The Chico Creek Nature Center, located on East 8th St. in the lower park, operates as the information and interpretive center for Bidwell Park and houses a non-releasable living animal museum. They are open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Phone 891-4671.

The Chico Community Observatory offers telescopes for public star gazing. Located near Horseshoe Lake, It is open Thursday through Sunday nights, weather permitting, and Sunday afternoons for observations of the sun
Just upstream from the Upper Park, the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve is run by the Bidwell Environmental Institute at California State University, Chico.

The Chico Area Recreation and Park District (CARD) provides recreational facilities for the greater Chico area. CARD facilities related to Bidwell Park include the Community Center at 545 Vallombrosa Ave., Sycamore Field at One Mile, and the Hooker Oak Recreation Area.

Shakespeare in the Park is presented in Cedar Grove.

The Chico Equestrian Association runs the arena off Wildwood Ave. near the entrance to Upper Park.
P.O. Box 4554, Chico, CA 95927, 342-1539

Bidwell Mansion State Historical Park is located on The Esplanade at the west end of Bidwell Park.

The Northern California Natural History Museum will open in 2008 next to Bidwell Mansion.

For a complete listing of operating facilities in the park and nearby, groups concerned with the park's environment and wildlife, and recreational groups that use the park visit www.friendsofbidwellpark.org