue.
You’ll spot it on the right. Five-Mile Dam Recreation Area includes a large natural swimming hole plus good picnic spots with tables and grills. To find it, take Vallombrosa to the end, turn right on Manzanita, and then left on Centennial—the recreation area is on the left. The Horseshoe Lake area is a great area for fishing and is the site of the annual Fishing Derby.
Lower Bidwell Park is about a fourmile long area following Big Chico Creek from downtown to Manzanita Avenue with footpaths and bicycle paths that run through shady oak groves.
The One-Mile Dam Recreation Area includes Sycamore Pool, a softball field, horseshoe pits, and picnic areas with grills. Very near downtown, it can be entered from Fourth or Fifth Streets. Just next to the One- Mile playing field is Caper Acres, an imaginative fairy-tale themed playground featuring just about everything to keep small children busy. (My favorite is the castle, but I think the treehouse thingy is more popular with the youngsters.)
Cedar Grove, entrance off East Eighth Avenue, is lovely year-round with its gorgeous cedar trees. Chico Creek Nature Center is also located in Lower Park, and we think deserving of its own listing in “101 Things to Do. ”Please see item 71 to learn about it.
Detailed park maps are available for the asking at the Chico Visitor Center, corner of Main and 5th Streets.
Bidwell Park
(530) 896-7800
4th Street and Cypress Avenue
www.chico.ca.us (click Park Dept.)
Built by Dr. & Mrs. Oscar Stansbury in 1883, this home was designed in the Italianate Victorian style and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of the most original and unaltered homes in California. Because family members lived here until 1974, it contains many of the family’s original pieces.
Visiting here is a step into another era.
Stansbury Home
307 West 5th St. (530) 891-0585
Special Tours: (530) -343-6611
Sat & Sun 1-4 • Adults $4
Students $2, Under 10 Free
Blue Room Theatre offers theatrical works for children, young adults, and adult audiences. They’ve done extensive upgrading. Increased seating capacity, enhanced sound and visual presentation, a three-quarter thrust style stage, and a new color scheme have added greatly to the ambiance.
Chico Theatre Company opened in 2003 in the 244-seat former Eaton Road Opera House location and has staged nearly 700 performances since opening, and has earned the great reputation it now holds. The theatre includes nine shows a year ranging from classics to new shows, both musical and nonmusical.
Laxson Auditorium celebrated her 80th birthday in 2011. Always a grand architectural treasure of Romanesque style (can’t imagine the campus without that building just as it’s sat from the beginning), its national and international entertainment offerings seem to only get better every year!
Along with education, activities, and live performances, this campus (located adjacent to Chico’s downtown) is also known for its beautiful grounds and its architecture. Laxson Auditorium, along with Kendall Hall and Trinity Hall with its bell tower, was built of red brick in the early 1930’s in a lovely Romanesque style similar to that of Mediterranean cultures. True beauties.
