One of California’s most distinctive small cities, Chico blends the energy of a contemporary college town and a long history as a hub for the surrounding farm communities of Butte County.
With a downtown of stately 19th-century buildings and a leafy canopy of thousands of street trees, the city remains rooted to its past. That’s especially true at Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park, where you can tour the grand, three-story Italianate home of city founder John Bidwell. Bidwell is responsible—along with his wife Annie, who donated nearly 2,200 acres of land to the city following her husband’s death—for Chico’s remarkable Bidwell Park. Now stretching for 11 miles from the heart of town into the foothills, the park gives Chico a municipal park and recreational destination that cities many times its roughly 100,000 population would envy. The park boasts six “urban swimming holes,” including the massive three-acre Sycamore Pool in the One Mile Recreation Area, hiking trails, disc golf courses, and the Bidwell Park Golf Course.
Generations of Californians first discovered Chico on their college tours to Cal State University, Chico. With a campus adjacent to both downtown and Bidwell Park, Cal State Chico influences the life of the city and gives the community an unmistakable vibrancy and wealth of cultural attractions. The bell tower of Trinity Hall rises over this beautiful university, where Big Chico Creek meanders among the buildings and the Petersen Rose Garden, with 50 types of roses and 350 bushes, brightens the grounds. Take a stroll around campus on a self-guided walking tour and check out the outstanding concert series at Laxson Auditorium, the grand, 1931 venue that has hosted appearances by everyone from Nobel Prize laureates to such musicians as Yo-Yo Ma and Willie Nelson. You can also learn about world cultures and aspects of local history at the university’s Valerie L. Smith Museum of Anthropology.
Back in town, the Museum of Northern California Art in the 1927 Veterans Memorial Hall showcases works by more than 96 regional artists collected by Chico’s Reed Applegate, a graphic designer and advertising executive. Of course, Chico, like many university towns, also has its non-traditional side and is home to the National Yo-Yo Museum, the world’s largest public collection of yo-yos, and the Little Red Hen vintage shop, where you’ll find midcentury modern and rustic furniture and decorative home goods.
As the birthplace of the pioneering Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico played a big role in America’s craft beer revolution. The craft beer tradition is also carried out at The Commons Social Emporium near downtown, which is owned by longtime locals and features more than 20 beers and ciders on tap.
Though its legacy for brewing excellence is perhaps the city’s best-known culinary contribution, Chico does not live by beer alone. You’ll also find terrific dining, including the contemporary New American cuisine at the acclaimed Red Tavern Bistro and the sushi at Japanese Blossoms. Or start the day off right with such favorites as the apple walnut pancakes and banana Nutella French toast at downtown’s Café Coda. The delectable blackberry lemon scones at the beloved Upper Crust Bakery & Café are irresistible.
Just around the corner, on Broadway, B Street Pub starts off the day as a coffee shop/brunch spot, then serves lunch and dinner menus, and finally takes on the role of late-night music venue. Down the block is Live Life Juice Co., which specializes healthy cold-pressed concoctions as well as vegan soft-serve. And with its local-only food-sourcing policy and eclectic decor made from upcycled materials, Foodie Café has a loyal local following.
Many local restaurants count on the bounty of Chico’s surrounding farmland, which produces a cornucopia on vivid display at the city’s twice-weekly farmers markets. The markets run year-round, while the annual Taste of Chico in September is a great opportunity to discover the best of the city’s dining and craft beer scenes. Another major local event is the Chico Wildflower Century, during which you can burn off some of the calories you packed on while in town as you ride among almond orchards and hills blanketed by spring blooms traveling along routes that range from 12 to 125 miles.
If you’re looking for a place to stay in the heart of downtown, Blixa Properties offers multiple options in lovely, tree lined neighborhoods.
Butte County Wineries
New Clairvaux – Vina, CA
The Winery
Although actually in Tehama County, New Clairvaux is closer to Chico than to Red Bluff or Redding, and is close enough to be included in a Butte County adventure. This is the only Monastic Winery in the Americas and a nexus of California and European wine history. This small estate is the juncture of centuries of monastic wine history, a railroad magnate and one of California’s most colorful publishing empire’s founder as well as one of California’s oldest winemaking families. The winery is a must visit for anyone with a serious love of wine architecture and history.
The Vineyards
Hang time, the length of time the grapes can remain on the vines and such a critical part of the maturity of complex flavors, would seem to be short in such a hot environment, but just the opposite is true. A strange characteristic of wine grapes is that they shut down and stop maturing any time temperatures exceed 98 degrees. Since there are so many more days in the far northern valley in that temperature range, the effect is somewhat similar to the cool evenings in the central Sierra Foothills, the warm temperature encourage the grapes to rest thus lengthening hang times allowing heat loving grapes to mature more slowly.
Odussey Winery – Chico, CA
The Winery
The beautiful Greek style designed Odyssey Winery is set amongst rolling vineyards in a gentle sloping valley just north east of Chico. This winery has the distinction of being built by the owners without much in the way of outside help. The tasting room is decorated with some unique art, giving it a modern, upscale feel. The winemaker believes in a minimalist approach to winemaking, using gentle extraction methods, no filtering or fining and expressing the terroir of the vineyard and not just the grape varietal.
The Vineyards
The estate is located just above the valley floor in the rolling hills off Cohasset Road, east of Chico. The estate vineyard has two acres planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and ½ acre to the UC Davis produced Symphony grape. The winery also purchases grapes in the local area.
La Rocca Vinyards – Chico, CA
The Winery
La Rocca is a family owned and operated business with two generations working in various phases of the process. The tasting room is located in wonderfully eclectic downtown Chico, at 222 W Second St.
The Vineyards
The estate consists of 200 acres of certified organic vineyards. The main vineyard, located at the winery site, is on the rich volcanic soils of Mt. Lassen, at the 2600 foot elevation. The vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The second vineyard is 85 acres located at the foot of the Sutter Buttes, the world’s smallest mountain range (though many believe it was formerly a part of the Cascades). It is planted to Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Chenin Blanc. The estate prides itself on low yield vineyards producing small cluster grapes with a high skin to juice ratio.
Grey Fox Vineyards – Oroville, CA
The Winery
It is a quirk of the region that the Grey Fox Vineyards are partially in the Sierra Foothills area and the Central Valley region of California. The winery building is built into the side of the hill with whimsically painted doors. The walls of the tasting room are covered with great historical articles regarding the local wine growing region. The grounds are incredibly beautiful, from the romantic wrought iron gates and oak studded picnic area to its incredible views of the Sutter Buttes and Table Mountain.
The Vineyards
Located on eleven acres at around the 700 foot elevation, the estate vineyards are planted to eight French and Italian varietals. The winery utilizes a vine moisture sensing system which facilitates ‘just-in-time’ watering processes. This keeps the vines from being over watered and ensures a concentration of flavor and color in the wine. The estate purchases Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon from cooler California wine regions.
Long Creek Winery – Oroville, CA
The Winery
The Long Creek Winery is located at the 800 foot elevation in the far northern Sierra Nevada Foothills just east of Oroville. The tasting room is beautifully done in an Italian Villa style with stone floors, great wine theme artwork and a small, but inviting oak tasting bar. A great deal of care went into the design of the Winery building to minimize the use of any power for cooling and the winery will soon be going completely solar.
The Vineyards
The estate covers 30 acres with a full 8½ in producing grapes. The winery produces all but two varietals completely from estate grown grapes. The two exceptions are Chardonnay; purchased from Sonoma County, and Merlot; purchased from Napa Valley. This region, like most of the foothills, receives a generous cooling breeze off the Sierra Nevada Mountains at night that creates a significant diurnal shift. That shift of up to 40 degrees helps lengthen the hang times for the grapes and create complexity. The vines are meticulously pruned to provide low yield and no pesticides are used on the vines.
