Would you like to renew your faith in humanity? Enjoy the site of happy, healthy animals living in…read morethe wild as they should be? Meet kind, generous and wonderful people who are doing exactly what they want in life? Rather than watch TV (again!) this weekend... Visit the Wild Horse Sanctuary! It's a short drive from Redding, Red Bluff, even Chico. There's a comfortable visitors' center, interesting guided tours, and of course, 5000 acres of wildland where contented horses, burros and donkeys live. These are rescue animals which would have been killed because they were no longer wanted. This is an environmentally sound, ethical non-profit organization that is good for horses, good for the planet, and good for visitors. You might even see a cute baby horse or two! Call ahead due to covid, etc.

Unfortunately California is way too crowded to let wild horses roam free and if they were on public…read morelands they would be killed. Luckily for the horses there was Dianne Nelson who stepped in to help and make this 5,000 acres sanctuary on the west side of the sierra mountains. We were so fortunate to have a chance to get to know these wild majestic creatures a little better. This Sanctuary made me think of the movie Spirit. Our daughter Esther has been fascinated with horses for some time now and we wanted her 13th birthday to be a memorable experience and it sure was. She will never forget her 13th birthday. She started at 7am. Esther learned how to catch a horse named Cloud, learned how to tie the horse to the pole, cleaned  the horses hooves, saddled him up, put repellent on him, walked him to the arena, learned how to command and ride a horse. After all of this she took the saddle off and bathed him. Once she was comfortable with being around horses we got to go out into the pastures and feed the wild mustangs. These horses have never been saddled, rode on, and they have no horse shoes. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Here you can adopt a horse, sponsor a horse if you have no room to keep one of your own, live and work at the ranch as part of your internship, and experience a two or three day trail ride experience.

Definitely worth the stop! Lots to see and appreciate. Great stop for families, as there are…read moreoutbuildings to explore. Highly recommended stopping and supporting this historical gem.

The best small town museum I've ever seen! It's more like a campus. The round barn is beautiful…read moreand has really cool history. The kids really enjoyed it, and after 2 hours didn't see it all!

*Epic* small-town museum focused on the lumber industry, a key regional economic driver. Not to be…read moremissed in Chester. The architecture alone is worth the trip. You will learn more about pine than you ever thought possible.

Worth a stop!!!!…read more Good history. Picnic there. Nice Machines.... be blessed, brian Jesus loves YOU

A wonderful local museum with vintage (antique?) items on display. The staff was absolutely…read morewonderful! For those in the area, I certainly recommend visiting the museum!

We loved this little museum. It really came to life because of the 3 ladies we met that talked…read moreenthusiastically about their town. What an amazing history! Please leave them a donation. The donation box is on the counter with streamers hanging from the ceiling. And we still didn't notice it without asking if they had one ! I recorded one of the ladies playing a ROLMONICA, harmonica that had music on rolls. Like a player piano. Delightful!

Dog-Friendly Adventure!…read more Lake Shasta Caverns was the perfect stop on our road trip from Portland to San Francisco! We were thrilled to discover it's dog-friendly and our pup loved every minute of it. The location is ideal for a midway break, and late May weather was absolutely beautiful. We arrived 30 minutes early and found parking easily. The gift shop kept us entertained while we waited, and the boat ride across the lake set the perfect tone for what was to come. But the real star? The caverns themselves. The natural beauty and the opportunity to explore with my dog made this feel truly special. Fair WARNING: you will get your steps in! The climb to the cathedral room is steep, and my partner and I, who are gym-goers with an active dog, definitely felt it. That said, the views (and the bats!) absolutely make it worth it. I noticed some older visitors and those recovering from knee surgery opted out, and a few families with small children were cautious on the descent, so know what you're signing up for. The walk back down requires careful footing so please take your time and watch your step. The tour guide wasn't as polished as I'd hoped and leaned a bit too playful for our taste, but honestly? You're paying for the scenery, not the commentary. And yes, it's pricey, but it genuinely feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Overall, worth every penny and every step. Highly recommend!

A guided tour of Lake Shasta Cavern. You can get tickets online or in person inside their gift…read moreshop. Tour included boat ride to the bus, bus ride to the cavern. Inside the cave, there are so many different rock formations. Each section, our tour guide gave many interesting facts and information. Be prepared to walked through hundreds and hundreds of stairs. Up and down. Some can be pretty steep and slippery. The ground inside were mostly wet and muddy. I will recommend wearing comfy shoes, hiking shoes, closed toes shoes or any shoes you don't mind getting tons of muds on it. It can get chilly inside the cave, so bring a jacket just in case. At the end of the tour, you get a chance to take pictures with the beautiful colorful formations. Once the tour is done, you will walk back to the bus stop to get a ride back to the boat. The boat will then take you back to the starting point. Plenty of parking. There are restrooms to use.

Enjoy a relaxing exceptional cuisine on patio at DeVine Restaurant overlooking Sacramento River…read more After a tiramisu dessert & coffee take an evening stroll just in time to catch the sunset. A perfect day with loved ones.

A nice stroll around the park after checking out the Sundial Bridge. During our visit, they had a…read moreGlowing Wild lights event. Not a free admission to the event. Plenty of things to do and see for both adults and kids. Walking around the park was fun and refreshing. Some trails did not have much shades so it got really hot. Free parking, Plenty of spaces.

This is a really cool museum on the grounds of a former Army Air base. They pay tribute to Chico…read moreair history, war history and the space age. Their displays were full and covered 4-5 rooms. They have several jets on display and you can get into a couple of the jets to make you feel like the pilot. The staff is super friendly and love to talk about air history. The day we were there they were only open to the public a short time as they had a special private event planned. This museum is FREE but they take donations. You must go and check this museum out. You won't need an entire day but your visit will be worth it.

We took about 9 autistic kids ages 7-12 for a summer social program and the staff was incredibly…read moreinhospitable. First -for checking in the lady was upset that we showed up despite someone calling and letting them know ahead of time. The staff kept yelling at the children to stop running when they in fact weren't. One of the kids was stimming out of excitement and one of the ladies scolded her to stop. One of our boys was called a girl (be assured he cannot easily be confused for a girl). When one of ladies learned we were going to chapman town splash pad her response was, "you better watch your a**es out there" In front of the children which was absolutely inappropriate. The staff was ableist, made racist comments and overall made our entire group feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. Do not recommend this place for people with autism, neurodivergent groups nor kids.

If your visiting the must see Sundial bridge you might as well take a few more steps to come here…read more This garden is literally in the shadows of the Sundial bridge. Its fun to see all the plants and then have a peek a boo view of the bridge in the distance. It is very well maintained and thought out space. The day I visited it was very hot but there is a water fountain and a little shady spot right at the entrance. I met some friendly people there - one a traveler by train eager to see all the national parks. Walking in the heat - it must have been near 95 - you've got to be in good shape. There are large main trails and then smaller ones. I saw what I could with my time constraints and was happy to jump back in my car with a/c. Felt almost like a spa experience. There is so much to see in Turtle Bay I think you might want to set aside a few hours to see it all.

We enjoyed visiting the Arboretum. Very nice walk through the gardens. I liked reading the displays…read morethat talked about the various plants in the garden. A great place to visit.

Visited Alturas in June with my friends and read about the museum and historical society online…read more We got there an hour before closing and were warmly greeted by the staff up front. The museum has a huge collection of antique firearms from all over the world, local articles (including two towns on the Oregon/California border called New Pine Creek), a large display about the Taishanese and Cantonese workers from the Transcontinental Railroad who eventually settled in Alturas and established businesses along with many other items. They have local brochures, postcards and guidebooks as well. I had a very good conversation with a staff member who used to live in the same county that I did in SoCal too. This is a must see if you are a history buff or just interested in Modoc County in general and its past and present.

Don't drive by Modoc County Historical Society Museum! It's not much from the outside with a huge…read moreBlack Train Engine out front, but inside the exhibits will create all sorts of emotions. This museum exhibits history of the nation Indian tribes, the pioneers and the cavalry. It's truly a well rounded display and look at the history of this area. The docents were helpful with answers to our inquiries, but mostly stayed out of the way to allow us to fully grasp the history displayed. We were traveling from Grants Pass, OR to Reno, NV. We almost drove right by. So happy we stopped in.