Such a beautiful and historical place to visit. I came here with my wife who insisted on visiting this 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. read more

Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park - Museums Near Me - Chico, California

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Closed for construction, but has information plaques outside and tons of parking, lots of shade and trees to just enjoy the area. Wouldn't mind going back to see the inside. read more

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The building was in real poor shape. Like it was engulfed in a fire. Stuff was falling from the ceiling and I was worried for my parties safety. Hard to breath with all the smokey chemical smells. Wouldn't recommend read more

This is a beautiful historic mansion. There is a lot of history of California before it was even a state.discussed on the tour. The walls are very thick so the temperature is nice inside while it's hot in Chico during the summer. I would highly recommend it while visiting. read more

Take the tour! Our guide, Murphy, has a vast knowledge of John Bidwell and the mansion's history. She gave an informative and personable tour answering all of the questions thoroughly and clearly. It's a fun & interesting tour. read more

A fun and informative tour. Our docent, Murphy, was knowledgeable and able to answer all of the questions asked. The tour was perfectly paced. The library was my favorite room and contains a set of The History of Women's Suffrage, which was gifted to Annie Bidwell by Susan B Anthony. You cannot touch or open the books in the library, but can see them on the Facebook page. We highly recommend the tour. If you're lucky you may get Murphy as your guide. read more

Our tour was fantastic! Highly recommend. Honestly, this is just about the best tour of an historical building I've ever been on -- so good I went back and was even more impressed. I loved that Murphy personalizes the experience for each group, responding to the interests and questions of tour attendees with attention, deep local and historical knowledge, and sincere enthusiasm. It's contagious. I want to learn more! I love that the state parks put up signs on Highway 99 directing people to Bidwell Mansion State Park. It would be even better if there were more signs leading from the 1st Street exit to the mansion. This is such a gem, I hope everyone around gets a chance to see it! read more

Great walk with kids. Loved the mansion! We weren't able to go in but we will be back!

I am always happy to take Chico guests to the Mansion. I have never had a bad tour and I learn something new every time.

I was very impressed with this 12,000 square-foot home. We saw a 25 minute movie about the Bidwell's and then went through a small museum. Our tour. Guide was for the 4 o'clock tour and this was on Saturday the 17th she was very informative and funny but I do not know her name. She explained about the furnishings and the Bidwell's and took us on a nice tour of the home. read more

My wife is a retired Social Studies teacher. I'm a retired science guy. She loves this kind of stuff. I barely tolerate it. John, our guide, on a cold, rainy Saturday, made the experience one even I could enjoy. A large percentage of the group were kids ranging from about 3 to mid-teens. They were well behaved. This isn't a place where, ". . . kids can be a kid." Even the teens were getting antsy in spite of our excellent guide. Lesson to be learned, you gotta be a little older to enjoy old stuff! read more

If you love history and mansions then this is the place for you. It's such a beautiful home. We enjoyed learning about the huge role John Bidwell played in California's history. The guides are very informative and friendly. read more

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Bidwell Mansion is a historic home and a museum, furnished with many of the original pieces from the home. There is also a rose garden and a lawn, where you can hold weddings. It is a unique piece of Italianate Victorian architecture. And yes, this is the place that all chico school children visit at least three times over the years. The home includes a parlor, kitchen, entry hall, grand staircase with famous full-length portrait of John Bidwell, that yes, the tourguides suggest follows you with its eyes up the stairs. As an art historian, I can promise you that its a matter of perspective, not the supernatural. John Bidwell was a miner at Sutter's Fort. He became a politician, his gold-mining wealth translated into land grants, including Del Arroyo Rancho Chico, which included present-day Chico and surrounding areas. He built the mansion and sent for his bride-to-be from the east coast. Annie Bidwell was a fierce prohibitionist, and to this day you cannot drink alcohol in Bidwell Park (legally). John even ran for President on the prohibitionist ticket. The tour tells you all this and more...you can see what a corset did to a woman's internal organs, how hard it was to get dressed back then, etc. There are several other historic homes in Chico, including the Stansbury house, all located near downtown. read more

My 11 yr old is still sharing all she learned from the tour. Has been looking up more information on the Bidwell's and California history. read more

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A great place to start learning about Chico and early California history. There is a great video in the visitor center and the mansion tour, led by a very knowledgeable and helpful docent, was impressive. read more

There's not a lot to do in Chico but Bidwell Park and the mansion offer a few hours of interest. The mansion is noteworthy as it was one of the few Victorian era homes with indoor plumbing and gas lighting. It was also designed with a pass though closet to the nursery so women with young children could tend to them without having to get formally dressed. (Imagine struggling into a corset for a 3 AM feeding and you'll see the wisdom in that.) The tour is good, because the house is presented more or less as it might have been while the owners were still living. There's no velvet ropes here and you can move about freely but under the view of the park rangers who lead the tour. Make sure you take some time to walk thru Bidwell Park also. We saw deer and there's a nice swimming hole built into the creek. read more

Long a staple in our visitor tours. You just cannot miss this priceless slice of Chico history. I have yet to find a docent who is not fun and knowledgeable. Take some time out of your busy visit to take in some flavor and get a feel for our roots. read more

Cool place, and friendly staff. The gift shop is fun and educational. I really don't like the color of the mansion though. Not sure which of the Bidwell's that was (looking at you, Annie...) read more

After calling and relaying that we were running slightly behind (only a couple of minutes mind you) the 4PM tour guide, Anna did not let us into the mansion and rudely did not acknowledge us when we were at the door. Furthermore, her supervisor Noel did nothing to remedy the situation. It is very disappointing in this day and age when someone takes an interest in local history they are turned away for simply being a few moments late. One thing I will note, the ladies in the visitors center were very nice. read more

Home of the Original Chicoan, a creepy picture that watches you as you walk across the hall, and an assortment of local chico historical items. Go there at least once to learn about the start of Chico. read more

The tour is one of the best I have been on- about 1 hour long with a ton of great info on the Bidwells and about life back in the 1800's and 1900's. I would highly recommend you visit next time you find yourself in Chico. read more

We took our 8 year old to the science museum next door, and wandered over to the Bidwell mansion out of curiosity, not really knowing what it was about. We're glad we did! Tours are offered every hour for $6 adults and $3 for kids, and last one hour. The tour guide was very friendly, entertaining, and knowledgeable. The mansion and history of the couple was fascinating. Well worth the small tour cost. Pictures are allowed, but no flash. A must do when visiting Chico! read more

I love touring historic homes and this one didn't let us down. We got to enjoy the history of the Bidwell, a hugely influential family in the area. While the items that fill it aren't all original, they set the scene for the story. I recommend making reservations. They run limited tours and while they usually aren't busy, just one or two groups can overwhelm them. The grounds are popular for photos. We saw a big group arriving to do their photos as we were leaving. The house is right on the Esplanade. You can't miss it! read more

A visit to Chico should never be complete until you visit the Bidwell Mansion. This is a 26 room mansion completed in 1868 and features many surprisingly modern conveniences including running water, flush toilets, an acetylene gas lighting system, eight fireplaces, and wall-to-wall carpeting. The pink stucco mansion was designed by San Francisco based architect Henry Cleveland. The Bidwells basically founded the city of Chico and were friends of many famous people including presidents and others like Susan B Anthony and John Muir. Lovely piece of preserved history..don't miss it. Not open very often because of funding issues, so plan ahead. read more

Our car club took a trip down to Chico and we did the tour. It was pretty awesome, I love museums, parks, zoos and aquariums, so this activity was right up my ally! The mansion itself it beautiful, the history is amazing, and I have to say, learning about what they went through back in those oldin' days just to use the john was crazy! Yes the Bidwell's had plumbing and electricity which most didn't at that time, but geesh, people were so modest and concerned about using the restrooms, it's sort of a trip! :) Would recommend going on the tour and checking it all out! read more

I enjoyed the tour today. Sorry to hear the the park will close in May. 70 state parks closing next year! Nice save by Blair when someone on the tour wanted to set him up with her daughter. Nice acknowledgement of your girlfriend. Thanks for the history lesson and the General Sherman story about the house rules is a must hear story. read more

Great guided tour! Even teens enjoyed it. Worth the visit. Really appreciated fact that was guided - got a lot out of it. Day trip from Redding to Chico. Thank you Joel! read more

What an Awesome Tour! OMG! You really MUST go to see the wonderful Bidwell Mansion...the Tour Guide (please tell me his name, he works for Parks & Recreation and has thick brunette hair, around 5' 6" or so, and full of life...fun, & smart...what an Absolute Gem)! Anyway, he is simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and full of knowledge which he loves to share, and it is such a slice of history...like stepping back in time...so neat to see how things were while walking around the Mansion almost like you are there in your minds eye...the tour starts exactly on-time as it is a group tour, and they do take up to around 20-people at a time, so don't be late, as they can't wait! I recommend you get there early to look in the gift shop and at the displays set up before the tour...they charge $6 per person and the money goes into keeping things up...I can't believe the place used to be part of the dorms of ChicoState! Thank God they got it back & restored/repaired it, and now do tours so that ALL can enjoy! I went with my husband and his mom, and we had 17 people in our group, including many very, very nice tourists from China...everyone was excited to see the Mansion, and it was a Great Experience! Highest Recommendations! 5-Stars***** read more