San Jose is the third largest city in California and is home to many activities and entertainment venues to be enjoyed either day or night. It lies just south of the art and culture metropolis of San Francisco in the famous Silicon Valley. Nearby San Jose is the home of technology giants Google, Apple, Yahoo and Facebook. This eclectic mix provides more than enough things to do on your next weekend to San Jose, California.
Farmers in California feature their fresh fruits and vegetables outdoors at the San Jose Farmer's Market. The Farmer's Market is an ideal place to find fruits, vegetables and homemade produce that come fresh off the farm.
Every Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. year-round (with a few holiday exceptions) vendors set up stalls to display their produce on San Pedro Street, between Santa Clara and St. John.
800-949-3276
The heiress to the Winchester Rifle fortune, Sarah Winchester, built the Winchester Mystery House as a method to cope with the tragic death of her husband and child. She used a large portion of her $20,000,000 inheritance to construct this architectural anomaly, which is a Victorian mansion featuring more than 160 rooms, twisting hallways, secret passages and even a seance room.
Guests can tour 110 of the rooms that are open to the public and wander onto staircases that go down before going up. Tours vary in length from one to two hours and guests are reminded to stay with the group or they risk getting lost for hours in the winding corridors.
Winchester Mystery House
525 S Winchester Blvd.
San Jose, CA 95128
408-247-2101
winchestermysteryhouse.com
San Jose is the self-proclaimed Capitol of Silicon Valley and features an intriguing museum called the San Jose Tech Museum. Permanent exhibitions feature galleries such as The Spirit of American Innovation and Green by Design, which are complimented by touring exhibitions on a variety of current topics in technology. The museum also allows guests to gaze at the stars by showing images from the Hubble Telescope at the Hackworth IMAX Dome Theatre.
In addition, it has labs and activities that make the San Jose Tech Museum a great place for kids to learn about technology.
The Tech Museum
201 South Market St.
San Jose, CA 95113
408-294-8324
thetech.org
The San Jose Museum of Art has a permanent collection that houses more than 2,000 works by 20th and 21st century artists that includes photography, sculpture, new media and installations.
The SJMA mission states that the museum "reflects the diverse cultures and innovative spirit of Silicon Valley," which means you can expect to see exhibitions by modern greats such as photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and painter Wayne Thiebaud.
San Jose Museum of Art
110 South Market St.
San Jose, CA 95113-2383
408-271-6840
sjmusart.org
