Self Guided Discovery Trip & Activity Resources

Educational trips and activities are a fun part of home schooling. As a home study focused charter school CORE is proud that our families have the amazing opportunity of integrating exploratory trips throughout our community into their daily lesson plans.

The ideas below were compiled by experienced teachers and parents and are aimed to help families use local resources to enrich their student's education, especially in the arts, sciences, and social studies. This list is far from a complete reference of the possibilities available. It is meant to inspire thought, creativity, and exploration.

Nature Ideas

Flowers

Self-guided tours or DFG organized group tours. Directions:From Oroville on Hwy 70, take exit 48 (Grand Ave.). Follow Grand Ave. east for 1.0 miles to Table Mountain Blvd. Turn left for 0.2 miles, then right on Cherokee Rd. Drive 6.3 miles on Cherokee Rd. to the unmarked parking area on the left (at a green cattle gate).

Mountain and Lake

Annually in January: Workshops offer something for everyone. You can learn nature photography, sketching in nature, bird carving, how to record nature sounds, designing a garden for wildlife, and much more. Free nature activities are offered for children, as well as armchair adventures for the less hardy.

Park

Bidwell Park is 3,670 acres (nearly 11 miles in length), making it one of the largest municipal parks in the United States.

Nature Center

It is the philosophy of the Chico Creek Nature Center that through increased knowledge and understanding, individuals will learn to protect and preserve our natural resources and, especially, Bidwell Park.

River Nature Center

The Feather River Nature Center and Native Plant Park also provide benches, trails, and lies above the breathtaking backdrop of the Feather River.

Squirrel

Near the City of Oroville this lake offers a wide variety of outdoor activities including camping, picnicking, horseback riding, hiking, sail and power boating, water-skiing, fishing, swimming, boat-in camping, floating campsites and horse camping. Lake Oroville Visitor Center has a museum, exhibits, videos and a store. The area includes the Feather River Fish Hatchery, built by the Department of Water Resources to replace lost spawning areas for salmon and steelhead. Displays on the State Water Project and the area's natural and cultural history are featured at the Visitor's Center.

Fish Hatchery

Visitation hours are from 8:00 a.m. to sunset: School classes and the public can visit the hatchery year round, but the artificial spawning operation occurs only on specified weekdays during September through mid-November

 Gateway Science Museum

he mission of the Gateway Science Museum is to inspire the exploration of science and natural history in our region and beyond.

 Turtle Bay Exploration Park

Turtle Bay Exploration Park is a fun, non-profit 300-acre gathering place featuring the Sundial Bridge, a museum, forestry & wildlife center, arboretum and botanical gardens. At the gateway to the Sacramento River Trails, Turtle Bay celebrates far Northern California as part of the world we share.

 Feather Falls - Plumas National Forest

Feather Falls National Scenic Trail offers you an incredible view of Bald Rock Dome, Bald Rock Canyon, and the 640-foot waterfall, Feather Falls.

This is a "city park" but has a nature trail that leads out to a "look-out point" where you will see beautiful views of Butte Creek Canyon aka The Little Grand Canyon. It is a "short" hike but the views are fantastic.

Paradise Aquatic Park

Paradise Recreation & Park Dept.
5600 Recreation Drive
Paradise, CA 95969
Phone: 530-872-6393

 Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Volcanic National Park is home to smoking fumaroles, meadows freckled with wildflowers, clear mountain lakes, and numerous volcanoes. Jagged peaks tell the story of its eruptive past while hot water continues to mold the land. Lassen Volcanic offers opportunities to discover the wonder and mysteries of volcanoes and hot water for visitors willing to explore the undiscovered.

 Ishi Wilderness, Red Bluff

One of the lowest elevation Forest Service Wilderness Areas in the continental United States, the rugged topography of the Ishi Wilderness Area offers solitude, unique scenery and strenuous hiking. Steep canyons carved by mountain creeks rushing over ancient volcanic rocks dominate the landscape and are home to a great diversity and abundance of wildlife.

 The Gridley Historical and Wildlife Museum

The Gridley Museum houses many wonderful artifacts depicting old time Gridley. Among the hundreds of photographs, many different facets of history are represented, from military uniforms worn by local war veterans to old school desks. The school desks are located in the old fashioned schoolroom, which features the old time bell which was located at Wilson School. The museum is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to 2 pm and the second and fourth Saturdays from noon to 3 pm.

 Sutter Buttes

The Middle Mountain Interpretive Program hikes and events provide access to the privately-owned Sutter Buttes valleys, hillsides, and peaks. Guides share its unique origin and history and examine with you a natural ecology that has become increasingly rare in our time. The different hikes and diverse guides each offer a singular experience in the Buttes. The hikes are offered most weekends from late October through mid-May, in two seasons and require pre-registration. The Middle Mountain Education Program has developed curriculum standards-based hikes to enhance classroom lessons in geology, ecology, and biology, as well as local history.

 Gray Lodge Wildlife Area

People of all ages enjoy visiting the wetlands. Gray Lodge's diversity and location along the Pacific Flyway make it a heaven for wildlife. Surrounded by miles of rich agricultural lands, this 9,200-acre area is managed for the wildlife that call Gray Lodge home for all or part of the year.

Consolidated list of attractions and events throughout Butte County

101thingstodo.net
101 Things to do in the Butte County Area

Experience Butte County
Historical, cultural and outdoors activities abound in our county

Chico Area
Chico Chamber of Commerce ideas

Oroville Area
City of Oroville ideas

Red Bluff Area
Red Bluff Chamber of Commerce ideas

Gridley Area
Gridley Chamber of Commerce ideas

History Ideas:

Honey Run Covered Bridge
1670 Honey Run Rd
Chico, CA 95928
(530) 895-1243
Park Hours: 9AM - 7PM

Clotilde Merlo Park
22 Retson Road
Stirling City, CA 95978
(530) 873-1658

National YoYo Museum
Bird in Hand
320 Broadway
Chico, CA 95928
(530) 893-0545

Bidwell Mansion
Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park is a beautiful, three-story, 26 room Victorian House Museum that stands as a memorial to John and Annie Bidwell.

C. F. Lott Home in Sank Park
1067 Montgomery St
Oroville, CA 95965
Phone:(530) 538-2497

Chico Air Museum

170 Convair Ave
Chico,CA 95973
(530)345-6468

Chinese Temple & Museum
1500 Broderick St
Oroville, CA 95965
Phone:(530) 538-2496

Butte County Pioneer Memorial Museum
2332 Montgomery St
Oroville, CA
Phone: (530) 538-2497

Gold Nugget Museum
502 Pearson Road
Paradise, CA 95967
(530) 872-8722

William B Ide Adobe State Historic Park
21659 Adobe Rd
Red Bluff, CA 96080
phone: (530) 529-8599

Butte County Historical Society
The Butte County Historical Society Museum tells the stories of the lives of people in Butte County from the early mining days to the present time.

CSU Chico Anthropology Museum
The museum is located on the CSUC campus in the Meriam Library complex, next to the Janet Turner Museum

Art Ideas:

Performing Arts Center, Red Bluff
Red Bluff Performing Arts Centre (PAC) is a place where dreams are created and achieved, by valuing hard work, dedication, community, and creativity. We offer a wide variety of classes throughout the year, along with some seasonal options.

Paradise Performing Arts Center
The mission of the Paradise Performing Arts Center is to provide the community with a state-of-the-art facility for the staging of a variety of cultural and public events.

Laxson Auditorium
All Field Trip seats are $5/seat
By Phone: (530) 898-6333
Mail, or Walk Up:
University Box Office
Corner of 3rd & Chestnut Streets in Chico

City of Chico Art in Public Places Portfolio
The purpose of the City of Chico Art in Public Places Program is to expand the public experience with the visual arts, to promote the artistic and cultural development of the community, and to encourage the active participation of all citizens in making art a valuable aspect of their daily lives.

State Theater
1489 Myers Street
Oroville, CA
BOX OFFICE
(530) 538.2470

Orient and Flume Art Glass
Orient & Flume produces fine art glass for the collector. These signed pieces capture nature's inspiration in both iridescent and crystal clear glass.

The Janet Turner Print Museum at CSU Chico
400 West 1st Street
Chico, CA 95929-0820
(530) 898-4476