The best arts & culture spots in Butte County

Chico Air Museum is your neighborhood time machine, with aircraft spanning nearly 100 years from a WWI SPAD XIII to an F-15C Eagle and MiG-15, plus NASA artifacts and flight logs. Swing by this week to get up close indoors and out, and spot the BT-13 Valiant from the Chico Army Airfield.

From the Chico newsletter, October 19, 2026

Chico Children's Museum leans into inclusive, hands-on experiences that spark curiosity and connect families, with exhibits built for exploration plus memberships, gift cards, field trips, birthday parties, and the option to book a private after-hours event. A reliable local reset when energy runs high.

From the Chico newsletter, October 3, 2026

Chico Theater Company keeps it wonderfully local, with shows built by directors, actors, musicians, and volunteers you probably run into at Safeway. This week, catch witty musicals like Monty Python's Spamalot, feel that hometown buzz, and remember why live theater hits different in Chico.

From the Chico newsletter, October 17, 2026

Chico History Museum is lining up a fall lecture series that hits hometown nerdy sweet spots, from Bidwell Park lore and California Park history to haunted buildings, salmon runs, and Maidu archaeology. Swing by this week to get your local-history fix and peek at the exhibits before the talks kick off.

From the Chico newsletter, September 26, 2026

Blue Room Theatre keeps Chico creative with cult-classic stage adaptations like The Twilight Zone, locally made plays, and The Nerve Comedy's improv and storytelling nights. Want in on the fun? You can audition, write, or help run lights and sound, then bask in that hometown stage magic.

From the Chico newsletter, October 24, 2026

Action Music Lessons helps Chico musicians go from humming in the kitchen to gig-ready, starting this week, with in-person or online lessons for everything from guitar, piano, and drums to DJ and music production.

From the Chico newsletter, October 22, 2026

National Yo-Yo Museum packs the world’s largest public display of yo-yos, memorabilia, and contest awards, plus a self-guided tour that’s oddly satisfying. Pop in this week to marvel at Big-Yo, the 256-pound working wooden legend, then hang for the Chico Yo-Yo Club meetups if you’re itching to learn a new trick.

From the Chico newsletter, October 26, 2026

University museum exhibiting a former professor's collection of prints by renowned global artists.

Tucked inside Chico State, Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology serves up rotating exhibits and events that explore human diversity, art, and everyday life from around the world.

From the Chico newsletter, October 5, 2026

This week, Gateway Science Museum brings kid-friendly Saturday Activities like colorful chemistry, plus the Gateway Gardens where native and edible plants turn a stroll into a mini field trip. Quick, low-stress science time that makes brains light up and Chico feel even more curious.

From the Chico newsletter, October 18, 2026

Local museum with gold rush artifacts & other objects illustrating daily 19th-century life.

The Museum of Northern California Art is serving up fresh exhibitions right now, from Through Another Lens to Inner Worlds: Shadows, Borderlands and Untold Stories by Daniel Penner Cline. Pop in for a low-key creative reset, plus concerts, classes, and community vibes that feel very Chico.

From the Chico newsletter, October 29, 2026

If you’ve lived in Chico forever and somehow never toured Stansbury Home, consider this your friendly nudge. This beautifully preserved Victorian built by Dr.

From the Chico newsletter, September 29, 2026