This place is so amazing! I wish we still lived in Chico so we could take our son here all the…read moretime. Best children's museum we have been to yet!

They need to update maps with there availability. Went on a Tuesday and they weren't openread more

Such a beautiful and historical place to visit. I came here with my wife who insisted on visiting…read morethis place and I was reluctant, but I'm glad she suggested it. The tour was very informative. Pro tip: if you want to impress the crowd, they allow you to play the piano. So if you sharpen your skills before you visit you will have an opportunity to impress the group. When we went we were able to see all levels of the mansion. Super cool tour. Definitely worth checking out.

Sadly, this historical home was destroyed by an arsonist December 2024 while it was undergoing a…read morerenovation. The mansion and welcome center are currently closed and it is unknown if or when it will reopen.

This is a very cute museum that concentrates on this history of Chico. We started with a tribute to…read morethe Chinese history in Chico. They had a temple in the first room. The other room featured educational history, medical history, fire and police history along with appropriate displays for each era. The neatest part was a video that showed historic landmarks and how the city has grown over the years. Photos are allowed but no flash, and it is FREE admission with donations accepted. You will not need and entire day but it is worth a visit and you will walk out more educated about the City of Chico.

Local horticultural history of Butte Countyread more

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.

Great place! the volunteers work very hard to make it a special place. Met and spoke with Chris and…read morehe was extremely knowledgeable about the planes, models and history. Def a place worth visiting!

It's a small science museum. We drove 2 hours to visit the museum…read more Kids did scavenger hunt and they loved it. Weekends they had free parking.

This is a relatively new museum. It's right across the parking lot from the Bidwell Mansion…read more Parking wasn't an issue for us since we got there early on the weekend. But I can imagine it can be a hassle when the college is in session on a weekday or when a school field trip is on site. There are two exhibit rooms, a hands-on science room, the display hall and a small gift shop. The exhibit rooms change every few months. My school age daughter really liked the hands-on room. Wish that room was a little bigger. There weren't many of us there - maybe 3 or 4 families, but it was crowded. Overall its a nice family museum for Chico and the price is decent ($13 for a family of 3).

Great exhibit, friendly docent and beautiful building my only regret was I wanted to buy something…read moreat the gift store but nothing tempted me.

Fantastic exhibits. Do not miss their Avian Art Exhibit that starts in late January. A great…read moreinhouse collection of art and shows that encompass artist from all of the North State. A great library of books to study also.

This is a lovely, well-preserved Italianate Victorian home in downtown Chico which was donated to…read morebe preserved as a museum. Chico is lucky to have such a place as this, in addition to the very historic (and much larger) Bidwell Mansion. Unlike Bidwell, this is not a particularly important historic place in of itself, but simply a very nice, sizeable house of a local physician. There are many such houses in many towns and cities throughout California, but this is unusual because it has been preserved in basically original condition with only some small alterations which the family made made over the years, and because it is no longer a private home but open to the public. It was built by a physician and his wife who were not especially wealthy, but who were prominent locals at the time and who had inherited some money which they used to build a very nice house. One gets to see how they lived, and both how they were able to build a very nice house with modern amenities for the time, as well as how they were able to cut costs while still making the house look lavish. It includes the original stove, plus a newer stove added much later, the original wallpaper, furniture, lovely home-made blanket, and more. They also found pieces of some of the old wallpaper from the building which were left over and still in original condition, showing how the paper on the walls has changed colour over time due to fading and smoke. The house even includes a book with information on the items in the house which Mrs. Stansbury kept. It is a wonderful opportunity for people to see how people lived in such houses in the past, has many original items, furniture, and other family belongings. It includes Dr. Stansbury's medical office and medical equipment, also interesting. One can visit it on the weekends with a guided tour. The docent we had showed us every part of the house and we were the only ones there at the time. She provided a lot of information about the house and the history of the family. We spent about an hour there. It is definitely a local treasure and well worth a look.

This Italianate Victorian home has many original pieces to tell the story of Dr. Oscar and Libbie…read moreStansbury and their daughter Angeline. Located on the corner of Fifth and Salem in Chico, CA is listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. What is most priceless is the docent named John ,who used to live there. He was such a great fact checker and story teller that he brought it all alive . Worth my time! RESOURCE:http://www.stansburyhome.org/history-of-the-stansbury-home.html

We have only come here for the toddler time but we had a great time. It is a mellow little circle…read moretime with a story, a visit from a nature center friend, a game, then you move over to the art room for a craft and then take a walk outside. It's truly a perfect little morning activity for small children who like to be busy and outside. Grateful to be able to take my kids!!

Had our son's 4th birthday here. Kurt was very helpful in accommodating us for an animal…read morepresentation with all his class mates. Amazing price, only payed for the presentation and the picnic area was open for the party. $3 per child is such a great price compared to places like rare air and the new rock climbing place. Also they are local and I'm sure need the resources to provide shelter for the animals. Great alternative to renting out a party place that way overcharges and kiddos are out in nature

Beautiful, small art shop located in the corner…read more My friend took me here because he loves the artist who puts famous buildings and photoshops it in the middle of no where - really great concept! The employee that approached that was very friendly. She explained to us about the artist and how he was able to do it. After looking at that artwork, we looked around the store and found some really interesting place. I found this shop more interesting than most museums, to be honest.

I picked up some great photographs by a local artist here over the weekend. The items I selected…read morewere on consignment and were surprisingly inexpensive, though I felt like the prices on the other items in the gallery were marked up a bit high, but that seems to be part of a larger trend evident at galleries all over the place, so I can't really fault them for that. They seemed to have a large selection of work by local artists which I think is fantastic. The glass art that was on display was gorgeous, even if they did have quite a few glass pumpkins mixed in there. I'll be the first to admit, I do not get the whole glass pumpkin thing, they are everywhere! Do that many people really like pumpkins? Or are there just that many women running around with Cinderella complexes? Anyway, they had several (non-squash) pieces that I would've loved to have come home with. Maybe next time. The staff at the gallery was friendly and helpful without being overbearing. I would definitely check them out again.

We had no idea this place even existed! We happened upon it on our road trip by making a wrong turn…read moreand seeing a sign. The building is absolutely gorgeous. Built in 1863 and restored in 1949, they offer tours and I was absolutely gutted to find that we came on a day when the temple wasn't open. We did take a look at the exterior though as well as the grounds and the setting is so peaceful and Zen. There is interesting architecture and beautiful flowers as well as some sign and monuments to see. Now that we know it's here, we will definitely make a special trip in the future to see the inside as well.

Visited October 18th..see receipt…read more I love history and visited today with a guide. I made sure I visited on the weekend to ensure there was a guide available ( always check their hours). Beautiful artwork and a ton of history! I think my favorite was the costumes! Each room has its own purpose with so much information to absorb! The koi pond was a pleasant and relaxing surprise! Nice shaded courtyard as well. It's really cheap to visit and it's a great historical place in Oroville! Definitely must see!