Things to Do in Oroville

On Point Entertainment has figured out the formula to giving people a good time. That’s because its staff is composed of celebration experts: experienced DJs, entertainers, and party planners who have seen dozens of parties succeed and know what it takes to make that happen. Together, they combine their respective experiences to help clients plan and throw memorable events. They have experience planning for a range of occasions, including wedding receptions, school dances, baptisms, corporate parties, and cultural parties, and flaunt a collection of music appropriate to each. Meanwhile, the company's roster of rentals further enhances the party atmosphere with photo booths, a raffle-ticket drum, a chocolate fountain, and a bounce house ideal for marrying a couple that doesn't believe in gravity.

Guided by the watchful eyes of master falconer Kate Marden, West Coast Falconry introduces avian enthusiasts to eagle owls, falcons, and hawks through an apprentice course, educational demonstrations, and aerial displays of predatory birds hunting. Various excursions give small groups of participants up-close interaction with the birds, enabling them to explore natural avian habitats and observe the predatory birds in flight, hunting, and while picking up their dry cleaning. Gloved game chasers can also try casting and calling owls, hawks, and falcons to and from their fists.

Against a backdrop of lush trees, paintball players belly-crawl through gigantic concrete pipes, wade waist-high through wetlands, and pop off rounds from behind disabled Army jeeps. The battlegrounds are so elaborate, in fact, the Butte County sheriff's office and SWAT teams train on them, using the wooden huts as cover and the large tin barrels as the rhythm section for their reggae bands. Citizen players 10 and older, however, navigate the obstacles during fast-paced woodsball and speedball matches as referees monitor to ensure fair play. There's even a field specifically for target practice so gamers can knock the rust from their muzzles. Meanwhile, lights emblazon the speedball field during night matches of adrenaline-fueled play.

Staffed by a team of experienced driving coaches and drifting professionals, American Controlled Driving Academy thrills audiences with drifting and stunt-driving classes on the paddock of Thunderhill Raceway. The 3-mile, 15-turn, FIA-certified course boasts challenging turns and crossovers ideal for alternating instructional skidding events and competitions. Additionally, the program gathers seasoned instructors to bestow drifting fundamentals to all levels of drivers, using a step-by-step teaching process in a student-friendly environment.

Breezes swirl down a corridor made by trees standing up to 100 feet and perched atop levees, which form the banks of the 200-year-old Bear River. Above rustling branches and the calls of nearby eagles, the hum of an engine cuts through the tranquil air. Dave Jewell of Blue Sky Powered Paragliding takes thrill-seekers—some as old as 80 years of age—soaring up to 500 feet above rolling, farm-dappled country and between Bear River's banks on propeller-powered parachutes. Though currently surveying Californian skies, Dave has led flights and organized clubs in Japan, Nigeria, Mexico, Germany, and France, and he continues to draw on knowledge of flight mechanics from extensive Air Force parachute training. Today, Dave takes off from 24 acres of campground, where a paragliding club meets occasionally to heckle poorly shaped clouds.

A sweeping bonfire pit, rustic picnic tables, and grassy swathes for RVs welcome campers waiting their turn to fly. Dave also mans a parachute and equipment shop where he conducts repairs and reanimates the corpses of dead kites. Dave insists that he never tires of his sport, as the weather and surrounding terrain are always changing, making his higher-altitude experiences "terrifying without being terrifying.” With a small wingspan, the motorized parachutes can also approach wildlife more closely than other aircraft; on one flight Dave found himself flanked by two bald eagles, beating their powerful wings just 20 feet away.

Donna Hunter started whitewater rafting as a hobby, but after spending 15 years as a social worker in San Diego, she was drawn back to the river as a career. With a few friends for support and a goal to start a rafting-adventure company, she went to night school and honed her business skills. Today, with some of her staff boasting more than 20 years experience leading tours, Donna orchestrates trips down various forks of the American, Merced, Kings, and Tuolumne Rivers to pit participants against rapids as high as Class V. Certified guides lead these tours in Hyside self-bailing rafts and inflatable kayaks, with some rafts holding up to eight people.

Wilderness guides also connect their guests with civilization, often combining rafting excursions with wine tastings and trips to local vineyards. On these overnight trips and other multi-day rafting excursions such as family gold-panning trips, they build relationships with their guests, garnering a clear idea of their paddling skills and the amount of time they've spent practicing in their washing machine.

The company’s camp boasts tent cabins—with names like Eagle's Nest and Falcon's Nest—which populate riverside clearings between picnic tables, swimming holes, and volleyball courts. A camp shop prepares guests with river gear, and hot-water showers let them wash off river water. When not seeking action on the river, staffers organize camp entertainment, such as live music, games, and visits from a local gold panner who demonstrates his craft.