Bidwell Mansion Closure...

Hello, everyone! I hope you’re enjoying your summer vacation! We’ve got three more weeks until the 2011-2012 school year and I can’t wait to see everyone again! I’m writing a post here a bit early to invite you to visit the Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park before school begins. Bidwell Mansion is one of the 70 planned state park closures in 2012. This means that if you haven’t been to visit Bidwell Mansion yet, you may never have the opportunity, … unless you go now! Until today, I hadn’t visited the park in a number of years. I’m very happy I was able to go back today and see the artwork, construction, and artifacts of this beautiful home.

Bidwell Mansion is located at 525 Esplanade in Chico, next to our CSU, Chico drop-off site when we visit the Hands-on Science Labs. (It’s also right next to the new Gateway Science Museum, another great adventure!) It was the home of John and Annie Bidwell from 1868 to 1918 and cost $60,000 to complete! John Bidwell began construction of the mansion on his 26,000 acre Rancho del Arroyo Chico in 1865. After marrying Annie in 1868, the three story, 26 room Victorian house became the social and cultural center of the upper Sacramento Valley.

Guided tours start at 12 PM Monday-Wednesday and 11 AM on Saturday and Sunday. Tours are held every hour, with the last group leaving at 4:00 PM. The tour is $6 for adults 18 and over, $3 for youth (5-17), and free for children four and under.

Please take an afternoon to visit the mansion while you still can. It will be well worth it, I promise!