Recommended Tourist Attractions In San José?
I was born in the state of California, in the county of Santa Clara, in the city of San José but I do live in another state.
I will be going to Northern California and Central California for vacation of this summer of 2009.
Can anybody recommend some tourist attractions in San José?
Thank you.
To Vince M: It is nice to meet another native born San Joséan / native born Californian. 🙂
5 Responses
kh
06 Feb 2010
Sean
06 Feb 2010
there is absolutely nothing in San Jose. If you want to do something in California, go up to Sonoma and Napa to the wineries. Or maybe go to San Fransisco and to go the Academy of Science
RDG78
06 Feb 2010
The Winchester Mystery House. It’s in Santa Clara, but that’s near San Jose. It is a monument to misplaced guilt built by a woman who was the heir to the Winchester firearms fortune and felt haunted by the ghosts of everybody who ever got killed with a Winchester.
Vince M
06 Feb 2010
Of course, it all depends on what you like to do and see.
I, personally,recommend the Rosecrucian Egyptian Museum, on Park Avenue, near Naglee. A lot of real, genuine artifacts, some going as far back as four thousand years. They have a good collection of real mummies on display and lots of other things.
I also like the Tech Museum of Innovation and the Children’s Discovery Museum. These are world class science museum and are worth the admission if you like that kind of thing. These are located right downtown, along with the Museum of Art.
For picture taking opportunities, I like the Japanese Friendship and Tea Garden, and the San Jose Historical Museum, both located in Kelly Park, on Senter Road, near Keyes.
For recreation, there is the Raging Waters water park, at Tully and White Roads, Great America theme park in nearby Santa Clara, the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk, a half hour down Highway 17, and, of course, the entire city of San Francisco, just 50 miles North along Highway 101 or the 280 freeway. There is a good outdoor paintball arena on Monterey Road, just South of Tully.
San Jose, and the surrounding area has LOTS of parks, including Alum Rock Park, which is very rustic and picturesque. Much of it is still undeveloped and would qualify as a wilderness area. You can rent boats and sailboards at Cunningham Park, at White and Tully Roads, Vasona Park, off of Blossom Hill Road in Los Gatos and the Campbell percolation ponds, near Winchester and Camden Avenue. Horse rentals are available near Alum Rock Park, and Garrod Farms, on Pierce Road in Saratoga.
If you like driving tours in the woods and through farmlands, I recomment a ride up Mount Hamilton Road, up the the Lick Observatory at the summit. From there, on a clear day, you can see the Pacific Ocean to the West, and catch a glimpse of Yosemite’s Half Dome to the East. (you need a good pair of binoculars to actually see Half Dome) Up Highway 9, Beginning in Saratoga and through the Santa Cruz Mountains will take you through the redwoods, through Ben Lomand and other small mountain towns and eventually lead you into Santa Cruz. The drive along the coast, from Santa Cruz, North to San Francisco is VERY nice for views of the ocean and the rocky coast.
There is a wildlife sanctuary in Alviso, at the North end of San Jose. This is at the Southernmost tip of the San Francisco Bay. Here, you can catch views of lots of bird life, including cranes, egrets, stilts and other, more common birds.
For nightlife, downtown San Jose can really jump. It is also relatively safe and well lit. Lots of great clubs and restaurants.
So, for that guy who says that there is "absolutely" nothing to do, I recommend he put down his game controller, get some REAL friends, and go exploring. There is PLENTY to do.
catlover
06 Feb 2010
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
Winchester Mystery House
Check out this website for more:
http://www.sanjose.com/attractions/
The Winchester Mystery House
Discovery Travel had a show on this before. It was voted one of the scariest historic attraction sites, but in my opinion, it’s just very interesting. You can also have tours of the house at night, I think, which will be scarier, but other than that, it’s not frightening at all. (And I’m a very paranoid person that gets scared easily.)
It’s located near Santana Row and Westfield Valley Fair, which are great places to shop.
http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/
Rated on Yelp: 3/5 stars
San Jose Museum of Art
I’ve never been here, but I think I’ve heard good reviews of this place before. If you like art, try this place. It’s located in Downtown San Jose, near the Fairmont Hotel and some resturants and shops.
http://www.sjmusart.org/
Rated on Yelp: 3.5/5 stars
Peralta Adobe & Fallon House Site
This is a historical site where you can look around… and stuff. I’ve been here before on an elementary field trip, so I don’t exactly remember anything I did here. All I know is that it was fun, but then again, I was in elementary school and if there was no school that day, I must have been having fun. But it does seem interesting. You should check it out.
http://www.historysanjose.org/visiting_hsj/peralta_fallon/
Not rated on Yelp
Almaden Quicksilver County Park
I also came here for an elementary school field trip, and it was fun. 🙂 You can hike, ride horses, or ride a bike here. From the pictures it seems like a very historical and natural site.
http://www.geocities.com/almadenqs/
Rated on Yelp: 4.5/5 stars
Alum Rock Park
"Alum Rock Park, dedicated in 1872, is the first and largest park in San Jose. This 720 acre park features hiking and biking trails, horseback rides, and multitudes of other activities."
I live RIGHT next to it, so if you ever come here, that’d be kinda awesome 😀
http://www.sjparks.org/Parks/RegionalParks/arp/index.asp
Rated on Yelp: 4/5 stars
Raging Waters
"Raging Waters in San Jose is the Bay Area’s largest water park with more than 30 slides, an interactive water fort and a wave pool. The park is located on the grounds of Lake Cunningham Regional Park just off Tully Road."
I love Raging Waters, but the water always seems too cold and people get injured easily here. There are some fun rides, though, and try sneaking in some food (even though it’s hard too)! The food here is expensive!
http://www.rwsplash.com/
Rated on Yelp: 3/5 stars
Tech Museum of Innovation
"The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose contains 240 hands-on exhibits designed to show how technology affects every day life. The permanent galleries are Exploration, Innovation, Life Tech, Imagination Playground and The National Medal of Technology and Net Pl@net."
The Tech Museum is pretty fun, because it’s hands-on and interesting, but then again, I’m a kid. The most interesting for adults is probably the IMAX movies they offer. (On Yelp they say it’s great for adults as well)
http://www.thetech.org/
Rated on Yelp: 3.5/5 stars