The back to school rush is upon us. Our little town of Chico is about to increase in population, making everything feel more crowded!

Most of the schools in Chico start between mid and late August. That leaves you a little time to accomplish some of the things you love doing before having to dodge the school traffic early in the morning and late in the afternoon.

In order to fully appreciate the feeling of Chico before all the students and faculty go back to school, we've given you four different things that you should do before the crowds come roaring back in.

1. Back to School Shopping

While stores like Walmart or Target have already started their back to school shopping deals, you can still slide in a few more shopping trips before you’ll need to start parking at the back of the lot. The upside to shopping this close to when school is back in session is all the deals you get to cash in on.

Looking for some new and fresh décor, a microwave, or some cool pens and notebooks for your office? Now may be the time to go! Just because they are aimed for students and teachers of all ages doesn’t mean you can’t snatch up some goodies you've been wanting for a while.

2. Visit Favorite Restaurants 

With more people coming back to town and both parents and teachers having to get used to the school schedule again, it’s safe to say that restaurants are going to be a bit packed for a while. Make a list of some of your favorite restaurants like The Pour House or Sierra Nevada and plan a night to go out by yourself or with close friends and family. Soak up the ability to get through dinner in less than an hour and a half while you still can!

3. Anything Downtown

Chico’s downtown is one of the biggest draws to our little town. It has everything you could want within a few square blocks. More importantly it's home to some of the best places to eat and shop that you’ll find in Chico.

Here’s a list of some of the restaurants you'll need to visit soon before the crowds make the wait a little longer!

• Mom’s
• Crush
• Tres Hombres
• B Street Public House
• Madison Bear Garden
• Parkside Tap House

Check out the full list of restaurants here.

Don’t forget to visit some of the yummy and delicious desserts and coffee places downtown:

• Shubert’s Ice Cream & Candy
• Upper Crust Bakery
• Jon & Bon’s Yogurt Shoppe
• Naked Lounge
• Stoble Coffee Roasters
• Sweet Chico Confections

Here's a list of just a few stores you should visit before the back to school busyness starts:

• For Elyse
• Bird in Hand
• Anika Burke
• The Bookstore
• Fleet Feet

Check out a full list of stores to visit by clicking here!

4. Visit the Park

Last, but certainly not least, we have our amazing Bidwell Park, both Upper and Lower. Schedule a hike to Bear Hole over the weekend and soak in the last few weeks before it becomes overcrowded by everyone returning home. The same goes for One Mile in Lower Bidwell Park, maybe even pack a small picnic and when done eating take a swim [after the allotted 30-minute wait for digestion of course].

There you have it folks! All the things you should do before the influx of people increases the Chico population. While it can cause overcrowding in certain places, we love that come Fall everyone comes home to experience family life and/or school life. The season of back to school busyness is part of who we are as a town and we wouldn’t have it any other way.  

For other ideas of ways to occupy yourself, check out our North State Living Page. It also has a list of our favorite events and food in the North State!