What to See in Chico - Top Sights and Attractions

Museum in Chico, California. Bidwell Mansion, located at 525 Esplanade in Chico, California, was the home of General John Bidwell and Annie Bidwell from late 1868 until 1900, when Gen. Bidwell died. Annie continued to live there until her death in 1918. John Bidwell began construction of the mansion on his 26,000 acres Rancho del Arroyo Chico in 1865, during his courtship of Annie Ellicott Kennedy. After their marriage in 1868, the three-story, 26-room Victorian house became the social and cultural center of the upper Sacramento Valley. 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.

When constructed, Bidwell Mansion featured modern plumbing, gas lighting and water systems. The three-story brick structure is built in an informally romantic version of the Italianate style. It also has aspects of the Italian Villa and Octagon house types present. The building's exterior is finished with a pink tinted plaster.

The first floor of the Bidwell Mansion is accessible via a ramp from the exterior of the Mansion. The interior of the entire mansion can be seen during an hour-long tour that starts on the hour most days of the week. A video is available in the visitor center for those who can not climb the 50 stairs to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the mansion.

The Bidwell Mansion Visitor Center is completely accessible. There is a gift shop, museum, theater, and comfortable lobby. There are also restrooms and water.^[2]

Bidwell Park is a municipal park located in Chico, California. The park was established July 10, 1905, through the donation by Annie Bidwell, widow of Chico's founder, John Bidwell, of approximately 2,500 acres of land to the City of Chico. Since that time, the city has purchased additional land, such as Cedar Grove in 1922, and 1,200 acres of land south of Big Chico Creek in upper Bidwell Park in 1995. As of 2009, the total park size is 3,670 acres, nearly 11 miles in length, making it the third largest municipal park in California and is one of the largest city parks in the United States.

Bidwell Park is divided by Manzanita Avenue. The area west of Manzanita Avenue is referred to as Lower Park and the area to the east is referred to as Middle and Upper Park. Middle Park extends from Manzanita to a point roughly equal to the upstream edge of the Chico Municipal Golf Course. The Upper/Middle and Lower Parks have differing terrain. Upper Park is located in the foothills of the southernmost Cascades. It has steep terrain and shallow soils, and contains many rock formations, including the unique Chico Formation sandstone, Lovejoy Basalt, and Tuscan Formation rocks. Lower Park is flat and level with a deep soil structure supporting a thick canopy of trees which provide ample shade for visitors. Special rules apply in the Upper Park and the road is unpaved for much of its length.^[6]

Church in Chico, California. St. Augustine of Canterbury Anglican Church is a historic church at 230 Salem Street in the South Campus Neighborhood of Chico, California, United States. It was built in 1905 at the southeast corner of West Fifth and Broadway Streets in Downtown Chico. The building was moved about three blocks, in 1912, to the northwest corner of West Second and Salem Streets.

It added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was deemed significant as a work of a master architect, Arthur Benton. Its National Register nomination asserted it "is a sophisticated design statement which demonstrates the architect's skillful integration of Gothic Revival and Shingle Style elements; the high quality of its design and workmanship set it apart as an outstanding example of ecclesiastical architecture of the period.

In 1982, the building was sold to Bill and Amy Pang who converted it into a Chinese restaurant and dance club. It was purchased and reconsecrated by St. Augustine of Canterbury Anglican Church in 1994.^[7]