Chico (California)

By train

Amtrak serves Chico via its daily Coast Starlight service between Los Angeles and Seattle. However, the timings are not very convenient with northbound trains arriving at 2AM and southbound at 4AM. is located downtown at 450 Orange St.

By car

Chico straddles Route 99, and is also accessible via Route 32 East off of Interstate 5.

By bus

Greyhound bus service is available, as well as North Valley Shuttle service to and from Sacramento International Airport.

By plane

The nearest international airport is in Sacramento. Chico also hosts a general aviation airport known as the Chico Municipal Airport.

Ride a bike. One of the best bike friendly towns around, the locals and students prefer to bike around it.
Taxis are prolific and cheap, and must be called to your location to pick you up.
The bus transit system, the B-line, will take you most places around the city at an hourly rate.

• Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park

  phone: +1 530 895-6144
  address: 525 Esplanade
  This 26-room mansion formerly owned by John and Annie Bidwell was the first in the state to have indoor plumbing. 50-minute tours of the mansion depart every hour.

• Colman Memorial Community Museum

  phone: +1 530 893-9667
  address: 13548 Centerville Rd

• National Yo-Yo Museum

  phone: +1 530-893-0545
  address: 320 Broadway St
  The largest collection of yo-yos in the U.S.

• Chico Air Museum

  phone: +1 530 345-6468
  address: 165 Ryan Ave

• Gateway Science Museum

  phone: +1 530-898-4121
  address: 625 Esplanade

• Bidwell Park

  phone: +1 530 891-4671
  address: 1968 East 8th St
  America's seventh largest municipal park offers hiking, biking, swimming, and numerous other options for outdoor recreation. The lower section of the park begins near Highway 99 and extends north-east through the city and continues five miles into the foothills north of the city.

• Bird in Hand

  phone: +1 530 893-0545
  address: 320 Broadway St
  Selling a wide range of products, from Tommy Bahama to toys. Also has a Yo-yo museum, which houses the world's largest wooden yo-yo.

• Aca Taco

  phone: +1 530 894-0191
  address: 133 Broadway St
  Aca Taco is one of the most popular late-night treats in Chico. Their popular buritos are a perfect adendum to a night well spent.

• 5th Street Steakhouse

  phone: +1 530 891-6328
  address: 345 West Fifth St
  An expensive fine dinner restaurant, this small but divine steakhouse is known as much for its extensive wine cellar as it is for its steaks.

• Italian Cottage

  address: 2234 Esplanade
  Awesome breakfast omelettes, especially the spicy Italian one with marinara sauce, melted cheese, sausage, and pepperoni.

• Jedidiah's

  address: 817 Main St
  Great breakfasts.

• Morning Thunder Cafe

  phone: +1 530 342-9717
  address: 352 Vallombrosa Ave
  Large portions and voted Best Breakfast of Chico for many years by vote in the local newspaper The Chico News and Review. They have a different flavor muffin everyday, and the muffins are recommended when the meal comes with a choice of bread. Breakfast potatoes can be made extra crispy if you ask and are particularly good if you do so.

• Nobby's

  phone: +1 530 342-2285
  address: 1444 Park Ave
  Popular burger joint. Burgers can come with a crispy cheese skirt. Outdoor seating is available and preferable on a nice day since the inside can be a little cramped.

• Pluto's

  phone: +1 530 343-0165
  address: 210 Main St
  Pluto's specializes in sandwiches and salads that are healthy and unbelievably tasty. Anything with roasted turkey is particularly recommended. In addition to the standard fries they have a wide array of other sides such as stuffing, macaroni and cheese, and garlic fries.

• Red Tavern

  phone: +1 530 894-3463
  address: 1250 Esplanade
  Expertly made, California-cuisine style meals. Reservations definitely needed on weekend nights.

• Smokin' Mo's BBQ

  phone: +1 530 891-6677
  address: 131 Broadway St
  They offer tri-tip, chicken, pork, and ribs. You have 4 different sauces to choose from and you can take as much sauce from each type as you want. Its an order at the counter place.

• Sierra Nevada Taproom and Restaurant

  phone: +1 530 345-2739
  address: 1075 E 20th St.
  This is one of Chico's landmark restaurants. Sierra Nevada Brewery has been a Chico icon since its founding in 1979. Chicoans take great pride in their local brewery and Sierra Nevada can be found all throughout the town. The accompanying taproom and restaurant is one of the most popular places to eat in Chico. Almost always filled to capacity, the wait can be long sometimes, but the prices are reasonable and the food is top tier.

• Sultan's Bistro

  phone: +1 530 345-7455
  address: 300 Broadway St
  The beef and lamb gyro plates are recommended.

• T. Bar and Fusion Cafe

  phone: +1 530 895-8100
  address: 250 Vallombrosa Ave
  California fusion cuisine and a wide variety of teas, the Chocolate Chai Frost being one of their most popular drinks. Although not stated on the menu any drink can be made into a frost, sparkling, etc. Just ask, for example, to turn a Strawberry Lime sparkling tea into a Strawberry Lime frost and they will be happy to oblige.

• Windy's Chinese

  phone: +1 530 343-1788
  address: 1000 W Sacramento Ave # G

• Woodstock's Pizza

  phone: +1 530 893-1500
  address: 166 E 2nd St
  The title of best pizza joint in Chico is a contentious one and no one faults Woodstock's for throwing their hat into the ring. The variety of options and the tasty desserts are the perfect fuel for a night of studying or a night on the town.

• Joe's Bar

  phone: +1 530 894-3612
  address: 749 West 5th St
  Sawdust on the floor, music blaring, cheap drinks, a back patio, and a crowd that will be singing along after midnight.

• Madison Bear Garden

  phone: +1 530-891-1639
  address: 316 W 2nd St
  "The Bear" as it is locally known is a favorite of the students of CSU Chico. A variety of burger variations is enough to keep any student sated for years. For the particularly adventurous the Jiffy Burger (a hamburger with peanut butter!) is a must. At night the Bear transforms from a kitchy burger spot for locals to a late-night party with theme nights, contests, and music on the second floor into the wee hours of the morning.

• Sierra Nevada Brewery

  phone: +1 530 893-3520
  address: 1075 E 20th St
  Take a tour, try some of the best microbrew in the country. Privately owned, the brewery offers an alehouse with excellent food and good beer for around $2.50 a glass. Try the beer sampler.

• Butte Creek Brewing Co

  phone: +1 530 894-7906
  address: 945 W 2nd St
  The definition of a microbrewery this modest outfit, often outshadowed by its big brother, Sierra Nevada, they offer tastings and tours.

• Panama's Bar and Cafe

  phone: +1 530 895-8817
  address: 177 E 2nd St
  A favorite of students this cafe-cum-bar is an energetic and vibrant club known almost as much for its dance floor as it is for its Long Island Iced Teas. The fun tropical theme and fun atmosphere makes a fun alternative to some of the larger bars in Chico. While not a gay bar, necessarily, it does have a gay-friendly atmosphere.

Budget

• Motel 6

  phone: +1 530 345-5500
  address: 665 Manzanita Ct

Mid-range

• Best Western Heritage Inn

  phone: +1 530 894-8600
  address: 25 Heritage Ln

• Courtyard Chico

  phone: +1 530 894-6699
  address: 2481 Carmichael Drive

• Oxford Suites Chico

  phone: +1 530-899-9090
  address: 2035 Business Ln
  A good choice for business travelers. Reasonably priced with plenty of business centers and Wi-Fi throughout the facility, and a free breakfast buffet.

• Ramada Plaza Chico

  phone: +1 530 345-2491
  address: 685 Manzanita Ct

• Residence Inn Chico

  phone: +1 530 894-5500
  address: 2485 Carmichael Dr

• University Inn

  phone: +1 530 895-1323
  address: 630 Main St
  Offers free continental breakfast.

Splurge

• Hotel Diamond

  phone: +1 530 893-3100
  address: 220 West 4th St
  The original Diamond Hotel opened for business in 1904 as the "only strictly first-class house in Chico, and the superior of any North of Sacramento." A major fire in 1916 closed the doors. From the 1920s to the 1990s, the building was occupied by Chico State University students as dormitory or a low-cost hotel and eventually abandoned empty. The new Hotel Diamond opened its door in May 2005.

• Gold Country - Where the formation of California really took place.
• Mount Lassen - Excellent outdoor hiking and breathtaking scenery in the volcanic park about an hour and a half from Chico.
• Oroville - Twenty minutes east of Chico is this town that has more history as a Gold Rush-era boom town.
• Sacramento - About 1 hour and 45 minutes south of Chico and the capital of California.