Chico Air Museum - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Hooker Oak Park is one of Chico's oldest outdoor recreation facilities. Sharing it's boundary with the beautiful Big Chico Creek adjacent to Bidwell Park, this full service park offers an array of recreation and leisure activities. This much-loved park has both covered and uncovered picnic areas, barbecues, baseball fields, softball fields, basketball courts, two playgrounds, horseshoe pits, restrooms, and walking paths through the beautiful oak trees and next to Big Chico Creek.

Sycamore Pool is a beautiful outdoor swimming facility was built on Big Chico Creek at the One-Mile Recreation Area of Bidwell Park in Chico. The water comes from the mountains and at first it's cold, but once you relax it's comfortable. This body of water travels through the town out to the Sacramento River. There are tile depth markers every six feet or so along the pool’s edge. The lifeguard chairs look original, but that is uncertain. A bridge across the dam was built later.

This is a beautiful, three-story, 26 room Victorian House Museum that stands as a memorial to John and Annie Bidwell. John Bidwell was known throughout California and across the nation as an important pioneer, farmer, soldier, statesman, politician and philanthropist. Now a museum and State Historic Park, it is California Historical Landmark #329 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The mansion was a $60,000 project, and was finished in May 1868.

One Mile Recreation Area is located in Lower Bidwell Park. has a large pool, named the Sycamore Pool, with Big Chico Creek running through it. The area offers a large grassy area with many big shady trees, picnic tables, barbecues, drinking fountains, restrooms, walking trails, horseshoe pits, and the nearby sycamore field and Caper Acres Playground. This area is an excellent site for birthdays, family reunions, baby showers, social gatherings, and many other events.

The Janet Turner Print Museum at California State University, Chico advances the art of printmaking by making its international collection accessible to the people of Northern California and beyond. We engage a diverse public through stimulating exhibitions, programming, and study to inspire reflection, collaboration, and action.

The National Yo-Yo Museum features the worlds largest public display of yo-yo, yo-yo memorabilia, and contest awards. It's the home of BIG-YO, the World's Biggest Working Wooden Yo-Yo in the 1982 Guinness Book of World Records. It is located inside Bird in Hand and is open 7 days a week and is free to tour. Guided visits are available to groups by special arrangement.