Redding Chamber of Commerce :: Redding, California

Recreation & Entertainment

Redding is nestled between the Cascades and the Trinity Alps in northern California. It is centrally located on 1-5, just south of Shasta Lake.

The outdoor lifestyle, air quality, affordable housing and low crime rates attract many people from the larger urban areas, thus creating a diversified culture and a growing center of commerce and industry.

Tourist Facilities, Shopping & Entertainment
Redding Convention Center
The Redding Convention Center and Visitors Bureau markets the Convention Center to organizations all across the nation. The multipurpose building is able to host a variety of cultural, performing arts and business events. It is situated in a park-like setting near the Sacramento River’s edge just off Highway 299 West.

Hotel/Motel Meeting Space and Restaurants

In addition to the Convention Center, hotel and motel properties in Redding have a total of 19,753 square feet of meeting space. There are 38 hotels and motels with a total of 2,450 rooms located within the city. Due to Redding’s proximity to Interstate 5 and its large tourist trade, there is an abundance of eating establishments in the area. Over 200 restaurants offer a wide variety of ethnic foods. Fresh seafood is usually available in area restaurants, as the City is located only 160 miles from Pacific Ocean fishing fleets.

Shopping

There are 12 major shopping destinations in the Redding area, including two enclosed malls, nine major shopping centers, and a factory outlet center.

About Turtle Bay Exploration Park
Turtle Bay Exploration Park is an evolving 300-acre campus containing educational and entertaining activities that interpret the relationship between humans and nature. The Park tells the story of the region and its people through a 34,000 square foot museum, wildlife exhibits, a summer butterfly house, and the Forest Camp and Amphitheatre. The $82 million project also includes the construction of a wildlife interpretive center and international architect Santiago Calatrava's first American bridge which opened in July 2004. The one-of-a-kind glass-decked bridge acts as a sundial and spans the river and serves as the new downtown entrance for Redding's extensive Sacramento River Trail system.

The bridge celebrates human creativity and ingenuity, important themes of the 300-acre Turtle Bay Exploration Park.

Shasta College Theater and Art Gallery
The Shasta College Theater and the Shasta College Art Gallery have been offering first-class entertainment to Shasta County residents for more than 20 years. The Shasta College Fine Arts Program offers quality cultural entertainment with more than 50 performing arts events each year.

The Old City Hall Gallery and Performing Arts Center is a lovely historic building which is listed in the National Register of Historical Places. The structure, with its landmark bell tower, is located in the historic area of downtown Redding.

Regional Recreation

Local Parks

There are 529 acres of parkland within city limits, including the magnificent Sacramento River Trail System. Recreational facilities include lighted baseball fields, public swimming pools and tennis courts, hiking trails, boat launching facilities, golf courses, soccer fields, a BMX bike park and a skateboard park. A new 100-acre Sports Complex is currently under construction in northeast Redding. In addition, Shasta Lake City maintains 16 acres of parkland and Anderson has 400 acres devoted to the preservation of riparian habitat.

When it comes to outdoor recreation, Northern California has it all. Pristine lakes, wild and scenic rivers, spectacular mountain peaks, State and National parks, massive wilderness areas, caverns and caves are all within a 75-mile radius of the cities of Redding, Anderson, and Shasta Lake.
The Sacramento River Trail and Redding’s popular trail system offer an ideal setting for walking, jogging, hiking and biking.

Lake Shasta, located 15 miles north of downtown Redding, is the most impressive body of water in the area with 350 miles of shoreline and depths of up to 515 feet. Shasta Dam, the second largest dam in the United States, rises 602 feet and is three times the height of Niagara Falls. Regarded by many as one of the most impressive of all American structures, it includes vista facilities and displays that interpret the story of the dam. Shasta Lake is part of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

Lake Shasta Caverns are the largest caverns in California. A narrated guided tour includes a boat ride across the lake and a short bus ride up the mountain to the caverns’ entrance. This attraction is open year-round and is accessible only by boat.
State Highway 299 West provides access to the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area. Trinity Lake is home to California’s largest nesting population of bald eagles and a wide variety of wildlife. Beautiful Whiskeytown Lake provides year-round opportunities for boating, hiking, mountain biking, seasonal rock climbing and backpacking. Other facilities include a boat-launching facility, three campgrounds, picnic areas and beaches.

Historic “Old Shasta” is located just six miles west of Downtown Redding and was the original County seat. In the early 1850’s, Shasta was the leading mining center of the far north. Today, the state-operated museum contains many exhibits that portray the historic Gold Rush Days. McArthur/Burney Falls State Memorial Park, located east of Redding, is one of the most popular attractions in northern California. The 565-acre park offers campers and visitors a spectacular view of the falls, which cascade 129 feet.

Lassen Volcanic National Park is located about an hour’s drive east of Redding via State Highway 44. The park encompasses 165 square miles of the 2,000 square miles of the Lassen National Forest. Mt. Lassen was the only active volcano within the continental United States until Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1986. Mt. Lassen last erupted in 1915. Park attractions include 50 lakes, Lassen Peak (10,457 feet), hot sulphur springs, beautiful waterfalls, and numerous signs of geothermal activity throughout the park. Park facilities include six campgrounds, picnic areas and cross country skiing.

Thirty minutes south of Redding on Interstate 5 and just a few minutes south of Anderson is the town of Red Bluff, where the Sacramento River is spanned by a diversion dam. In the salmon viewing plaza, closed-circuit television enables visitors to watch these great fish swimming upstream. The Ide Adobe State Historic Park, located north of Red Bluff on the banks of the Sacramento River, offers an extensive interpretive program.

Shasta County’s diversity offers everything from mountain biking to baseball, from fishing to golf, and from hunting to scuba diving. The recreation opportunities are as unlimited as your dreams of adventure.

Annual Community Events
Redding is host to many popular special events throughout the year. Some of the larger annual events that are well attended by both local residents and out-of-town visitors include:

Kool April Nites (April)
This annual event showcases classic cars and music of the ’50s and ’60s.

Rodeo Week (May)
A tradition in Redding since the 1930’s, this event celebrates the Old West history of Redding with the largest parade in Northern California. Other activities include a three-day professional rodeo, pancake breakfast, a bank “robbery” and a street dance.

Shasta Art Fair and Fiddle Jamboree (May)
This Victorian/Gold Rush celebration, which usually takes place on Mother’s Day weekend, offers entertainment, arts and crafts, exhibits, food and fun.

Air Show (May)
The Redding Air Show takes flight at the Redding Municipal Airport and is graciously sponsored by the Exchange Club of Redding.

Shasta District Fair (June)
The Shasta District Fair, which is held for five days in mid-June, features over 8,000 exhibits and 600 livestock animals. The fair’s entertainment, auto racing, and five days of horse shows and competitions draw over 100,000 people.

Annual Lighted Christmas Parades (December)
Redding presents a nighttime Christmas parade featuring holiday-themed entries twinkling with lights. A similar parade is held in Red Bluff at the end of November.