Your Adventure in San Jose
Innovation runs deep in this dot-com destination, the unofficial capital of Silicon Valley. But there’s more to America’s 10th largest city than microchips and tech firms. With 300 days of sunshine a year, San Jose is a haven of outdoor recreation, and its burgeoning art and food scenes have more than passed our beta test. But before you turn to Google to plan your itinerary, tell us more about you.
Are you an...
Outdoor adventurer
Techie
Arts enthusiast
Foodie
Outdoor Adventurer
Set the Wheels in Motion
In sun-kissed San Jose, consistently mild temps and scenic trails beckon cyclists year-round. Rent a bike from downtown’s Bicycle Express, head east to the foothills of the Diablo Range, and then pedal a 3-mile stretch of trail in Alum Rock Park—one of California’s oldest municipal parks. If you’d prefer to explore on foot, Castle Rock State Park in Los Gatos offers 34 miles of hiking through lush, mossy forest. Gaze upon steep canyons, craggy rock formations, and towering coast redwoods as you traipse along the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Good Nature: Three more ways to peek at the Valley
Garrod Farms:
This family-owned ranch offers guided horseback tours through the Saratoga foothills, riding lessons, and wine-tasting trots.
Shoreline Park:
Once a landfill, this 750-acre Mountain View park has repurposed itself as a recreational treasure with golfing, a lake, and 8 miles of trails.
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo:
This hybrid complex may be small in size, but it packs plenty of family fun, like thrill rides, a petting zoo, and more than 140 animals.
Where to unwind after your day in the sun
Hotel Valencia Santana Row:
Situated amongst upscale shopping, this 215-room luxe spot offers an impressive (and free) breakfast from the on-site Citrus Restaurant.
Hotel De Anza:
A $5.7 million refresh of this downtown Art Deco hotel is expected to be completed in the fall.
The Inn at Saratoga:
Decompress nightly with free wine and refreshments at this well-kept Victorian retreat.
Techie
Get Charged Up
It’s no surprise that Silicon Valley’s athletic venues have taken the lead on innovative fan experiences. At Avaya Stadium—home to MLS’ San Jose Earthquakes, whose regular season runs through October 25—download the in-stadium mobile app to get public transit info, find player stats, navigate the concourses in search of a Chris Wondolowski jersey, and more. In nearby Santa Clara, a state-of-the-art beacon network at the $1.2 billion Levi’s Stadium uses pinpoint-location technology that will help you find your seat—and even the shortest beer line—at a 49ers game or next February’s Super Bowl 50.
Geek Mythology: Make your (not so) inner nerd heard
Tech Museum of Innovation:
Test your cyber-sleuthing skills, feel the tremble of an earthquake, and grow jellyfish DNA at this highly interactive museum.
Computer History Museum:
Journey through tech advancements—from the abacus to the tablet—in Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing.
Intel Museum:
Discover the microsized world of computer chips and see how they’re constructed at this exhibit space inside Intel’s company HQ in Santa Clara.
Hotspots for eating like a local tech titan
Buck’s of Woodside:
This tchotchke-filled comfort-food joint served as a de facto boardroom for the founders of Tesla, PayPal, Netscape, and Hotmail.
The Oasis:
Order the barbecue chicken pizza at this Menlo Park mainstay where Woz and friends reportedly powwowed.
Cin-Cin Wine Bar & Restaurant:
Google’s first marketing director created the wine list at this lounge, a favorite among Apple, Netflix, Cisco, and eBay execs.
Arts Enthusiast
Admire Modern Art
West Coast artists have put their stamp on the area’s best collection of contemporary works at the San Jose Museum of Art, set inside a century-old former post office. Relatively small in size (you can make it through in about an hour), a large slate of rotating, thought-provoking exhibitions is the main draw here. Glimpse the fourth part of the ongoing Beta Space series, in which L.A.-based Diana Thater explores the jewel-like dung beetle and its relationship to the Milky Way through a powerful video and light installment, open through September 13.
Find Your Groove: Is your ideal live music scene an …
Intimate Bar:
Swing by Cafe Stritch in the SoFA district for a rotating lineup of mostly no-cover shows with local jazz and indie artists.
Indoor Arena:
The 19,000-seat SAP Center, home of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, plays host to the likes of Madonna (October 19) and Disney on Ice: Frozen (February 17–22).
Outdoor Festival:
San Jose Jazz conducts a Summer Fest (August 7–9) and Winter Fest each year, spotlighting young musicians who push the boundaries of the genre.
Peruse galleries in the South First Arts District
Anno Domini:
This cutting-edge, urban showroom is credited with transforming the city’s art scene by instigating a First Friday art hop.
Institute of Contemporary Art:
Using LED technology and custom electronics, artist Jim Campbell tests our ability to perceive images, opening November 15.
Higher Fire:
Eye wheel-thrown works from local ceramists, or take a class if you’re in town for a while.
Foodie
Nosh on Food Hall Fare
Can’t agree on what to eat? At downtown’s San Pedro Square Market, there’s no need for consensus. Three food halls house more than 25 vendors, serving everything from pad thai, pulled pork, and brick-oven pizza to sustainably sourced ice cream and regional wines. At Konjoe Burger Bar, chef Joey Camacho draws on his Guamanian roots and kicks up his sandwiches with Asian- and Pacific Island–inspired flavors. Once you decide on a dish, chow down in the laid-back, sycamore-shaded plaza, where live music sets the mood most Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, starting at 7.
Grape Escapes: Sip some of the Valley’s best vino
Cielo Rooftop Bar:
California varietals are front and center at this Hotel Valencia lounge with sweeping vistas of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Testarossa Winery:
Sip a chardonnay or pinot noir in this Los Gatos winemaker’s tasting room, set inside the caves and cellars of a formerly Jesuit-run winery.
Ridge Vineyards:
Situated high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this storied winery makes one of the state’s best cabernet sauvignons: Monte Bello.
Stamp your palate’s passport with global flavors
Seni Ethiopian:
Go sans utensils and use injera—a flat, spongy bread—to scoop up spicy East African entrées.
Nemea Greek Taverna:
Watch chefs prepare fresh Mediterranean eats like moussaka and skewers of souvlakia at this downtown spot.
Mezcal:
Feeling adventurous? Start with the chapulines (grasshoppers), which are sautéed with garlic, salt, and lime.