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Chico State Visitors’ Guide

Chico State has been in Chico since 1887 and enrolls around 15,000 students, the university says, on a 132-acre campus that is a designated arboretum, plus an 800-acre University Farm. Visitors can park in general (G) spaces for $1 an hour through the Passport app, book a campus tour online, and catch a show at Laxson or a Wildcats game.

Checked October 29, 2026

  • 1887founding year the university prints
  • ~15,000students, per csuchico.edu
  • $1/hrvisitor parking plus a 15-cent fee
  • NCAA D-IIWildcats, CCAA conference
Kendall Hall on the Chico State campus in spring
Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Parking and Getting Around

Many campus spaces are for permit holders only, but general (G) parking is open to any driver at any time. Pay by the hour through the Passport Parking website or app: $1 an hour plus a 15-cent fee. The campus map shows the lots. The Amtrak platform on Orange Street is a short walk from campus, the city says, and the B-Line transit center is at 2nd and Salem.

Tours

Campus and department tours are booked online from the Visit Chico State page.

Shows, Museum and Farm Store

Place Where Hours and prices as posted
Gateway Science Museum 625 Esplanade, near Bidwell Mansion Thursday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; adults $10, ages 3 to 17 $5, Museums for All $3; Chico State and Butte College students free. Closed November 26, 2026 and December 20, 2026 to January 1, 2027.
Chico Performances (Laxson Auditorium) University Box Office, West 3rd and Chestnut Streets Box office phone 530-898-6333; box office hours not published online
Jay Gilbert University Farm Store 311 Nicholas C. Schouten Lane (enter off Hegan Lane) Tuesday to Friday 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (store page); farm cheese, butter, student-processed meats, produce, plants
University Farm Meats Lab Same farm Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed holidays

Game Days

The Wildcats play in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division II. Home venues listed by the athletics site include Nettleton Stadium (baseball), Art Acker Gymnasium (basketball), University Soccer Stadium, University Stadium and Wildcat Softball Field; cross country runs at Hooker Oak in Bidwell Park. Schedules and tickets: chicowildcats.com.

The campus history and Bidwell Mansion next door are covered by our history section. Bidwell Park is practically next to campus.

Area guide: Chico.

Map of Chico State

6 places are pinned. Pins are approximate and are not verified entrances or parking areas. Tap a pin for directions. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Coming Up in Chico

October 2026

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

What We Could Not Verify

  • Chico Performances box office hours are not published online; the box office page we tried returned an error. Not confirmed
  • Two Chico State pages give different farm store hours (Tuesday to Friday 9 to 2:30 and Saturday 9 to 1, or Tuesday to Saturday 9 to 1). Call 530-898-4519 before you go. Not confirmed
  • Enrollment is printed as “around 15,000” with no term. Public farm tours are not listed on a page we could open. Not confirmed
  • Visitor parking pay-station locations are not listed on the visit page. Not confirmed

Questions People Ask

Where can visitors park at Chico State?

In general (G) spaces, open to any driver, paid by the hour through Passport Parking: $1 an hour plus a 15-cent fee.

How do I book a campus tour?

Online from the Visit Chico State page, which lists campus and department tours.

What division is Chico State?

NCAA Division II, in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

Place Pages for This Guide

More Guides

Sources

  1. Chico State, Visit: https://www.csuchico.edu/visit/index.shtml (checked October 29, 2026)
  2. Chico State, About: https://www.csuchico.edu/about/index.shtml (checked October 29, 2026)
  3. Chico State, Campus Map: https://www.csuchico.edu/maps/campus/ (checked October 29, 2026)
  4. Gateway Science Museum: https://www.csuchico.edu/gateway/ (checked October 29, 2026)
  5. Gateway Science Museum, Visit: https://www.csuchico.edu/gateway/visit/index.shtml (checked October 29, 2026)
  6. Chico State, University Farm Store: https://www.csuchico.edu/academics/college/agriculture/farm/store.shtml (checked October 29, 2026)
  7. Chico State, Farm Sales: https://www.csuchico.edu/academics/college/agriculture/farm/sales.shtml (checked October 29, 2026)
  8. Chico Performances: https://www.chicoperformances.com/ (checked October 29, 2026)
  9. Chico State Athletics, facilities: https://chicowildcats.com/facilities (checked October 29, 2026)
  10. City of Chico, Train Service: https://chicoca.gov/Our-Community/Travel-and-Tourism/Train-Service/index.html (checked October 29, 2026)

Cite this page: It's Chico, “Chico State Visitors’ Guide”, itschico.com/guides/chico-state-visitors-guide/ (updated ). By the It's Chico editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.