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How to Get to the Googleplex and Tour the Campus
Last Updated: June 1, 2024 Fact Checked
Getting to the Googleplex
Exploring google campus, touring with a google employee.
This article was reviewed by Seth Hall and by wikiHow staff writer, Ali Garbacz, B.A. . Seth T. Hall (ICF ACC, CLC, and MNLP) is a Certified Life Coach and Founder of Transformational Solutions, a Los Angeles-based life-coaching company that helps people achieve their toughest goals, find their own voice, and think outside the box. He has been a life coach for over 10 years, specializing in personal development, relationships, career and finance, and wellness. He has helped his clients break the negative cycles in their lives and replace them with a positive, proactive mindset. Seth believes that everyone has the potential to live a fulfilling and rewarding life, and works passionately to help them reach their full potential. With a deep understanding of how our minds work and the power of positive thinking, he encourages his clients to find their unique paths in life and find success on their own terms. He is a certified master practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a featured co-author for WikiHow, and co-author of "The Mountain Method”, “The Happy Tiger”, and “The V.I.S.I.O.N.S. Program”. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 239,793 times.
Have you ever wanted to explore the place where all of the magic of Google happens? Well, if you happen to be in Silicon Valley, specifically Mountain View, you’ll be able to stop by the infamous Googleplex. While there are no official tours, visitors are more than welcome to walk around the outside of the Google campus. We’re here to give you all the insider information and tips about how to visit the headquarters of one of the world’s biggest tech companies. We’ve also got a lot of suggestions for fun things to do while you’re there, so keep reading!
Things You Should Know
- Get to the Googleplex (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA) via car, bus, or train. Parking is free on the Google campus.
- Explore the outside of the Google campus on foot and look out for famous landmarks, like the giant T-rex statue named Stan.
- Ask a friend or acquaintance who works at Google to give you a tour of the inside of the office buildings.
![google tour san jose Step 1 Drive to the Googleplex in Mountainview, California.](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/e/e3/GoogleHQ.jpg/v4-460px-GoogleHQ.jpg)
- The Google campus is open for tourists to walk around 7 days a week. However, most office buildings are closed on weekends.
- To keep with the theme of your trip, use Google maps to plot out your journey efficiently.
- Google has 35 office and retail locations spread throughout the United States. Other U.S. cities that house Google offices include Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, New York, and Portland.
![google tour san jose Step 2 Access Google's headquarters by train and bus instead of driving.](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/0/06/Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-2.jpg/v4-460px-Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-2.jpg)
- Caltrain is a commuter rail service that operates within the San Francisco Bay Area region.
- If you take the Mountain View city buses, the nearest stop to the Googleplex is Charleston & Google. From there, it’s about a 0.2 mile (0.3 km) walk to Google HQ.
- If you’re taking the Caltrain, get off at the Mountain View Caltrain Station and transfer to Mountain View city bus #40. Take this bus to the Charleston & Google stop, then walk the 0.2 miles (0.3 km) to the Googleplex.
- A day pass for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority costs $7.50 while a one-way ticket costs $2.50 (for adults). [3] X Research source
- A day pass for the Caltrain costs $7.50 while a one-way ticket costs $3.75. [4] X Research source
![google tour san jose Step 3 Park in one of the lots on the north end of the campus (if you’re driving).](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/3/38/Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-3.jpg/v4-460px-Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-3.jpg)
- The parking lots are labeled A, B, C, D, and E.
![google tour san jose Step 4 Follow Billy Graham Parkway and cross Amphitheatre Parkway.](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/6/62/Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-4-Version-2.jpg/v4-460px-Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-4-Version-2.jpg)
- If you’re taking the bus and get off at Charleston & Google, you’ll be dropped off on the south end of the Google campus. Simply cross the street behind the bus stop to get to the Googleplex.
![google tour san jose Step 1 Explore the outside campus on foot.](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/6/6b/Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-5.jpg/v4-460px-Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-5.jpg)
- There is no longer a Google Visitor Center for tourists to visit.
- Wear comfortable shoes to help you trek across the campus without hurting your feet.
![google tour san jose Step 2 Visit the Google head office at the center of the campus.](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/d/db/Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-6.jpg/v4-460px-Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-6.jpg)
- Make this the first stop on your Googleplex tour since it’s easy to access from the campus parking lots.
- In addition to the Google head office, Google Buildings 41, 42, and 43 are also in this cluster.
- There is also a volleyball court and a small green area near these buildings.
![google tour san jose Step 3 Look for the life-sized T-Rex skeleton replica.](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/2/2b/Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-7.jpg/v4-460px-Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-7.jpg)
- If you’re lucky, you might see Stan wearing fun accessories, like pink flamingos.
- The giant T-Rex is also a nod to Silicon Graphics, a Hollywood effects company that worked on the huge dinosaurs that appear in the Jurassic Park movies. [10] X Research source
![google tour san jose Step 4 Keep an eye out for the self-driving Google car.](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/2/21/Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-9-Version-2.jpg/v4-460px-Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-9-Version-2.jpg)
- You might also be able to see the Google Street View car. This is the car that drives around and takes pictures for the street view option on Google Maps. [12] X Research source
![google tour san jose Step 5 Make use of one of the outdoor volleyball courts.](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/7/73/Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-10.jpg/v4-460px-Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-10.jpg)
- If you do manage to score a tour, remain respectful and discreet as you tour the buildings. This is a workplace after all, and you wouldn’t want to disturb the hard-working people who are busy revolutionizing the tech industry.
![google tour san jose Step 2 Have a meal in the Googleplex cafeteria.](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/1/1f/Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-15.jpg/v4-460px-Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-15.jpg)
- Green represents maximum healthiness.
- Yellow indicates food that features both healthy and unhealthy ingredients.
- Red signifies that the food is more decadent and not ideal for a healthy diet.
![google tour san jose Step 3 Check out the Google](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/6/60/Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-16.jpg/v4-460px-Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-16.jpg)
- These "nap pods" were created by a company called MetroNaps. [17] X Research source
![google tour san jose Step 4 Ask if you can see the Google Garden.](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/9/9f/Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-17.jpg/v4-460px-Visit-Google-Headquarters-Step-17.jpg)
- The Google Garden also has vast green spaces and meditation spots for Googlers to use freely.
Community Q&A
![google tour san jose Community Answer](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/f/f5/CommunityAvatar4.png/-crop-104-104-104px-CommunityAvatar4.png)
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- ↑ https://about.google/locations/?region=north-america
- ↑ https://chasethehorizon.co/blog/96/visiting-google-and-twitter-headquarters-in-san-francisco
- ↑ https://www.vta.org/go/fares
- ↑ https://www.caltrain.com/fares/farechart
- ↑ https://www.sanjose.org/listings/googleplex-android-statue-garden
- ↑ https://www.siliconvalleyguide.org/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/72zcF1sQWEY?t=65
- ↑ http://business.financialpost.com/business-insider/an-inside-look-at-googles-luxurious-googleplex-campus-in-california
- ↑ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/07/what-googles-famous-cafeterias-can-teach-us-about-health/241876/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Z-pT0XDYvDM?t=144
- ↑ https://metronaps.com/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Z-pT0XDYvDM?t=213
About This Article
![google tour san jose Seth Hall](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/7/75/Seth_Hall.png/-crop-100-100-100px-Seth_Hall.png)
To visit Google headquarters, plan a trip to Mountain View, California, which is where the Googleplex is located. From there, you can explore the campus on foot and see some of the sights like the life-sized replica of a T-Rex skeleton. Check out the Visitor Center and the gift store for souvenirs, or grab a bite to eat at the Googleplex cafeteria. If you know someone who works at Google, ask them to give you a tour for greater access. For more information on how to visit Google headquarters and what you can do there, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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Local News | New Google visitor center just the place for…
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Local news | crozier fire map: evacuations of sierra communities, smoke over lake tahoe, subscriber only, local news | new google visitor center just the place for silicon valley tourists, besides being a glimpse into the valley, it’s supporting artists in mountain view and beyond.
![google tour san jose google tour san jose](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SJM-L-GOOGMVVISITOR-x-03.jpg?w=467)
And that’s one reason to be thankful for the opening this week of the new Google Visitor Experience , housed in the unique Gradient Canopy offices at the Mountain View company’s campus. There’s a plaza filled with Burning Man Project art, a 2,600-square foot gathering space called the Huddle that’s like the best-designed living room in the house of your dreams (which can be booked by community groups for meetings) and a Google store that has everything from Pixel watches to Google 25th anniversary bucket hats.
![google tour san jose Google Visitor Experience center and the Google Store in the...](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SJM-L-GOOGMVVISITOR-x-02.jpg?w=620)
(George Avalos/Bay Area News Group)
Google Visitor Experience center and the Google Store in the tech titan's Gradient Canopy office building at 2000 North Shoreline Boulevard in Mountain View. (George Avalos/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose Google Gradient Canopy office building at 2000 North Shoreline Boulevard...](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SJM-L-GOOGMVVISITOR-x-01.jpg?w=620)
Google Gradient Canopy office building at 2000 North Shoreline Boulevard in Mountain View, as seen through an archway in Halo, an art structure crafted by SOFTlab. (George Avalos/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose The Orb, artwork created by THEVERYMANY LLC, located next to...](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SJM-L-GOOGMVVISITOR-x-03.jpg?w=620)
The Orb, artwork created by THEVERYMANY LLC, located next to Google's Gradient Canopy office building at 2000 North Shoreline Boulevard in Mountain View. (George Avalos/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose Guests look over items for sale in the new Google...](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SJM-L-GOOGMVVISIT-1012-3.jpg?w=620)
(Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Guests look over items for sale in the new Google Store on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in Mountain View, Calif. Google opened a visitor center, cafe, and store at their campus along Shoreline Boulevard. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google, Ruth...](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SJM-L-GOOGMVVISIT-1012-10.jpg?w=620)
President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google, Ruth Porat speaks in front of the new Google Store on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in Mountain View, Calif. Google opened a visitor center, cafe, and store at their campus along Shoreline Boulevard. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google, Ruth...](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SJM-L-GOOGMVVISIT-1012-2.jpg?w=620)
A toy bicycle for sale in the new Google Store on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in Mountain View, Calif. Google opened a visitor center, cafe, and store at their campus along Shoreline Boulevard. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose Guests look over items for sale in the new Google...](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SJM-L-GOOGMVVISIT-1012-1.jpg?w=620)
Items for sale in the new Google Store on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in Mountain View, Calif. Google opened a visitor center, cafe, and store at their campus along Shoreline Boulevard. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose The Huddle area of the new Visitor Experience at Google...](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SJM-L-GOOGMVVISIT-1012-7.jpg?w=620)
The Huddle area of the new Visitor Experience at Google on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in Mountain View, Calif. Google opened a visitor center, cafe, and store at their campus along Shoreline Boulevard. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose Coffee cups for sale in the new Google Store on...](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SJM-L-GOOGMVVISIT-1012-9.jpg?w=620)
Coffee cups for sale in the new Google Store on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in Mountain View, Calif. Google opened a visitor center, cafe, and store at their campus along Shoreline Boulevard. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose The outdoor seating area in front of the new Visitor...](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SJM-L-GOOGMVVISIT-1012-5.jpg?w=620)
The outdoor seating area in front of the new Visitor Experience at Google on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in Mountain View, Calif. Google opened a visitor center, cafe, and store at their campus along Shoreline Boulevard. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose A guest looks over items at the new Cafe in...](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SJM-L-GOOGMVVISIT-1012-6.jpg?w=620)
A guest looks over items at the new Cafe in the Visitor Experience area of Google on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in Mountain View, Calif. Google opened a visitor center, cafe, and store at their campus along Shoreline Boulevard. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Got an aunt visiting from Phoenix? No problem. Take here there for art, tech and food, all in one impressive space surrounded by trees. And it’s close to the Computer History Museum, which makes for a great pairing. Admittedly, the Apple Park Visitor Center in Cupertino arrived on the scene first, but its biggest draw is the Apple Store there and those aren’t hard to find. Google’s store is its first brick-and-mortar location on the West Coast.
But what really sets the Google Visitor Experience apart is the emphasis on Mountain View and the surrounding Bay Area community. Oakland artist Miguel Arzabe, who creates woven art, was hosting hands-on artmaking workshops at the Huddle on Thursday and Friday, and he’ll return to do the same later this month. Also in October, San Jose’s MACLA gallery will have a screen printing workshop and the Local Color art collective will host both a painting activity and a button-making workshop.
And besides making your own art, you can support local artists, too. The Pop-Up Shop next to the Huddle is home to the Moment Marketplace, with the San Jose Made team showcasing locally designed and created goods. The theme for the first three months is “Tiny Objects,” with all sorts of little things like pins, stickers and cards, but that’ll switch up every quarter to something new.
While there are lots of events on the calendar, the first Community Day on the Plaza is Oct. 21 with food trucks, live music and artmaking activities going on from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can get details on that and other events at visit.withgoogle.com.
BLESSED EVENT: Testarossa Winery in Los Gatos celebrated the 136th harvest on Wednesday afternoon with its traditional “blessing of the grapes,” performed by Rev. Peter Pabst, chancellor of Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School. Testarossa is on the site of the old Novitiate Winery, and Testarossa owners Rob and Diana Jensen have had a traditional blessing since they took over in 1997.
Following the ceremony, they hosted lunch for all the former students of the Novitiate of Los Gatos, as well as the residents and staff of the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center — and that included some clergy members who picked grapes there starting in the 1940s. Rob Jensen noted that Oct. 11, 1888 was the first harvest at the Novitiate Winery, so it was the perfect day for the celebration — not to mention it was also Diana Jensen’s birthday.
The only question we couldn’t answer was if wine from blessed grapes tastes better. It seemed it would take a lot of taste testing to determine, and there was no guarantee anyone would remember the answer afterward.
![google tour san jose Testarossa Winery owners Rob and Diana Jensen stand with the Rev. Peter Pabst after he blessed a tub of pinot noir grapes at Testarossa's celebration of the Los Gatos winery's 136th harvest on Oct. 11, 2023. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)](https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-1013.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1)
HEARTFELT RETURN: With all the tragedy going on in Israel, the Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival may certainly mean something more to festivalgoers than it does in other years when it opens Sunday at the ShowPlace ICON theater in Mountain View.
The festival opens at 7 p.m. Sunday with “Remembering Gene Wilder,” a documentary about the memorable comic actor that will be followed by a Q&A with producers David Knight and Julie Nimoy and director Ron Frank, moderated by Jeff Applebaum (a funny guy in his own right). It continues through Oct. 29 with three more in-theater events at the Palo Alto JCC and the Mountain View ICON, as well as online screenings. Get all the details at www.svjff.org .
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Mountain View, California
Google Visitor Experience
Come see us in mountain view and explore the google visitor experience., pop-up shop, cafe @ mountain view, google store.
Foster connections by attending a community event, workshop, or talk
Discover and support local makers and small businesses
Experience a taste of Google by enjoying food and beverages made with local, seasonal ingredients
Shop the latest products made by Google, get help from one of our experienced experts, attend a workshop, and find exclusive Google merchandise
Explore art installations and outdoor events
Become inspired by interactive and imaginative artworks
Local makers
Local artists
Tiny Object Marketplace
You’re invited to the new Google Visitor Experience
Sep 07, 2023
[[read-time]] min read
In October, we’re opening our doors in Mountain View to visitors with new public spaces, including a pop-up shop featuring local businesses and a Google Store.
![google tour san jose Postcard-like illustration that says, “Greetings from Google, Mountain View, California.”](https://storage.googleapis.com/gweb-uniblog-publish-prod/images/PxG_GVE_Blog_Header-bike_1.width-1200.format-webp.webp)
As we celebrate our 25th birthday and 25 years of calling the Bay Area home, we’re excited to announce that next month we’re opening the Google Visitor Experience at our headquarters in Mountain View, California. This new destination will give you the chance to experience Google and our hometown community — from a public cafe and a Google Store to an events space and pop-up shop featuring local businesses. Doors open to the public on October 12, 2023.
What is the Google Visitor Experience?
We remain focused on being a helpful neighbor and continuing to invest in our long-term presence in Mountain View. That’s why, for the first time, we curated an intentional visitor experience with public amenities for everyone, including neighbors, visitors and Googlers. Attend a local community group or non-profit event at the Huddle, a venue designed for creating connections. Discover and support local businesses at the Pop-Up Shop. Tap into your curiosity in The Plaza, which features outdoor art, events and programming. Connect with friends at the Cafe @ Mountain View, our first-ever public cafe. And explore our hardware products and services in person at the first brick and mortar Google Store on the West Coast.
Whether you call Mountain View home or you’re planning a trip to the area, there will be a Googley experience waiting for you.
Let the countdown begin !
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Google Visitor Center Ticket Price, Hours, Address and Reviews
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Google Visitor Center
- Address: 1911 Landings Dr, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, San Jose, United States Map
- Phone: +1-6502530000
- Tags: Museums , Family And Kids
For someone who is tech-savvy or internet-savvy, what can be more enjoyable than paying a visit to the Google Visitor Center located in Googleplex? Although the main building is off-limits to the tourists, you can accompany with any Google employee to explore the work-station. The Nougat Android statue at the main complex will definitely catch your attention, so will the large Google Sign behind it. The building lobbies are stocked up with toys, robots and some demo chrome books. The Computer History Museum, Merchandize Store and the Sports Page Bar are some of the attractions you can explore while visiting Google Visitor Center.
How to Reach Google Visitor Center
- Buses 40, 120, 185, 824, West Bayshore to stop –Charleston & Landings
- Buses 40, 120, 185, 824, West Bayshore to stop –Charleston @ Landings
- Google Visitor Center Address: 1911 Landings Dr, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, San Jose, United States
- Google Visitor Center Contact Number: +1-6502530000
- Try the best online travel planner to plan your travel itinerary!
0.98% of people who visit San Jose include Google Visitor Center in their plan
25% of people start their Google Visitor Center visit around 03 AM
People usually take around 1 Hr to see Google Visitor Center
95% of people prefer to travel by car while visiting Google Visitor Center
People normally club together Computer History Museum and Winchester Mystery House while planning their visit to Google Visitor Center.
Google Visitor Center Reviews & Ratings
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Attractions Nearby
- Cathedral Basilica Of St. Joseph
- Winchester Mystery House
- Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
- The Tech Museum Of Innovation
- Children's Discovery Museum Of San Jose
- Guadalupe River Park And Gardens
- Happy Hollow Park And Zoo
![google tour san jose picname](https://ak.jogurucdn.com/resources_version/desktop/img/default/user/p9/default_1_new.webp)
Hi We are two Italiano families we are coming in December 28/29 We'd like to visit insider Google How can we do? Thanks a loro for your response Contact 3351747447
Hi, my name is Pat. I am planning to visit Google in January 2022 with my 2 friends. Would you please let me know how to reserve the Tour? Any information is really appreciate it!!
Hello, this is crystal. I'd like to visit Google next week(11/24~26) with my 3 sons. I tried to call at 650 253 0000 but the line is busy all the time. would you teach me how to reserve the tour? I really appreciate it Bye!
- Muir Woods National Monument
- Oakland Museum Of California
- Garland Ranch Regional Park
- Point Lobos State Reserve And China Cove Gibson Beach
- Alcatraz Island
- Redwood Regional Park
- San Jose Itinerary for 1 day
- San Jose Itinerary for 2 days
Tour the new 'Google Visitor Experience' now open to public at Google HQ
G oogle has now opened a first-of-its-kind 10,000-square-foot visitor experience on their Mountain View campus that will allow the local community to experience Google like never before.
Google's campus was developed to re-envision the office experience for workers. And now, visitors can interact with the tech giant in a new way.
"We really wanted to make a space where we can be together," Google's Director of R+D for the Built Environment Michelle Kaufmann said. "Where it's the mixture of the people who work at Google as well as the people who are our neighbors and people who inspire us."
VIDEO: Bay Area high school grad rejected by 16 colleges hired by Google
The Google Visitor Experience is designed for the community to enjoy all Google has to offer.
We got the first look on a tour of the new area, beginning with the huddle space. Here you can network with others or take free workshops.
"The space you see over here is available for local guests and local communities," Google's Vice President of Workplace Programs Michiel Bakker said. "All kinds of organizations can book this space as well for local events."
MORE: Google 'committed' to massive multi-million dollar complex in San Jose as project is put on hold
After the event, you can stop by their cafe.
Google says it runs on coffee and now, you can sit down and enjoy a cup or a treat
"We have a variety of options that are designed to be very approachable," Google's Food Program Senior Director Matt Hood said. "Something that, if you come in and you're part of the community, this can become your local, everyday breakfast stop or you can meet friends here for lunch."
But perhaps the most important piece of the Google Visitor Experience is their first West Coast brick-and-mortar store.
In this room, you can learn to use and try out the latest Google products from the new phones to watches to earbuds.
MORE: Here's how Google says AI will change your search, email experience
"To have this place for people to explore and touch and feel all of our latest products is super exciting." Google's Vice President for Design, UX and Research for Hardware Ivy Ross said.
Ross had a large hand in creating everything in the experience. She says this new concept really sets this space apart from anything Google has done before.
"I think it will be an amazing experience for people to understand what Google makes," Ross said. "To be able to actually put things on your body, hold things in your hand, feel it and be able to get all your questions answered at the same time - I think it's a huge advantage."
You can see it for yourself as the Google Visitor Experience is now open.
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Google primes downtown San Jose space with socials
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Downtown San Jose’s resurgence has been building throughout the summer with block parties, art festivals and concerts. Those happenings have been primarily in the district’s core. That’s about to change.
The west side of town near Diridon Station and the future home of Google’s Downtown West mega development is kicking into gear with Creekside Socials. Google has engaged Jamestown, a real estate firm, to manage the events. The first social takes place Sept. 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m at Barack Obama Boulevard between West Santa Clara and West San Fernando streets. Residents are encouraged to dance to live music, paint a mural, build a chain reaction contraption and enjoy a diverse menu offered from local food trucks.
Michael Phillips, president of Jamestown, said Creekside Socials is the first step in generating a sense of place at Downtown West and is aligned with the long-term vision to create a commercially and socially thriving district.
“The offerings will reflect the diversity and vibrancy of the community,” he told San José Spotlight, adding that future events will include recreational health and wellness classes, STEM workshops and art talks.
![google tour san jose](https://sanjosespotlight.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/18120001/URM-1024x768.jpg)
The Google Downtown West project spans 80 acres near Diridon Station and will feature 7.3 million square feet of office space, 4,000 homes, 15 acres of parks and a 30,000-50,000-square-foot community center. It also boasts 500,000 square feet for retail, cultural, education and arts uses. A quarter of homes in the area—approximately 1,000—will be affordable. The project was put on hold this year, but the tech giant said it’s still committed to the city.
Google’s decision to host the socials is part of its commitment to bring the vision of Downtown West to life throughout the multi-decade development process, Scott Foster, vice president of real estate and workplace services, said in a statement.
“We’re investing millions of dollars to improve the site and bring the community together,” he said. “Creekside Socials is the first step in activating this part of San Jose for the future.”
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San Jose Downtown Association CEO Alex Stettinski told San José Spotlight Creekside Socials will breathe life into this part of the city.
“Especially now,” he said, “in a time when… we’re still trying to fill vacancies, and people are still coming back to work… these types of activations are amazing. Developers look into this area and see there is some momentum going on. It does make a difference.”
Lisa Serbaniewicz, a Jamestown spokesperson, said Creekside Socials at Downtown West are designed to bring residents together through local art, music, food and collaborative programs.
“Folks can meet their neighbors, discover new local businesses and celebrate San Jose’s vibrant culture,” she told San José Spotlight.
One of the vendors will be Two Bit Circus Foundation. Chief Operating Officer Mindy Sanchez said children and families will be invited to create the Ultimate Recycling Machine, a Rube Goldberg chain reaction device incorporating recycled materials. The foundation’s goal is to introduce children to science, technology, engineering, art and math education, Sanchez said.
“Through art and creativity is where big ideas come from,” she told San José Spotlight.
Audiopharmacy, a hip-hop/soul ensemble and cultural community arts collective, will headline the Creekside Stage. It’s a homecoming for San Jose native Teao Sense, who founded the band, which tours internationally and provides cultural workshops for youth. Members of the group hail from around the globe. Their performance includes trumpet, trombone, turntable scratches, guitar, bass, beatbox, singers and dancers.
“Our group is called Audiopharmacy because people have told us we bring the healing,” he said. “We like to interact with the audience, get the crowd moving… and bring everyone together.”
San Jose Downtown Manager Nathan Donato-Weinstein said it looks like downtown’s energy is on the uptick.
“People are rediscovering what it means to enjoy each other’s company,” he told San José Spotlight. “The downtown summer event season, with the concert series, art festivals, night market and Urban Vibrancy block parties brought energy and got people out and about.”
Contact Lorraine Gabbert at [email protected] .
Creekside Socials
The first event kicks off on Sept. 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Barack Obama Boulevard between W. Santa Clara and W. San Fernando streets.
List of vendors:
- Two Bit Circus Foundation : A nonprofit dedicated to science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) education. It makes learning fun through hands-on children’s programming with a sustainability mindset.
- Local Color : A San Jose woman-powered nonprofit that builds equitable pathways for creatives to thrive by partnering with developers and organizations to provide mural opportunities and studio space. It will curate 10 local artists to create live art at the event.
- Good Karma Bikes : A nonprofit full-service, second-hand bike shop that will provide a bike valet service for people to bike to the event.
- Moveable : A local street food event production company with a network of more than 90 diverse food trucks. It is bringing local food and beverages to the block party.
- Audiopharmacy : A hip-hop ensemble headlining the event on the Creekside Stage. The cultural community arts collective represents the power of love, music and collective liberation.
- Additional artists, performers and food vendors will be announced on the Creekside Socials Instagram leading up to the event.
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30 Best & Fun Things To Do In San Jose (California)
By: Author Jerric Chong
Posted on Published: June 21, 2019 - Last updated: July 3, 2024
![google tour san jose fun things to do in San Jose, CA](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/fun-things-to-do-in-San-Jose-CA-1-150x150.jpg)
San Jose is the largest city in Northern California both by population and by area.
Located on the southern shore of San Francisco Bay, there is no shortage of fun things to do in San Jose.
Surrounded by the beauty of Wine Country, San Jose is at the center of Silicon Valley.
Considered by many to be the true birthplace of modern technology, Silicon Valley is home to Apple Computer, PayPal, eBay, IBM, Adobe Systems, Samsung, Hewlett Packard, Cisco Systems, and Western Digital to name a few.
The Silicon Valley area has the third highest GDP per capita in the world, preceded only by Zurich, Switzerland and Oslo, Norway.
San Jose, California is ranked the fourth most affluent city in the United States.
Whether it is for a week, a weekend or longer, there are plenty of fun things to do, things to see, and places to visit in San Jose.
We take the guesswork out of how to plan a trip by presenting you with the top places to visit when you’re in San Jose, California.
There are a number of attractions to see, fun to be had, places to go, and stuff to do that could make your trip to San Jose, California one to remember.
Out of the numerous potential places to visit in San Jose, California, we have narrowed down the absolute best of the parks, attractions, and historical landmarks located there.
This guide should help you answer the question of what to do in San Jose.
Table of Contents
1. Winchester Mystery House
![google tour san jose Winchester Mystery House](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Winchester-Mystery-House.jpg)
Winchester Mystery House
San Jose’s Winchester Mystery House was built in 1884 by Sarah Winchester, the widow of the Winchester Rifle magnate William Winchester.
Originally, it reached seven stories in height; however, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake did some damage. The house now stands at four stories.
During a total of the home’s 38 years of construction, Sarah’s belief that the house was haunted by those who had been killed by a Winchester rifle led her to have her house built without the direction of an architect.
As such, there are numerous peculiarities in the construction such as stairways and doors leading nowhere.
The house has 40 bedrooms, but only one working bathroom. She believed that these steps she was taking during construction served to confuse the spirits.
The house now serves as a popular San Jose’s tourist attraction.
On the premises of the Winchester compound sits the American Fire Arms Museum.
Learn the history of the Winchester rifle through exhibits and displays of the rifles throughout history.
Address: 525 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose, CA 95128, USA
2. Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
![google tour san jose Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Rosicrucian-Egyptian-Museum.jpg)
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
San Jose’s Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is a magnificent museum that is constructed in the architectural style favored by the ancient Egyptians to give you an immersion in their culture.
It also houses the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in the western United States.
There is also a planetarium on the premises that has shows on the weekends.
You shouldn’t visit San Jose without spending some time in Ancient Egypt.
Address: 1660 Park Ave, San Jose, CA 95191, USA
3. San Jose Museum of Art
![google tour san jose San Jose Museum of Art](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/San-Jose-Museum-of-Art.jpg)
San Jose Museum of Art
The San Jose Museum of Art has an impressive permanent collection of works from West Coast artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
There is a historic wing that was originally built in 1892 for the San Jose Post Office which was used for until 1937.
From 1937 to 1969, the building was used as the City of San Jose Public Library.
It was acquired by the Fine Arts Gallery Association and the new wing of the museum opened in 1991.
This is one of the only museums to focus on West Coast artists.
Address: 110 S Market St, San Jose, CA 95113, USA
4. Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph
![google tour san jose Interior of Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph Church](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Interior-of-Cathedral-Basilica-of-St.-Joseph-Church.jpg)
Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph
Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph was originally a small adobe church built for the benefit of the settlers as opposed to the native Indians.
Construction began in 1803 in the town originally called El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe.
Earthquakes in 1818 and 1822 damaged the original structure beyond repair, and a second adobe church was built to replace it beginning in 1835.
The second church was also damaged by a major earthquake in the 1868 Hayward Earthquake.
The third church was built in 1869 only to be destroyed by a fire in 1875.
A fourth temporary structure was built a few blocks away.
The fifth and final building is the magnificent Basilica that stands today.
Construction began in 1876 and the church was finally granted Basilica status by the Vatican in 1997.
The stained glass windows alone make this one of the most beautiful places in California .
Address: 80 S Market St, San Jose, CA 95113, USA
5. Tech Museum of Innovation
![google tour san jose Tech Museum of Innovation](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Tech-Museum-of-Innovation.jpg)
Tech Museum of Innovation
The Tech Museum of Innovation is great for the entire family.
It is meant to give the visitor a taste of computing technology being brought to life within the walls of the various Silicon Valley companies.
It is also meant to inspire future generations to meet and exceed today’s technology.
This museum used to be housed in a garage before relocating to it’s current 132,000 square foot home due to its popularity.
The interactive nature of the museum makes this attraction one of the top places to visit while you’re in San Jose.
While you are there, make sure you pop into the IMAX theater to watch their current offering.
The view-screen is eight stories high for a truly unique experience, and one of your best activities in San Jose, California.
Address: 201 S Market St, San Jose, CA 95113, USA
Planning to visit other areas of California? Be sure to check out our lists of things to do in Orange County & things to do in San Diego !
6. Alum Rock Park
![google tour san jose Alum Rock Park in San Jose](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Alum-Rock-Park-in-San-Jose.jpg)
Alum Rock Park
Alum Rock Park is the oldest municipal park in California. It has 13 miles of biking and walking trails of varying difficulty.
From 1891 to 1901, access to the park came in the form of a Narrow Gauge Railroad that originated in downtown San Jose.
The park boasts scenic views of Silicon Valley, a visitor’s center, a small museum, and picnic and play areas.
Parking access is free and is the perfect destination for a relaxing family day with plenty of stuff to do.
Address: 15350 Penitencia Creek Rd, San Jose, CA 95127, USA
7. Children’s Discovery Museum
![google tour san jose Children's Discovery Museum, San Jose](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Childrens-Discovery-Museum-San-Jose.jpg)
Children’s Discovery Museum
The Children’s Discovery Museum is one of the top ten children’s museums in the United States.
Since it’s doors opened in 1990, it has provided interactive educational entertainment to over 6 million visitors.
It is one of the most popular places to go in San Jose, California.
The museum’s unique BioSITE program provides action-science education focused on environmental responsibility.
The museum’s Discovery Youth program provides fifth through twelfth graders a sampling of technology from the neighboring Silicon Valley.
The museum was primarily funded by the generous donations of Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer.
Address: 180 Woz Way, San Jose, CA 95110, USA
8. Kelley Park
![google tour san jose walled section of Kelley Park in San Jose](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/walled-section-of-Kelley-Park-in-San-Jose.jpg)
Kelley Park
You can spend an entire day at Kelley Park . With 156 acres of stuff to do, you can enjoy gardens, the park’s trails, the zoo, and museums.
Kelley Park is the home of the Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, Japanese Friendship Garden, San Jose History Park, Viet Museum, and Portuguese Historical Museum among other historical societies.
Planning a road trip around California? You’re going to love our lists detailing out the best things to do in Santa Barbara & the top things to do in Monterey !
Happy Hollow Park and Zoo
![google tour san jose Entrance to Happy Hollow Park and Zoo](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Entrance-to-Happy-Hollow-Park-and-Zoo.jpg)
Happy Hollow Park and Zoo sits on 16 acres within Kelley Park, and encompasses a zoo and amusement park providing your family with plenty of things to see.
The amusement park attractions are geared towards younger children and toddlers, and the puppet theater is a unique addition.
A petting zoo and education center round out the offerings.
The Happy Hollow Zoo is a fully accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and holds a special place in the heart of California.
Japanese Friendship Garden
![google tour san jose Japanese Friendship Garden in Kelley Park](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Japanese-Friendship-Garden-in-Kelley-Park.jpg)
The Japanese Friendship Garden is spread out over six acres, and is symbolic of the friendship between San Jose and its sister city of Okayama, Japan.
The gardens include three ponds fully stocked with koi, a traditional tea house, cherry trees, and a Pagoda.
This peaceful retreat is hidden behind walls on the Kelley Park property and is intended to be a mirror image of the famous Korakuen Gardens in Okayama, Japan.
History Park
![google tour san jose History Park in San Jose's Kelley Park](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/History-Park-in-San-Joses-Kelley-Park.jpg)
History Park / Anna Fox / flickr
The San Jose History Park is a park within a park. San Jose history is depicted throughout this indoor/outdoor museum via the replica buildings of old San Jose.
Included are:
- replica firehouse
- blacksmith shed
- migrant cabins
- Santa Ana One Room School House
- replica homes of early Santa Clara Valley Settlers
- post office
- the Viet Museum
- the Portuguese Historical Museum
- Pelham Collection of Early Electronics
- Hellenic Heritage museum
- and other historical buildings
For a true taste of San Jose history and one of the best things to do in San Jose, make a visit to Kelley Park.
Address: 1300 Senter Rd, San Jose, CA 95112, USA
Planning a road trip around California? Be sure to check out our list of things to do in Sacramento ! & things to do in Los Angeles !
9. San Jose Heritage Rose Garden
![google tour san jose San Jose Heritage Rose Garden](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/San-Jose-Heritage-Rose-Garden.jpg)
San Jose Heritage Rose Garden / Malcolm Manners / flickr
No trip to San Jose would be complete without a visit to the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden .
A Heritage Rose is one that has been bred for many years, sometimes centuries.
At the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden, you will encounter over 3,600 different rose bushes representing more than 2,700 different varieties.
While most of these varieties originated in Europe, there are many here that were discovered in the gardens of older homes, old cemeteries, and some actually discovered alongside a dirt road.
The San Jose Heritage Rose Garden is maintained by a loyal army of volunteers with all gardening materials financed by the City of San Jose.
Public admission to the garden is free, but donations are always welcome, and if you want to volunteer, they can always use the help.
Address: 438 Coleman Ave, San Jose, CA 95110, USA
10. San Jose Flea Market
![google tour san jose San Jose flea market](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/San-Jose-flea-market.jpg)
San Jose Flea Market
The San Jose Flea Market has been a local hotspot for the past 59 years.
It has a number of restaurants and alleys and aisles of everything you could possibly imagine. From jewelry to stereo equipment to books.
There are pony rides, a carousel, and a small Ferris wheel to keep the kids busy while you wander around and view the substantial offerings.
There is something for the entire family, complete with free live music on the weekends. Admission is free with paid parking.
Address: 1590 Berryessa Rd, San Jose, CA 95133, USA
Going on a road trip around California soon? Be sure to read our awesome lists of things to do in Palm Springs & things to do in Long Beach !
11. New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum
![google tour san jose New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/New-Almaden-Quicksilver-Mining-Museum.jpg)
New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum
The Almaden Quicksilver Mine is the oldest and most productive mercury mine in history.
The mining operations of 135 years are chronicled at this museum.
While the mine itself is closed down, there are many historical structures left at the site.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the rich history of mercury mining.
Address: 21350 Almaden Rd, San Jose, CA 95120, USA
12. Japantown
![google tour san jose Buddhist Temple in JapanTown](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Buddhist-Temple-in-JapanTown.jpg)
Japantown , San Jose is one of the last three Japantown cultural communities in the United States.
It is also one of the best, and definitely worth spending a whole day there.
This 125-year-old community offers some of the best authentic Japanese restaurants, theaters, art galleries, and shops in the country.
Immerse yourself in Japanese culture for the day.
Address: Japantown, San Jose, CA 95112, USA
13. Hayes Mansion
![google tour san jose Hayes Mansion](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Hayes-Mansion.jpg)
Hayes Mansion
Whether you go just for the beautiful architecture or if you are lucky enough to score a room there, the Hayes Mansion should not be missed.
This historic mansion is actually built in 1906 in the general layout of a Maltese Cross with a long center section that houses a solarium.
The architecture is that of a Mediterranean Villa and is 41,000 sq ft. The property used to boast its own Post Office, Railway station, and power plant.
Today, it is a luxury hotel with over 200 guest rooms.
Address: 200 Edenvale Ave, San Jose, CA 95136, USA
14. Great America Amusement Park
![google tour san jose Great America Amusement Park](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Great-America-Amusement-Park.jpg)
Great America Amusement Park
San Jose’s Great America Amusement Park was first established in 1976.
Currently under the control of Cedar Fair, the park sits on 100-acres and is considered the premier amusement park for Northern California.
The roller coasters range from the Gold Striker that is considered the new standard when it comes to wooden coasters, to the newest addition, the Rail Blazer which has an innovative design unlike any other coaster in the world.
Thrill rides, family rides, carnival games and Boomerang Bay, a water park, give the family lots to do.
For the littlest visitors, Planet Snoopy offers rides, shows, playgrounds, and a meet and greet with all your favorite Charlie Brown characters.
The park is only open seasonally, so plan accordingly if a Great America day fits into your travel itinerary.
Great America Amusement Park is located adjacent to Levi Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers football team.
Address: 4701 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA
15. Museum of Quilts & Textiles
![google tour san jose San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/San-Jose-Museum-of-Quilts-Textiles.jpg)
Museum of Quilts & Textiles / Ali Eminov / flickr
A loving celebration of the art of quilting and textiles can be found at San Jose’s Museum of Quilts & Textiles .
Exhibitions are both historic and contemporary and are changed every six to twelve weeks.
This San Jose museum celebrates the art of quilting with a collection of over 800 quilts, and celebrates textiles through the various innovative uses of cloth fibers throughout cultures and history.
There is also a research library with more than 500 books on quilting and textiles throughout history.
The first Friday of every month offers free admission from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm giving you the perfect excuse to go spend a fun and educational couple of hours while you’re visiting San Jose.
Address: 520 S 1st St, San Jose, CA 95113, USA
16. Bigfoot Discovery Museum
![google tour san jose Bigfoot Discovery Museum](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Bigfoot-Discovery-Museum.jpg)
Bigfoot Discovery Museum
Located 32 miles southwest of San Jose, the Bigfoot Discovery Museum is a must on your things to see list for believers of all ages.
There have been numerous sightings in the Santa Cruz Mountains over the years, and the Big Foot Research Project wants to hear all about it.
Stories, interviews, photos, and investigations are all kept in this two-room museum near the entrance to the Redwood National Forest.
Admission is free and owner Mike has stories to tell.
Address: 5497 Hwy 9, Felton, CA 95018, USA
17. Mount Hermon Adventures
![google tour san jose Mount Hermon Adventures](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Mount-Hermon-Adventures.jpg)
Mount Hermon Adventures
For a truly unique outdoor adventure, Mount Hermon Adventures is most definitely one of the fun things to do in San Jose.
Located under the canopy of magnificent and ancient Redwood Trees, they are famous for their aerial courses and zip lining.
The park is well known in the area for team building, and a day spent at Mount Hermon Adventures will prove both fun and educational.
Mount Hermon Adventures is an important part of the Redwood Forest along the Santa Clara coast.
They are just a few miles outside of San Jose and the minimum age to participate is 10-years-old. Their zip line is considered the best in the state.
Address: 17 Conference Dr, Felton, CA 95018, USA
18. Mountain Winery
![google tour san jose Mountain Winery](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Mountain-Winery.jpg)
Mountain Winery / rocor / flickr
Formerly known as the Paul Masson Wineries, the Mountain Winery is well known for its wine tasting and for its outdoor theater that hosts numerous concerts throughout the year.
The winery itself is a historical site. They are now best known for their summer concert series.
Enjoy a night out with dinner at a show. Starting with a 3-course gourmet meal at La Cresta Restaurant followed by music provided by both classic bands and modern superstars.
For something different, you can experience the Wine Deck and enjoy wine selections paired with a selection of cheese and charcuterie or upgrade that selection to a seafood feast.
Both the restaurant and the wine deck are only open on concert nights and reservations are recommended. Truly one of the best things to do.
Address: 14831 Pierce Rd, Saratoga, CA 95070, USA
19. Villa Montalvo
![google tour san jose Villa Montalvo Art Center](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Villa-Montalvo-Art-Center.jpg)
Villa Montalvo
Also just outside San Jose in the Santa Cruz Mountains lies the Montalvo Arts Center . This cultural center and park surround the mansion, which is a historic landmark.
There are a number of hiking trails as well as a number of gardens filled with elaborate marble statues and several different garden structures.
The mansion itself is primarily used for weddings and other events but the property as a whole is definitely worth the trip and should make its way on to your list of places to visit.
Address: 15400 Montalvo Rd, Saratoga, CA 95071, USA
20. San Jose McEnery Convention Center
![google tour san jose San Jose McEnery Convention Center](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/San-Jose-McEnery-Convention-Center.jpg)
San Jose McEnery Convention Center / Marc Kubischta / flickr
Located in the center of downtown, the San Jose McEnery Convention Center sponsors numerous events throughout the year.
From Auto shows to ComiCon, there is always something going on there.
This 550,000 square foot structure has resident art displays outside the entrance on San Carlos Street including the tile mural project and the interactive sculpture called The Idea Tree.
If there doesn’t happen to be a convention or show that piques your interest, a short visit to the mural and Idea Tree should be a part of the trip.
Address: 408 Almaden Blvd, San Jose, CA 95113, USA
21. Los Gatos Creek Trail
![google tour san jose Los Gatos Creek Trail](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Los-Gatos-Creek-Trail.jpg)
Los Gatos Creek Trail
Many visitors believe that no trip is complete without enjoying some of the trails at local parks.
One of the favorite destinations for mountain biking is the Los Gatos Creek Trail .
There is even a trail in the works in downtown San Jose which will take the biking enthusiast directly to the Los Gatos Creek Trail as well as other local trails.
Los Gatos Creek Trail offers 9.7 miles of biking and pedestrian trails for hours of family fun.
22. San Pedro Square Market
![google tour san jose San Pedro Square Market](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/San-Pedro-Square-Market.jpg)
San Pedro Square Market / Dion Hinchcliffe / flickr
San Jose’s San Pedro Square Market has a great selection of restaurants for a long leisurely lunch outdoors or a gourmet dinner.
There is live music 6 nights a week, and most restaurants are open until 9:00 pm.
San Pedro Square is also home to an important piece of San Jose history.
El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe was the first city founded in the Californias in 1777.
The Peralta Adobe House , built in 1797, is the last remaining structure from the original Pueblo.
The Peralta House can be toured by appointment only.
The Fallon House is another historic landmark in San Jose.
Thomas Fallon and his wife Carmel first moved to San Jose in 1855 and built their home shortly thereafter.
Their goal was to build the “grandest home in the county.” The house became the Italia hotel in 1900, and was acquired by the City of San Jose in 1990.
Like the Peralta House, the Fallon House can be toured by appointment only.
With the food, shopping, music, and history, the San Pedro Square Market is one of the best things to do in the downtown area of San Jose.
Address: 87 N San Pedro St, San Jose, CA 95110, USA
23. Santana Row
![google tour san jose Santana Row](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Santana-Row.jpg)
Santana Row
Santana Row is an exclusive area of West San Jose that is an upscale shopping, dining, and residential area.
This 42-acre area is called the “Village within a City,” and is home to 50 shops, 30 restaurants, and residential areas.
The architecture of the area is influenced by various European neighborhoods nicely complimented by beautifully appointed landscaping.
An important part of Santana Row is Park Valencia where live music and public events take place.
Whether you are after a burger from a chain or a gourmet dinner at one of the concept restaurants, Santana Row should be on your list.
Address: 377 Santana Row, San Jose, CA 95128, USA
24. Overfelt Gardens Park
![google tour san jose Chinese Cultural Garden; Overfelt Park](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Chinese-Cultural-Garden-Overfelt-Park.jpg)
Overfelt Gardens Park
Another day of fun things to do in San Jose includes a visit to Overfelt Gardens Park .
This 33-acre park includes trails, a fountain and a fragrance garden populated with various aromatic plants.
Three lakes provide habituate for various birds, reptiles, mammals, fish, and amphibians year around.
The California Wild Area of the park is covered in native wildflowers, brush, trees, and grasses.
In the southeast area of the park is the Chinese Cultural Garden complete with a Statue of Confucius.
Address: 2145 McKee Rd, San Jose, CA 95116, USA
25. Shoreline Lake Park
![google tour san jose Shoreline Lake Park](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Shoreline-Lake-Park.jpg)
Shoreline Lake Park
Located just off the scenic Skyline Blvd, Shoreline Lake Park should definitely be on your places to visit in San Jose.
Take the family for a day of fun that includes an 18-hole golf course, miles of both paved and unpaved trails, a wildlife refuge, and a fun aquatic center that offers rentals of sailboats, windsurfers, kayaks, canoes, pedal boats, and rowboats.
There is also a wildlife refuge on the site.
Address: 3160 N Shoreline Blvd, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
26. Skyline Boulevard
![google tour san jose Cars driving on Skyline Boulevard](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Cars-driving-on-Skyline-Boulevard.jpg)
Skyline Boulevard
Skyline Boulevard is one of the most scenic drives in Northern California and possibly the entire state.
Also known as State Route 35, this two-lane highway runs along the ridge by the Santa Cruz Mountains from San Francisco south.
It goes through Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Jose, and San Mateo. It offers incredible views of the Redwoods, the Pacific Ocean, and San Francisco Bay.
During the winter, snow at the higher elevations draws families out for fun in the snow.
There are numerous protected open space areas that can be accessed along the way. Skyline Boulevard is also a favorite for Mountain Bikers and offers trails of all sizes.
It is truly another one of those free and fun things to do in California .
Planning a road trip around California soon? You need to check out our lists of things to do in Santa Cruz & the best things to do in Santa Monica !
27. Computer History Museum
![google tour san jose Computer History Museum](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Computer-History-Museum.jpg)
Computer History Museum
What would a visit to San Jose and the Silicon Valley region be if there wasn’t a Computer History Museum ?
Originally a part of the now defunct Digital Equipment Corporation, the museum moved to the Silicon Valley area in 1996.
This San Jose icon is one of the great places to visit is said to have the largest collection of computer artifacts in the world.
The exhibits and collections are updated regularly as additions such as the IBM exhibit and most recently the donations of source code by Adobe and Microsoft.
The museum is open daily, and there are family tours available every Saturday.
Make sure you check to make sure they are open because private events will close the museum to the public.
Address: 1401 N Shoreline Blvd, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
28. San Jose City Hall
![google tour san jose San Jose City Hall](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/San-Jose-City-Hall.jpg)
San Jose City Hall
The current San Jose City Hall is the sixth building to carry that title throughout history.
It is a masterpiece of postmodern architecture, and definitely should be one of your chosen places to visit while you are in San Jose.
Address: 200 E Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113, USA
29. SAP Center
![google tour san jose SAP Center building](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SAP-Center-building.jpg)
Home of the San Jose Sharks NHL Hockey Team, the SAP Center is considered one of the best places to attend an event.
The SAP Center in San Jose is also home to numerous other concerts and events. In 2012 and 2016, the USA Olympic Gymnastics Trials took place there.
There are several Mixed Martial Arts events that take place there regularly. Make sure you check the calendar to see which blockbuster concerts are scheduled there.
There is almost always something happening at the SAP Center, and your trip to San Jose, California could well include one of these events.
Address: 525 W Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113, USA
30. Raging Waters Water Park
![google tour san jose Raging Waters](https://www.busytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Raging-Waters.jpg)
Raging Waters Water Park / DebMomOf3 / flickr
Everyone turns into a kid for the day when there is a big beautiful Water Park around.
Raging Waters is the largest water park in Northern California, and offers 23 acres of family fun.
If you visit San Jose, California during the summer, cooling off for the day at Raging Waters should be part of your plans.
Address: 2333 S White Rd, San Jose, CA 95148, USA
Travel Tips
When traveling in the San Jose area, you will be best off with access to a rental car.
While most of the attractions are within the city itself, there are several important attractions that will require you to drive.
While in the area, it would be a shame not to venture out to visit parts of San Francisco , the Redwood Forest, or Yosemite National Park.
San Jose can be a convenient starting point for these excursions.
Several of the things to do in San Jose are reliant on what season you choose to visit.
While the climate is similar to that found in the Mediterranean, if you choose to travel in the Santa Cruz Mountains or into Yosemite, you will most likely run into snow.
If you are flying into the area, one of the travel hacks of note is that you can actually find better deals flying into San Jose Airport than you would flying into either San Francisco or Oakland .
Hotels in this area can get expensive. There are 492 hotels in San Jose and prices can be found for $68 a night if you look carefully.
If you are looking for luxury, there are a number of hotels that can accommodate you in that as well.
Start Planning Your Trip To San Jose
It is said that in order to truly appreciate San Jose, you need to view it as a local would.
As such, many of the top itinerary selections include locations that are important to the history, important to the area and places where the locals like to go.
No matter how short or long of a time spent visiting San Jose, your time will not be wasted.
This historical city offers attractions, education, and fun to children and adults alike.
After learning all about the West Coast, if you choose to make your next vacation destination on the East Coast, you might want to consider Gainesville in Florida .
Visit Googleplex: A Comprehensive Tour Of Google's Headquarters
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More Information About Visiting Googleplex
If one is interested in the great modern tech companies of the world, then consider popping in and visiting their headquarters in Silicon Valley. Many of them are based in the Bay Area and some have visitor centers, while others are closed to the public. It is possible to walk around Google's headquarters and see how one of the largest and most innovative companies in the world plans its workspace. Many people would love to have a Googleplex tour and see a Google Visitor Center.
Google is a company that needs no introduction, its Google Maps are also some of the best in the world for navigating - regardless of the country one is in. Google tries to be an innovative and fun company that people would want to work for. While using Google Maps or other Google services, keep an eye out for Google's humorous Easter Eggs.
UPDATE: 2023/04/30 16:46 EST BY AARON SPRAY
Googleplex is one of the most notable complexes in Silicon Valley today. Googleplex is the dynamic headquarters of Google (Alphabet) and visiting facilities are subject to change. This article was updated and expanded with more information about visiting Googleplex and if there are any Googleplex tours or a Google Visitor Center to explore.
What To Know About Google's Headquarters - Googleplex
Googleplex is the name of Google's corporate headquarters and is located at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway in Mountain View, California. It is the home of the search giant's parent company, Alphabet Inc.
- Location: 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View
- Area: Spread Out Over 12 Acres
- Parent Company: Alphabet Inc.
- NYC Office: At 111 Eighth Avenue
At 2 million square feet of office space, Googleplex is Google's second-largest office space complex after its building at 111 Eighth Avenue in New York City.
The name of the headquarters takes its name from "Google" and "Complex" - i.e. a complex of buildings. It is also a reference to Google's name - "googolplex" impossibly high number large number 10(10100), or 10googol.
- "Googolplex": 10(10100), or 10googol
Googleplex is on the site that was previously used by Silicon Graphics (SGI) - some of their properties were purchased by Google in 2006 for $319 million.
Related: The Biggest Mistakes Tourists Make In New York City (And How To Avoid Them)
Facilities And Attractions At Googleplex
The complex is a sprawling one and covers a large area. The buildings are not high rise and are of relatively low height.
Inside can be trippy and the lobby boasts a piano and a projection of current live Google search queries. One can find a dinosaur skeleton there and a replica of SpaceShipOne. The purpose of the T-Rex skeleto n (with twirling flamingos) is a reminder to its employees (called Googlers) to stay relevant and not become dinosaurs.
Built with an eye to a more relaxed vision of workspace, Googleplex offers free laundry rooms, two small swimming pools, volleyball courts, and eighteen cafeterias.
- T-Rex Skeleton: On Display In Googleplex - The Main Building
- Cafeterias: Eighteen Cafeterias With Diverse Menus
- Employee Facilities: Include Access To Fitness Classes, Massages, A 24/7 Gym, An On-Site Doctor, Dry-Cleaning Facilities, Cafeterias
Around 3 miles or 5 kilometers away from the main Googleplex headquarters is another large campus called "The Quad". It is located in Mountain View at 399 N Whisman Road.
Related: 20 Surprising Things About Times Square Tourists Should Know
Visiting Google's Googleplex
"While visitors can visit the grounds, they are not permitted inside the buildings unless they are escorted by a Google employee. The company doesn’t run tours." CNBC
Unfortunately, the buildings are not open to the public. Visiting the complex, one will find it to be more of a campus than an office building. Google doesn't run tours as such.
To get from one side of the campus to the other, Google supplies its employees with free colorful “G Bikes.”
Attractions and Instagramming spots include a sculpture garden featuring various Android statues, one for each version of Android. The Android statues are all named after sweets and candies - there's a cupcake, donut, ice-cream sandwich, KitKat, gingerbread, and honeycomb.
- Android Statues: One Of The Main Instagramming Attractions at Googleplex
In 2018 Google was pushing forward with plans to expand and build massive new buildings that would include more than 10,000 square feet of publicly accessible areas. Those areas include retail space, cafes, or other amenities located in the middle of the building.
There was a retail store called Google Merchandise Store located at 1981 Landings Drive, but that closed. Instead, one can shop online .
Another Silicon Valley tech giant to visit is Apple's, Apple Park . While the main building and campus are closed to the public, they do have a visitor center with a cafe. There are not really any specific Googleplex tours, but if one would like a tour of Silicon Valley in general, there are options for that.
Silicon Valley: Self-Driven Audio Tour for Technology Lovers is a tour that enables one to discover the modern world's birthplace on a self-driven tour in Silicon Valley. One will see the headquarters of tech giants like Facebook and Amazon, and explore tech headquarters open to visitors, like Google’s Googleplex.
Are There Googleplex Tours & A Google Visitor Center?
Previously it was possible to explore the visitor center with an escort. People needed to contact the Google Public Affairs team in advance to arrange an escort, but Google seems to have discontinued that now.
The Google Visitor Center was a great way to learn about the history of Google and see some of its early products. The visitor center was set up more as a museum complete with a replica of the original Google search engine. The entrance ticket was $17.50 and offers a behind-the-scenes tour into some of the buildings of the complex - including Googleplex.
However, as of 2023, it seems that the Google Visitor Center is permanently closed and Googleplex tours are no longer offered.
Still, people can visit Googleplex and see the 100 buildings in its sprawling campus at Mountain View and Sunnyvale. Check out the Google Merchandise Store at 1674 N Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA and buy shirts, hats, cups, and other Google, YouTube, and Android branded merchandise.
Visitors are still able to wander around the campus and see Stand the T-Rex, ride colorful bikes, etc. Take the time to snap some Instagram photos with the Android lawn statues. After visiting Silicon Valley, take the time to visit the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
Next: 10 Destinations For All Of Us Obsessed With Technology (10 Where We Can Escape It)
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Home » Travel Guides » United States » California (CA) » 55 Best Things to Do in San Jose (CA)
55 Best Things to Do in San Jose (CA)
Two hundred and forty years after it was founded by the Spanish, the first city in the California is the diverse, futuristic and prosperous “Capital of Silicon Valley”. Tech giants like PayPal, Cisco Systems, eBay and Acer are all part of the scenery, and the likes of Apple, Intel, Microsoft and Amazon aren’t far away.
San Jose’s buying power is hard to miss in its soaring rents, luxury malls, sports venues, dining scene and burgeoning cultural choice.
Here on the South Bay you can also set a course for the Diablo and Santa Cruz ranges, for stargazing at the Lick Observatory and to watch the ocean of twinkling lights as the sun sets on the Santa Clara Valley.
Life in San Jose is infused with technology, on the ultramodern VTA light rail, at interactive museums, on the campuses of tech giants and even the city’s movie festival, Cinequest, championing virtual reality.
1. Downtown San Jose
![google tour san jose Downtown San Jose, CA](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_422181775-1.jpg)
San Jose condenses a whole city’s worth of culture, entertainment, dining, sightseeing and nightlife into just a few blocks bookended by the Guadalupe River and San Jose State University.
It would take you minutes to get across this dynamic district on foot, but there are more places to eat and drink (250+) than you could squeeze into a whole month, and a big chunk of the attractions listed below, from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library to the San Jose Improv, are downtown .
The geographical center is Plaza de César Chávez, a meeting place with public art, flowerbeds and fountains, and the main stage for one of country’s top jazz festivals in August.
2. Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
![google tour san jose Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_625498190.jpg)
Looking like an Ancient Egyptian settlement, with a Moorish-style planetarium thrown in, Rosicrucian Park is on a whole city block in San Jose’s Rose Garden neighborhood.
The complex goes back to the 1920s and now has a temple for the Rosicrucian order, a Rosicrucian labyrinth, a research library, alchemy exhibit and alchemy garden.
But what pulls in more than 100,000 people a year is the Egyptian museum, in a building modeled on Karnak’s Temple of Amon.
It holds the largest array of Ancient Egyptian artifacts in Western North America, starting in pre-dynastic times more than 5000 years ago and running to the start of the Islamic era.
The museum has gathered some 4,000 pieces, and as you’d guess the mummies arouse the most fascination, but there’s also jewelery, sculpture, ritual objects, writing materials, toiletries, textiles, tools and vessels, and some absorbing pieces from Assyria and Babylonia.
3. Winchester Mystery House
![google tour san jose Winchester Mystery House](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1101740822.jpg)
When the gun magnate William Wirt Winchester passed away in 1881, he left a hefty fortune to his widow Sarah Winchester (1839-1922), which over the next 40 years she ploughed into one of the most peculiar buildings in the United States.
In a Late Victorian and Queen Anne styles, the Winchester Mystery House is an ornate, tile-clad muddle of gables, chimneys, conical towers and finials, with no logical plan.
This sense of disorder, and the countless deaths at the barrels of Winchester repeating rifles, may be the source of ghost stories going back to the earliest days of construction.
When Sarah died work stopped forever, but there are 161 rooms at the Winchester Mystery House, with 40 bedrooms, two ballrooms and more than 10,000 individual panes of glass.
In the Escher-esque interior, doors open onto walls and stairways lead to sealed ceilings.
The estate has been open for tours since 1923, amazing visitors with its blend of beautiful and just plain bizarre.
Book online : Winchester Mystery House Tour
4. The Tech Interactive
![google tour san jose The Tech Interactive, San Jose](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ccimage-shutterstock_17744467.jpg)
Silicon Valley is the place to be if you’re curious about how technology is changing our daily lives.
And just as you’d want from an attraction in San Jose, The Tech Interactive is kitted out with gadgets, gizmos, robots, virtual reality and innovative hands-on craziness.
For a quick summary, you can compose your own digital world at Reboot Reality, get clued up about Internet safety at Cyber Detectives and learn about the latest advances in biotechnology at the BioDesign Studio.
In 2019 Body Worlds Decoded began a long-term exhibition at the museum, using augmented reality and other emerging technologies to show real human bodies in a new light.
And always a show-stopper is the IMAX Dome Theater for the latest immersive presentations.
5. Children’s Discovery Museum
![google tour san jose Children's Discovery Museum, San Jose](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1107785198.jpg)
Technology also plays a part at this attraction for kids up to the age of ten.
Children’s Discovery Museum was inaugurated in 1990 and part funded by the Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak for whom the street, Wozniak Way is named.
Exhibits and programs here all help children understand the world through experience, interaction and inquiry.
They’ll get to dig for mammoth fossils, make gigantic bubbles, solve engineering problems with circles, role-play a healthy lifestyle at the Rainbow Market and investigate the textures, sights, sounds of an urban environment at the “Streets” exhibit.
Bill’s Backyard is a new outdoor playground, letting kids climb, build and dig as they learn about the natural world and where food comes from.
6. California’s Great America
![google tour san jose California's Great America](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/ccimage-shutterstock_1470247421.jpg)
Open from the end of March to December, California’s Great America has been around since 1976 and mixes thrill rides with the slides and pools of a waterpark at Boomerang Bay.
By 2019 there were nine rollercoasters at the park, and the headline was the wooden Gold Striker, opened in 2013. This reaches speeds of more than 50 mph on a 31.5-meter first drop that shoots you in to a tunnel more than 50 meters long.
Flight Deck meanwhile has zero-gravity barrel rolls, and the stalwart Demon, here since the park opened, is a steel coaster with four inversions.
The park caters to younger visitors at the Peanuts-themed Planet Snoopy, which opened in 2010 and has spinners, carousel, dodgems and the light Woodstock Express rollercoaster.
7. Santana Row
![google tour san jose Santana Row, San Jose](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_616226645.jpg)
To come to terms with Silicon Valley in the 21st century you could swing by this ever-growing mixed-use development south of the mammoth Westfield Valley Fair mall.
With its palms, oaks, fountains, musicians, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and restaurant terraces, Santana Row does feel like an organic neighborhood.
But none of this existed before the early-2000s, when it was all conceived as a “village within a city”, on more than 40 acres.
For shoppers there are boutiques, galleries and more than a few well-known retailers like Ted Baker, Sephora and H&M.
In between are some 30 restaurants, bars and cafes, and the six-screen CinéArts Santana Row, playing arthouse, foreign movies and documentaries in high-tech auditoriums.
8. Happy Hollow Park and Zoo
![google tour san jose Happy Hollow Park and Zoo](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_685366918.jpg)
A complete day out for kids, Happy Hollow Park and Zoo has animal enclosures, rides, a puppet theater and a fully-equipped animal hospital.
The attraction dates back to 1961, but came through a modern refit just over a decade ago.
Space is limited, so the zoo mostly keeps smaller animals like meerkats, fossas, capybaras, guinea pigs, lemurs, macaws, owls and turtles.
A lot of research has gone into the zoo’s habitats to make them as humane and stimulating as possible, providing areas where animals can go “off exhibit” if they want.
Smaller kids will be thrilled by the puppet show and there’s a choice of amusement rides and attractions, such as the Pacific Fruit Express rollercoaster and Mini Putt-Putt.
And as for food, the Picnic Basket serves healthy options made with local and sustainable ingredients and using environmentally-friendly utensils.
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9. Intel Museum
![google tour san jose Intel Museum](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/ccimage-shutterstock_1339990805.jpg)
Out of all of Silicon Valley’s tech behemoths, the best visitor experience is offered by this preeminent semiconductor chip manufacturer.
It’s a must if you’ve ever wondered what goes on under the hood of your phone, laptop, tablet or desktop.
On a self-guided tour through the futuristic visitor center you get to explore technologies that give us new ways to communicate, work, learn and play.
You’ll see how Intel’s chips are made at an ultra-clean and fully-automated silicon factory, and find out about the evolution of the semi-conductor, and just how this technology works.
Plentiful interactive exhibits allow you to write your name in binary and try coding, and there are plenty of displays of early components and chips to show you how far we’ve come.
10. Municipal Rose Garden
![google tour san jose Municipal Rose Garden, San Jose](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1159062631.jpg)
San Jose’s award-winning rose garden was dedicated in 1937 on what used to be a prune orchard.
If you need an idea of just how pretty this spot is, it’s the prime location for many a graduation or wedding shoot.
In a formal arrangement around a circular fountain and basin are around 3,500 individual bushes from almost 200 different species.
The colors in spring are a delight, and if you’re here in the hotter months there are tall redwoods on the margins for shade.
This is an All-America Rose Selections (AARS) test garden, the only one of its kind in North America, and receives award-winning roses from the organization before they’re released to the public.
11. Alum Rock Park
![google tour san jose Alum Rock Park, San Jose](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_447431656.jpg)
Embedded in the Alum Rock Canyon at the foothills of the Diablo Range is the oldest municipal park in California, established back in 1872. Alum Rock Park is in 720 acres, with a beautiful mix of vegetation on the steep slopes of the valley.
The south-facing slopes bathed in the sun grow fragrant sagebrush, while on the cooler north sides are California bay laurel, and coast live oak, with white alder, western sycamore and big-leaf maple growing on the damper valley floor.
The terrain, granting heart-lifting vistas of the North Silicon Valley, can be traversed on foot, by bike or on horseback.
The valley is riddled with mineral springs (27 in all) rich in sulfur and magnesium, and drawing health tourists from the late-19th century to the 1930s.
Today’s visitors come for the rugged terrain, seasonal creek, far-off views, birding, picnic sites and barbecue puts.
12. Levi’s Stadium
![google tour san jose Levi's Stadium](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1469949533.jpg)
Humorously dubbed the Field of Jeans, the Levi’s Stadium has been home field for the San Francisco 49ers since its inaugural season in 2014. This 68,500-capacity stadium cost an estimated $1.3 billion, replacing the 49ers fog-shrouded Candlestick Park, and was the venue for Superbowl 50 when the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers.
In keeping with its location in Silicon Valley, the Levi’s Stadium became the first new stadium to receive a Gold LEED certificate for sustainability and even the wood fittings in its luxury suites are made from responsibly sourced bamboo.
There’s also a free Wi-Fi connection for every seat, and the mandatory globetrotting concessions, from curry to high-class steaks to fancy cocktails.
You can join a public tour if you want to go behind the scenes, while the 49ers Museum is open all day Friday to Sunday.
13. Los Gatos Creek Trail
![google tour san jose Los Gatos Creek Trail](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1147107095.jpg)
Setting off from Meridian Avenue on the edge of Downtown San Jose you can hike or cycle for almost ten miles south to the Lexington Reservoir in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains in Los Gatos.
The path is paved and easy to negotiate on foot or by bike, threading through a calm natural corridor mostly next to the Los Gatos Creek.
Traveling south from Downtown San Jose you’ll pass through the City of Campbell, land managed by the County of Santa Clara and the Town of Los Gatos.
A nice place to stop in Los Gatos, especially if you’re walking with children is the Vasona Lake County Park.
This offers mountain views, pedal-boating, kayaking, paddleboarding and the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad, a miniature railway that runs on weekends and during the school summer break.
14. History Park
![google tour san jose San Jose History Park](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ccimage-shutterstock_1838992357.jpg)
On the south end of Kelley Park you could be forgiven for wondering if you’ve stepped into a time warp.
History Park is presented like a town from the beginning of the 20th century, with 32 historic buildings and other landmarks that have been relocated to this free outdoor museum since it was set up in 1971. Together with houses raised for early settlers in the Santa Clara Valley, old-time amenities in History Park include a dentist’s office (with foot-powered drill!), a blacksmith shed, a functioning print shop, a post office, O’Brien’s Ice Cream Parlor, the Pacific Hotel, the trolley barn (with restored electric and horse-drawn trolley) and the Bank of Italy.
There’s a bit more life to the museum on weekends, when several of the buildings are staffed, and you can take a ride on an antique trolley.
15. Almaden Quicksilver County Park
![google tour san jose Almaden Quicksilver County Park](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_582195448.jpg)
This rambling hilly landscape in the south of San Jose is on the site of the New Almaden Mines, exploited for mercury from the early days of the Gold Rush in 1847 until as recently as 1976. Mercury was used to process gold ore, and, after 130 years, some 37,388 tons of the metal had been extracted from this ground.
What was once a town for more than 1,800 miners and their families is now 4,163 acres of hills climbing more than 500 meters above sea level and rich with wildflowers in early spring.
The county park is also strewn with subtle clues to its industrial history like crumbling housing and sealed adits.
There are 37 miles of hiking trails and picnic tables dotted at scenic spots.
Fishing is permitted at the Almaden and Guadalupe Reservoirs, but given the land’s mercury mining history, this fish is not to be eaten.
16. San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
![google tour san jose San Jose Center for the Performing Arts](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1243360681.jpg)
Still an eye-catching sight on Almaden Boulevard nearly 50 years after it was completed, the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts is the stage for two big local companies: Broadway San Jose and the San Jose Dance Theatre.
So there’s an enticing menu of performances by these resident companies at this 2,677 seat venue year-round.
In 2019-20 Broadway San Jose put on Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Riverdance and Waitress, while the pinnacle of the San Jose Dance Theatre’s calendar is the annual Christmas performances of The Nutcracker.
In between there are shows by Symphony Silicon Valley, touring musicals, famous comedians, major recording artists and children’s entertainment.
17. Japantown
![google tour san jose Japantown, San Jose](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ccimage-shutterstock_675639847.jpg)
One of three surviving Japantowns in the United States sits a little way north of Downtown San Jose.
This can be traced back to a neighborhood of boarding houses for Japanese migrant men in the 1880s.
By the early 20th century they were joined by “Picture Brides” (selected by matchmakers) and dozens of businesses were opened to serve the growing community.
Japantown was resettled following internment in World War II, and in the 21st century nearly a quarter of the people within a three mile radius of this neighborhood have Asian heritage.
You can swing by for spots like Shuei-Do Manju Shop, which sold manjū (sweet pastry) to Emperor Akihito in 1994. The Japanese American Museum chronicles Japanese immigration to America and the dark days of internment and there’s wonderful homemade tofu at the San Jose Tofu Company.
For a bite, one of the long-term residents is Kazoo, making sushi combos, katsu curry and noodles.
18. Avaya Stadium
![google tour san jose Avaya Stadium](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1385059637.jpg)
Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes have a fantastic home stadium set next to the airport.
Compact but perfectly planned, the Avaya Stadium (2015) seats 18,000 with a main tier that wraps around three sides of the field.
Like a classic European stadium this is extra steep, for better views and a ferocious atmosphere on game-days.
The north-east side has been left without a stand, and instead has the largest outdoor bar in the whole of North America, as well as a two-acre fanzone and a massive double video scoreboard.
The Earthquakes play 17 regular season games here from March to October, not including playoffs, exhibitions and U.S. Open Cup fixtures.
The franchise’s best years came in the early 2000s when they twice won the MLS Cup (2001 and 2003) and twice reached the quarter finals of the CONCACAF Champions’ League (2002 and 2004).
19. Cathedral Basilica of St Joseph
![google tour san jose Cathedral Basilica of St Joseph, San Jose](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_100683403.jpg)
A bold Renaissance Revival church in Downtown San Jose, the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose in California was consecrated in 1877. This is the fifth St Joseph’s Church, going back to 1803 when it was the site of the first parish in California built for the Spanish population rather than to convert Ohlone Indians.
On the Market Street facade is the impressive portico with fluted Corinthian columns and the Deo Optimo Maximo inscription in the frieze.
The interior is a marvel for its dome, the coffering on its vaults and the brilliant stained glass depicting saints, the Agony in the Garden, the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension.
In the 12 days before Christmas the basilica hosts the Season of Hope concert series, with important ensembles like the San Jose Symphonic Choir, San Jose Jazz All-Star Big Band and the California Philharmonic Youth Orchestra performing.
20. Willow Glen
![google tour san jose “Dancin’ On The Avenue” Festival, Willow Glen](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1115593898.jpg)
This walkable neighborhood of one-of-a-kind shops, picture perfect houses and sycamore-lined streets grew up independently of San Jose.
Willow Glen was first incorporated as a city in the 1920s to avoid the Southern Pacific Trunk Line being rerouted along its main drag, Lincoln Avenue, and was then annexed by San Jose in the 30s.
Even though it’s locked in a sprawling conurbation Willow Glen’s small-town feel is undeniable, shining through in its boutiques, vintage clothing stores, bookshops and specialty food shops.
In the space of a few blocks on Lincoln and Meridian Avenues you’ve got an inordinate amount of dining choices from pho to pizza, tacos, burgers, sushi and contemporary French (Black Sheep Brasserie) or Italian (Bertucelli’s La Villa Gourmet). If you’re around in mid-June Lincoln Avenue is in party mode for the one-day Dancin’ On the Avenue festival, taking over the main stretch between Willow Street and Minnesota Avenue.
21. Stanford University
![google tour san jose Stanford University](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_189691379.jpg)
The city-like campus (8,180- acres) of one of the most prestigious universities in the world is inside half an hour of downtown San Jose.
Stanford University hardly needs introduction, but has produced 83 Nobel laureates, scores of members of congress, 17 astronauts and a president, Herbert Hoover.
The founders of Google, Nike, Sun Systems, Electronic Arts and Hewlett-Packard all came through this august institution.
You can grab a map and tour the campus as you please, or join a student-led tour at 11:30 or 15:30. There’s much to see, like the Mission Revival and Romanesque Revival architecture of the Main Quad, the 87-meter Hoover Tower (1941) for a complete view of the campus and the first-rate Cantor Arts Center, which we’ll talk about next.
You can also see what’s on at one of Stanford’s performance venues, while the Anderson Collection deals with modern art.
Meanwhile and you can learn about Stanford’s most decorated teams and athletes at the Home of Champions.
22. Cantor Arts Center
![google tour san jose Cantor Arts Center](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1398680840.jpg)
Set up in 1891 at the same time as the university, the Cantor Arts Center reached its current scale in 1999 after a program of renovations and extensions in response to the Loma Prieta Earthquake ten years earlier.
It adopted the name of its main donors, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor and mixes contemporary architecture with its Neoclassical original building from 1891. More importantly, the Cantor Arts Center has collections that wouldn’t be out of place at the world’s top museums.
Comprising almost 40,000 objects, these come from a wealth of world regions and periods.
There’s photography by Warhol, decorative arts by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Mesoamerican ceramics and Native American, African and Oceanic/Indonesian artefacts.
But the museum’s greatest feature is the largest assemblage of sculpture by Auguste Rodin, outside of the Musée Rodin in Paris, running to more than 400 works, displayed inside and at the museum’s exceptional Rodin Sculpture Garden.
23. Computer History Museum
![google tour san jose Computer History Museum, Mountain View](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1398731423.jpg)
Since you’re in the world’s high technology hub you can go back to the dawn of the Information Age at this first-rate museum near the Googleplex in Mountain View.
The Computer History Museum has gathered more than 90,000 pieces – claimed to be the largest collection of computing artifacts in the world, counting hardware, source code, patent documents and even lab notebooks.
The fantastic “Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing” has firsthand accounts from world-changing innovators, together with early calculators, punched cards, analog computers, robots, mainframe computers and game consoles and much more.
When we wrote this list in November 2019 there were also exhibitions on the history of autonomous vehicles, the story behind world-changing applications like texting, car crash simulators and Wikipedia.
Finally the IBM 1401 Demo Lab (Wednesdays and Saturdays) brings the bustle of a business computer center from the late-1950s back to life.
Book online : Computer History Museum General Admission Ticket
24. SoFa District
![google tour san jose SoFa District, San Jose](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1241655376.jpg)
This culture, arts and entertainment enclave within downtown San Jose touts itself as “Silicon Valley’s Creative District”. The name means “South First Area” and along with chic cocktail bars and ultra-hip cafes is home to big venues and institutions like the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art and the Silicon Valley Symphony and Opera San José, based at the California Theatre.
On the first Friday of the month, the district’s shops, galleries, restaurants, museums and nightclubs participate in the South First Fridays art walk.
On the first Friday in June, South First Street is closed off to road traffic for the Subzero Festival, with live music, a beer garden and art vendors.
A long-term resident, pre-dating Silicon Valley is the Original Joe’s Italian restaurant, dating to 1956 and staffed with waiters in tuxedos.
25. California Theatre
![google tour san jose Orchestra](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ccimage-shutterstock_1177056070.jpg)
The main stage for the Silicon Valley Symphony and Opera San José is a beguiling landmark in the SoFa District.
It was completed in 1927 as a movie palace and vaudeville stage, and from the 70s was left abandoned for more than 30 years until a $75m restoration project by the Packard Humanities Institute in the early 2000s.
The theatre’s exuberant Jazz Age decor was brought back to life, with its profuse plateresque mouldings, stained glass chandeliers and Solomonic columns.
The venue is boutique in size, seating 1,119, which puts it among the world’s smallest opera houses.
Productions of Il Trovatore, The Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretel (Opera San José) and movie scores and works by Brahms, Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann (Symphony Silicon Valley) were on the menu in 2019-20. In March the California Theatre also hosts the annual Cinequest film festival, which we’ll bring up below.
26. San Jose Museum of Art
![google tour san jose San Jose Museum of Art](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ccimage-shutterstock_17744437.jpg)
The oldest wing of this museum off Plaza de César Chávez is a grand Romanesque Revival edifice, built as the San Jose post office in 1892 and serving as the city library between 1937 and 1969. Founded that year, the San Jose Museum of Art added a new wing in 1991. The focus here is on modern and contemporary West Coast artists, and the museum has put together a strong permanent collection of installation art, paintings, sculpture, drawing, photography and graphic art, by Dale Chuhuly, Milton Avery, Deborah Butterfield, Joan Brown, Richard Diebenkorn, Jim Dine, Robert Arneson and Frederick Spatt.
At any time there will be five concurrent temporary exhibitions, and on a formidable list of past shows are names like Catherine Wagner, Dinh Q.Lê, Woody de Othello, Diana al-Hadid and Robert Henri.
27. Excite Ballpark (San Jose Municipal Stadium)
![google tour san jose Baseball](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ccimage-shutterstock_1746846284.jpg)
Known until 2019 as the San Jose Municipal Stadium, this 4,200-capacity sports venue has been here since 1942. In its 80 or so years, the stadium has had 11 different tenants, the current being the Class A – Advanced team, the San Jose Giants.
The shared name with their more famous neighbors in San Francisco is no coincidence as this is a farm team for the MLB franchise.
The San Jose Giants have a history to be proud of, having lifted five Minor League titles between 2001 and 2010. And as a farm team, more than 190 MLB players have cut their teeth right here, including a few members of the SF Giants’ World Series-winning roster, like Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey and Jonathan Sánchez.
When it comes to food, you choose from churros, BBQ, nachos, funnel cake and of course hot dogs.
28. Rancho San Antonio Preserve
![google tour san jose Rancho San Antonio Preserve](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_12746743.jpg)
You can hike out into the Santa Cruz Mountains at this 3990-acre preserve and the 290-acre County Park attached to it.
Your walk will take you through a variety of ecosystems, all shaped by their orientation towards the sun or position on the range’s slopes.
Growing along creeks are willows and cottonwoods, and the shaded canyons have groves of big-leaf maples and bay trees.
Sunny south-facing slopes are scrubby and blanketed with manzanita, chamise and mountain mahogany, while oaks and bays grow in deep woodland on the north slopes.
Mountain lions (take sensible precautions), deer and bobcats all inhabit the preserve, in one of the last patches of Silicon Valley where native animals are free to roam.
For humans there are almost 30 miles of walking trails, with an elevation difference of more than 700 meters.
For an interesting break from hiking there’s the 150-year-old Deer Hollow Farm, which now has an educational role but continues to produce and sell eggs and fresh fruit.
29. Apple Park Visitor Center
![google tour san jose Apple Park Visitor Center](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1014527680.jpg)
Apple’s new landscaped campus in Cupertino was dreamed up by Steve Jobs, designed by Norman Foster and opened to its 12,000 employees in April 2017. Almost all of this workforce is employed in one ring-shaped solar-powered structure, larger than the Pentagon and praised as one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the world.
And while that strange edifice is off-limits for the public, there is a specially designed visitor center opposite.
As stylish as you’d imagine, the visitor center, couched in olive groves, has a 3D model of Apple Park using augmented reality to show off its design philosophy and many innovations.
Needless to say there’s an Apple store with exclusive merchandise, along with a cafe and roof terrace with the best view of Apple Park and its rolling woodland.
30. Mount Umunhum
![google tour san jose Mount Umunhum](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_681777763.jpg)
The fourth-highest peak in the Santa Cruz Range stands at more than 1,060 meters and is a convenient excursion from San Jose, for hikers craving a bit more of a challenge or drivers as the Mt Umunhum Road leads right to the top.
The summit had been closed to the public because of hazardous materials left over from the defunct Almaden Air Force Station, but the road and hiking trail were officially opened in 2017. Like its accompanying peaks, Mount Umunhum is a piece of oceanic crust and mantle from the Middle Jurassic period (up to 203 million years ago), converted into metamorphic serpentinite.
At the peak is a radar surveillance post, known as The Cube, built in 1962 to detect hostile aircraft in the Cold War.
Panoramas extend as far as Mount Hamilton and the Lick Observatory in the Diablo Range to the north-east and Mount Tamalpais, north of San Francisco.
There are interpretive displays informing you about these visible landmarks, as well as Mount Umunhum’s historic ties to the Ohlone Native American tribe.
31. San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
![google tour san jose San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ccimage-San_Jose_Museum_of_Quilts_26_Textiles-1024x680.jpg)
Unique in the United States when it opened in 1977, this museum celebrates the art, craft, creators and history of quilts and textiles.
The inventory exceeds 1,000 pieces, including quilts, textile-based art and clothing.
Some outstanding exhibits are a c.1830 mosaic quilt top made by Mary Taylor Lloyd Key (married to poet composer of the Star Spangled Banner, Francis Scott Key), scores of molas by the Kuna people of Panama’s San Blas Islands, quilts by notable 20th-century designers like Ernest Haight and Ruby McKim and a rare linsey-wooley whole cloth quilt from c.1820. The museum holds three short-term exhibitions at any time, and in late-2019 the standout was Know Your Meme.
This crowdsourced show explored the concept of Internet memes as a means of communication, translating them to media like quilting, cross-stitching, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, basketry and weaving.
32. Sikh Gurdwara Sahib
![google tour san jose Sikh Gurdwara Sahib](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ccimage-shutterstock_1990811591.jpg)
After a second phase was completed in 2011, this Gurdwara, right where eastern San Jose borders the Diablo Range, became the largest Sikh place of worship in North America.
In fact there’s no larger Gurdwara than this outside of Amritsar’s Harmandir Sahib in India.
Catering to Santa Clara Valley’s large and growing Sikh minority, the Gurdwara San Jose was first founded in 1984, moving onto this 40-acre property on the Evergreen Hills in 2004. From the fountain outside you can see right across the Silicon Valley, and the view is awesome at night.
In accordance with Sikh beliefs, everyone is welcome at the Gurdwara, which has translations in several languages throughout, explaining the temple (head-coverings are also provided). There’s also a langar (Sikh community kitchen), serving daily free meals to people from all walks of life in a shared space where everyone eats together.
33. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library
![google tour san jose Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1372681043.jpg)
The City of San Jose and the San Jose State University teamed up in the early-2000s to build an eight-story library to serve the city’s public and SJSU students.
As of 2010 this is still the largest library built in one phase in the entire Western United States.
During planning, the Houston conceptual artist Mel Chin was recruited to produce a series of artworks for the interior, titled “Recolecciones”. Entering the atrium, a digital display shows how many hundreds of millions of items the library system has loaned out since 2000. For families, the children’s section is a revelation, with LEGO, video games, movie screenings, storytimes and tons of other programs.
Serious academics will have access to the university’s research collections on floors 6 to 8, while on the first three floors you can make use of one of the public computer terminals.
34. Mission Santa Clara de Asís
![google tour san jose Mission Santa Clara de Asís](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_410311459.jpg)
This Spanish mission in Santa Clara goes back to the roots of European settlement in the Bay Area.
The expeditionary leader and future governor of the Province of Mexico Juan Bautista de Anza (1735-1788) was sent to this region by King Carlos III to lay down future settlements.
He set up a military enclave and mission in San Francisco, as well as a mission on the west bank of the Guadalupe River and the civilian settlement of San Jose on the east bank.
Dating to January 1777, Santa Clara de Asís was the eighth mission in California and is the only one to now be found on a university campus (Santa Clara University), which evolved from a college dating back to 1851. Given the short lifespan of adobe structures the church has been rebuilt a few times, most recently in 1929 following a fire.
Beside it are gardens on the site of the original cemetery (since relocated to 490 Lincoln Street), with an intact 18th-century adobe wall.
Captivating artifacts from this and other Californian missions are on display at the university’s de Saisset Museum opposite.
35. San Jose Improv
![google tour san jose Microphone](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ccimage-shutterstock_1017257791.jpg)
This historic theater in Downtown was taken over by The Improv chain in 2002, for wall-to-wall laughs Tuesday to Sunday.
There’s a busy schedule of A-list and upcoming stand-ups, sketch groups, open mics and live podcast recordings.
Combine that with an intimate ambience, great food and snazzy cocktails and you’re sure to have a good time.
Some picks from late-2019 were Cristela Alonso, Nicole Byer, Jay Mohr and Michael Blackson.
And as well as being the go-to for side-splitting humor, the building has a lot of history.
This is the oldest theater in the city, starting out in 1904 as the Jose Theater for vaudeville acts and stock companies.
In its early days it had a four-man orchestra, and its plush interior dates from an Art Deco makeover in 1933.
36. Moffett Field Historical Society Museum
![google tour san jose Moffett Field Historical Society Museum](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ccimage-shutterstock_462557830.jpg)
On the San Francisco Bay and traced by Silicon Valley giants like Yahoo!, Amazon and Google, is Moffett Federal Airfield, a civil-military airport that started out as a naval air station in 1931. From 1942 until the station closed in 1994 untold anti-submarine weapons and maritime patrol aircraft were developed at this site.
One early monument is Hangar One, built to house airships, and measuring a colossal 345 by 95 meters, while Hangars Two and Three, from the WWII era, are two of the largest freestanding wooden structures in the United States.
If you want the lowdown on this interesting place the historical society’s museum is open Wednesday to Saturday.
Awaiting you are black and white photos going back 90 years, detailed exhibits about Hangar One, silverware from the officers’ mess, Cold War anti-submarine technology, artifacts from blimps, aircraft electronics, aircraft cockpits, uniforms and much more than we can list here.
37. Japanese Friendship Garden
![google tour san jose Japanese Friendship Garden, San Jose](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_516485632.jpg)
In November 2019 this symbol of American-Japanese relations in Kelley Park was open but undergoing long-term repairs after the California floods of February 2017. Landscaped in 1965, the Japanese Friendship Garden is designed after the Korakuen Garden in San Jose’s sister city of Okayama, which also supplied the koi for its three main ponds.
You can forget the city for a hushed few minutes amid the garden’s ponds, tea house, stepping stones, bridges, waterfall and fastidiously tended shrubs, lawns and trees.
When the ponds are full they’re flocked by waterfowl like ducks and geese, but also the also the occasional great egret, easily spotted for its long slender neck.
38. Ames Research Center
![google tour san jose Ames Research Center](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1064241893.jpg)
As of 2019, the visitor center for NASA’s research facility in Silicon Valley is essentially a gift shop, but comes with a few exhibits worth your time.
One show-stopper is the gigantic blade from the Ames Research Center’s wind tunnel, measuring 24 by 37 meters.
The Mercury Redstone capsule is a 1950s test capsule preceding the Apollo missions, while there’s a moon rock, Martian steroid and a Lunar glove box to prevent contamination of samples during moon missions.
Also on show are full-size models of the Pioneer Venus Orbiter and an array of other historic satellites.
39. Downtown Campbell Farmers’ Market
![google tour san jose Farmers Market](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ccimage-shutterstock_206348365.jpg)
This farmers’ market is rated one of the best in the South Bay area and you can get there within ten minutes of downtown San Jose.
The market trades year-round on Sundays, 09:00-13:00, whatever the weather.
The only exceptions are mid-May and late-October for the Boogie Music Festival and Oktoberfest respectively.
Shop for eggs, honey, seasonal fruit and vegetables, cheese, fresh pasta, meat, flowers and many more organic options, right from the producer.
There will be plenty of vendors to tempt you with craft beer and Mexican food, all soundtracked by talented live musicians.
Downtown Campbell also has no lack of mom and pop, stores, cafes and restaurants to keep you around a little longer.
40. Emma Prusch Farm Park
![google tour san jose Emma Prusch Farm Park](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_701674735.jpg)
One for families with smaller children, this farm park was donated to the city in 1962 by the farmer Emma Prusch.
It was her wish that the land where she cultivated wheat and fruit be preserved to show San Jose’s agricultural heritage.
Now swallowed by urban East San Jose, the 42-park introduces a new generation to farm life at an animal yard, the handsome Prusch farmhouse, a rare fruit orchard, a deciduous orchard and the largest freestanding barn in San Jose (used by the 4-H and Future Farmers of America). There’s also space for picnics and flying kites, and the first Saturday in October is the farm’s free Harvest Festival.
On the agenda are hayrides, multicultural dance performances, fresh pressed apple cider, a 4-H animal expo and all sorts of other family fun.
41. Lick Observatory
![google tour san jose Lick Observatory](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1177874005.jpg)
The University of California runs this historic mountaintop observatory 1,238 meters above sea level in the Diablo Range east of San Jose.
Completed in 1887 this was the first permanently occupied observatory of its kind in the world, and was funded by the real estate investor James Lick, the wealthiest man in California at the time of his death in 1876. Some huge discoveries have been made at this facility, including four of Jupiter’s moons, a number of extrasolar planets and the near-earth asteroid (29075) 1950 DA.
Like a mountain village of white domes, the observatory commands an almost indescribable view of Silicon Valley, all the more beautiful at night when there’s an endless lattice of lights.
But you can also drive the long, winding road to visit Thursday-Sunday, when there are five free talks a day inside the dome of the 36-inch Great Refractor.
You can also get onto the gallery of the 3-meter Shane Reflector, installed in 1959.
42. San Jose City Hall
![google tour san jose San Jose City Hall](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_882001.jpg)
After more than 50 years in an office park, San Jose’s City Hall returned to Downtown at the two-block San José Civic Plaza.
This complex, costing almost $400m, was completed in 2005 and designed in a Postmodern style by Pritzker Prize-winner Richard Meier, of Getty Center fame.
In a departure from the flamboyant Beaux-Arts city halls in Oakland and San Francisco, the seat of government in San Jose evokes Le Corbusier and the International Style in the clean lines of its 18-story tower and the free-standing Rotunda next to it at the center of the plaza.
Looking like an observatory with its 30-meters, this space is rented out for private events but deserves a flying visit from the outside.
43. SAP Center
![google tour san jose SAP Center, San Jose](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ccimage-shutterstock_797429632.jpg)
It’s a given that the naming rights for San Jose’s NHL team should go to another computing giant.
The San Jose Sharks were born in 1991 and moved into the SAP Center two years later.
From fall to spring you can join 17,500 Sharks fans at the “Shark Tank” to see the team competing in the Western Conference.
The Sharks haven’t managed a Stanley Cup yet, but did take the conference and reach the final in 2015-16 with Peter DeBoer at the helm.
The SAP Center plays host to Disney on Ice, winter sports events, WWE, UFC and major artists (The Raconteurs, The 1975, Miranda Lambert and Louis Tomlinson in 2019-20). A new food concept called “Test Launch Kitchen” offers fans a constantly evolving food selection, with limited runs given to vendors for grilled cheese, chicken and waffles, fish tacos, cheesesteaks and BBQ.
44. San Pedro Square Market
![google tour san jose San Pedro Square Market](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1459059815.jpg)
An afternoon will fly by at this shopping and dining hangout in on a whole block in Downtown San Jose.
Food-wise, the advantage of a place like the San Pedro Square Market is that you can bring a group of friends and everyone can try something different, be it pasta, falafel, burgers, tacos, pho or pizza, paired with craft beer, inventive cocktails or artisanal coffee.
Sharing this space are vendors for fresh produce and handmade gifts, as well as a trendy barber shop and the Peralta Adobe, the oldest building in San Jose, dating to 1797. The market thrums with activity all week, hosting live music Thursdays to Sunday, trivia, karaoke and fun for children.
45. Westfield Valley Fair
![google tour san jose Westfield Valley Fair](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_751883122.jpg)
Silicon Valley’s astronomic wealth is encapsulated by places like Westfield Valley Fair, one of the largest malls in the country and with the highest sales volume in the state.
This luxury playground, straddling the San Jose-Santa Clara city line, was formed in 1986 when two post-war malls merged to create the Valley Fair Shopping Center.
In the last 30+ years this giant has not stopped growing, and in 2019 completed a $900m expansion, leaving it with almost 240 tenants.
It’s hard to know where to start, but if you’re here to splurge then look no further than the “luxury wing”, where Prada, Giorgio Armani, Versace and Louis Vuitton are all lined up in a row.
There are also brands that you’d hope to find in any large mall, like Sephora, Nordstrom, Gap, Levi’s, J. Crew, Claire’s, Zara, Banana Republic and the like.
Food is front and center, with an inexhaustible choice that includes staples like Subway, Cheesecake Factory and Starbucks, as well as 20+ options for Asian food alone.
46. Great Mall
![google tour san jose The Great Mall, Milpitas](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1106925260.jpg)
This mall, the largest indoor outlet center in Northern California, is on what used to be Ford’s San Jose assembly plant, manufacturing Mustangs and the like from 1955 to 1983. The expansive Great Mall opened for business a decade later and has just shy of 180 stores and services.
Not every tenant is an outlet, but there are factory stores for many big brands including Gap, Polo Ralph Lauren, Timberland, New Balance, Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Guess, Banana Republic, Bose, J. Crew, Old Navy and many more.
These are alongside regular branches of chains like GameStop, H&M and Foot Locker, a varied food court and a 20-screen Century Theatres multiplex.
47. Heritage Rose Garden
![google tour san jose Heritage Rose Garden](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ccimage-shutterstock_1053279809.jpg)
There’s a pocket of greenery at the north end of downtown, by the Guadalupe River opposite branches of Trader Joe’s and Target.
This is made up of several distinct spaces like the Guadalupe River Park, the Rotary PlayGarden, Guadalupe Gardens and Columbus Park.
But if you time your visit right (March-May), the best bit is the formal rose garden, growing 2,800 varieties of modern, heritage and miniature roses.
The Heritage Rose Garden was planted in 1995 and is maintained by dedicated volunteers.
If you stop by in January and February you’ll be in time for pruning season.
On Wednesday and Saturday mornings there will be an expert pruner teaching skills that you can put into practice at home.
Shears and leather gloves are provided.
48. Ed R. Levin County Park
![google tour san jose Ed R. Levin County Park](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_624176015.jpg)
Barely ten minutes on the road from Great Mall you’ll find yourself in the scenic Chaparral foothills of the Diablo Range.
What’s special about the Ed R. Levin County Park is the way it combines the facilities of an urban park, like fishing ponds, play areas and picnic sites, with the network of trails and panoramic scenery of California’s wilderness.
In more than 1,500 acres, the undulating grasslands and oak forest of this park aren’t difficult to hike, but give you spellbinding views over Silicon Valley and the bay.
With its high ridges grass exposed to the prevailing wind, Ed R. County Park is a literal jumping off point for hanggliders and paragliders.
There are also a couple of ranches in Milpitas, like the Chaparral Ranch for horseback treks into the park and the Diablo Range.
49. Triton Museum of Art
![google tour san jose Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_276709910.jpg)
A place to go to take the pulse of the Greater Bay Area’s contemporary art scene, the free Triton Museum of Art was established in 1965 as the first non-university museum in Santa Clara.
It was founded by the art patron, rancher and lawyer Robert W. Morgan and in 1987 moved into its current home, with lofty ceiling and pyramidal skylights.
Exhibitions at Triton are all temporary, showcasing talent from Northern California.
At the end of 2019 there were two engaging shows, “Fight”, by photo montage artist Deborah Oropallo, and drawings by Judy Shintani in remembrance of Japanese-American incarceration in World War II.
50. J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
![google tour san jose J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ccimage-J._Lohr_San_Jose_Wine_Center-1024x686.jpg)
You don’t need to travel out into the Central Coast Wine Country for some wine-tasting, as one of the biggest names in the business, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, has a “Wine Center” at 1000 Lenzen Avenue near downtown San Jose.
For $15 you’ll get to sample six of the company’s limited-production and club-only wines.
If you sign up for membership that fee will be waived, and the same applies if you purchase two or more of the wines that are on the tasting menu.
51. The San Jose Flea Market
![google tour san jose The San Jose Flea Market](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1523557868.jpg)
What claims to be the largest outdoor market in the United States, encompassing 120 acres, is a shock to the system.
The San Jose Flea Market, around since 1960, is a bazaar on a grid of alleys or streets, labelled with numbers running east to west and names like Nut Street and Produce Row north to south.
The choice of vendors is mind-boggling, whether you’re out for clothing, electronics, fruit and vegetables, accessories, fabrics, homewares, handmade gifts, antiques or food made on the spot, from BBQ to Mexican, pizza, breakfast food or sweet treats.
You’ll shop to the strains of mariachi bands, and on hot days the soft drink and beer carts floating around the market do a roaring trade.
52. Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
![google tour san jose Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ccimage-shutterstock_1010763214.jpg)
Each year more than 280 bird species pause or nest at this wildlife refuge in the south-easternmost pocket of the San Francisco Bay.
The refuge is enormous, spreading out over more than 30,000 acres of open water, mudflats, salt marsh, vernal pools and dry upland areas.
During the spring and fall migrations it plays host to a marvellous spectacle of millions of shorebirds and waterfowl, as well as kites, hawks, eagles and ospreys, pausing here to refuel.
Among the many resident birds is the endangered Ridgeway’s rail, found only on San Francisco Bay and Baja California.
The Visitor Center, open Wednesday to Saturday, is in Fremont and sits above the LaRiviere Marsh, a restored salt marsh inhabited by Ridgeway’s rails and, another endangered species, the salt marsh harvest mouse.
You can explore the trails, borrow binoculars and check out exhibits about the refuge’s ecosystem.
53. Yosemite National Park and Giant Sequoias Trip
![google tour san jose Yosemite National Park](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ccimage-shutterstock_375472996.jpg)
If you’ve come to the Bay Area from a different state or country, San Jose is tantalizingly close to one of the country’s most iconic landscapes.
Yosemite National Park can be done on a day trip, and this package advertised on GetYourGuide.com involves pickup and drop-off from and to your accommodation.
You’ll travel by luxury van (fitted with Wi-Fi) to the western Sierra Nevada to spend five hours gazing in awe at monuments like the Half Dome, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Falls.
There’s more wonder in store at the park’s Tuolumne Grove, growing 25 giant sequoias of an unimaginable scale and dating back 2,000 years.
54. Cinequest
![google tour san jose Cinequest in San Jose](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ccimage-shutterstock_1742771456.jpg)
The cinematic arts and Silicon Valley’s innovative spirit collide at this independent movie festival, held across the first two weeks of March.
Over 110,000 people head to San Jose for 300 movies and virtual-augmented reality experiences, almost half of which make their premieres at the festival.
You can discover cutting-edge innovations, attend creativity forums and check out the latest in fashion, dance, comedy and art, with some 1,100 artists showing up from 50 countries each year.
Cinequest honors rule-breakers with its Maverick Awards, presented to artists (Maverick Spirit) and technologists (Maverick Innovator). In the list of famous guests over the last few years are Nicolas Cage, Neil Gaiman, Tatiana Maslany, Elle Fanning, James Franco and Harrison Ford.
55. San Jose Jazz Summer Fest
![google tour san jose Jazz Festival](https://cdn.thecrazytourist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ccimage-shutterstock_1011331978.jpg)
For three days in August Plaza de César Chávez, in front of the Tech Interactive, is the anchor for a leading jazz festival.
Going strong for more than 30 years, San Jose Jazz Summer Fest is loved for the amount of performances it squeezes into these three days (100+), the event’s small footprint (over just a few blocks downtown) and the sheer breadth of performers.
Every sub-genre has equal footing, be it blues, Latin, R&B, funk, soul or gospel.
Well-known names on the bill in 2019 were pianist Fred Hersch, Grammy-winning vocalist Gregory Porter, drummer Kassa Overall and R&B icons the O’Jays.
The festival partners with local bars, clubs and hotels so you can party into the night, and at the Swing Stage you’ll find teachers showing you how to do the Charleston and Lindy Hop.
55 Best Things to Do in San Jose (CA):
- Downtown San Jose
- Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
- Winchester Mystery House
- The Tech Interactive
- Children's Discovery Museum
- California's Great America
- Santana Row
- Happy Hollow Park and Zoo
- Intel Museum
- Municipal Rose Garden
- Alum Rock Park
- Levi's Stadium
- Los Gatos Creek Trail
- History Park
- Almaden Quicksilver County Park
- San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
- Avaya Stadium
- Cathedral Basilica of St Joseph
- Willow Glen
- Stanford University
- Cantor Arts Center
- Computer History Museum
- SoFa District
- California Theatre
- San Jose Museum of Art
- Excite Ballpark (San Jose Municipal Stadium)
- Rancho San Antonio Preserve
- Apple Park Visitor Center
- Mount Umunhum
- San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
- Sikh Gurdwara Sahib
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library
- Mission Santa Clara de Asís
- San Jose Improv
- Moffett Field Historical Society Museum
- Japanese Friendship Garden
- Ames Research Center
- Downtown Campbell Farmers' Market
- Emma Prusch Farm Park
- Lick Observatory
- San Jose City Hall
- San Pedro Square Market
- Westfield Valley Fair
- Heritage Rose Garden
- Ed R. Levin County Park
- Triton Museum of Art
- J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
- The San Jose Flea Market
- Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
- Yosemite National Park and Giant Sequoias Trip
- San Jose Jazz Summer Fest
![google tour san jose google tour san jose](https://www.sanjose.org/sites/default/files/styles/homepage_hero_image_mobile/public/2024-07/Copy%20of%20SJZSF24_Image1_1920X1080.jpg.webp?itok=gCo0i0Lb)
San Jose Jazz Summer Fest
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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in Concert
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Symphonic Spooktacular
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Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis
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Visiting Googleplex - what's open to the public, what's it like?
Published on October 10, 2016
![google-hq-2016 google-hq-2016](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/google-hq-2016.jpg)
As some of you may be aware if you follow our sibling site, VR Source , our team was recently in San Jose for the Oculus Connect 3 developer conference. I was the head orchestrator of said event and had a ton of fun. On the last day, with all my work caught up and the rest of team already flying back ahead of me, I had some spare time. Already in the area, naturally I decided to give the Googleplex a visit.
Because this was an impromptu visit on a late Friday afternoon on my part, I didn’t have an official Google escort during my time but that didn’t stop me from conducting a self-guided tour. So, what exactly is open to the public at the Googleplex and are there official public tours? Good question.
![android-nougat-statue-2-aa android-nougat-statue-2-aa](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/android-nougat-statue-2-aa.jpg)
First, yes, anyone can visit Google – even if they have no industry contacts or friends that work there. The fairly massive campus is open to anyone who wants to wander around it, and I saw a number of apparent tourists snapping pics and looking around. That said, there are no official public tours and so visiting means that you will have to guide yourself around.
It’s important to note that pretty much all the buildings are a no-go unless you have a Google staffer showing you around, though you can step in a few lobbies. Talking with several Googlers, even with access there are only a few areas that are really that exciting, as anything really cool is obviously off limits to visitors even with an employee showing you around and mostly what you’re seeing are just office buildings.
![google-hq-2016-aa-3 google-hq-2016-aa-3](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/google-hq-2016-aa-3.jpg)
So what can you see? You can walk around the entire campus, which is pretty big — like over a dozen acres big — and requires walking across a bridge and across the street if you want to cover the whole thing. From the side I started on, there were plenty of interesting things to check out including the new Android Nougat statue and a reproduction T-rex skeleton. I’ve been told they often change up the T-Rex scene, sometimes having him hanging out with (plastic) pink flamingos in the lawn, sometimes he’s mass attacked by them, etc.
![google-hq-2016-aa-4 google-hq-2016-aa-4](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/google-hq-2016-aa-4.jpg)
You also see plenty of Googlers walking about, and considering I was visiting late – around 5PM – many of them were getting ready to head home. Another fun highlight were the Google-colored bicycles, which are used by Google employees to get around. Unfortunately, these bikes are reserved just for Googlers due to liability reasons and whatnot.
Walking around you’ll see plenty of sitting areas for working and conversing outdoors, as well as a couple of volleyball areas. It’s really a fun campus, and has a casual vibe to it.
![google-store-7-aa google-store-7-aa](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/google-store-7-aa.jpg)
Heading across the bridge and street, there’s a few other interesting things to check out. This includes the older Android statues in their own little spot. Next to these older statues is the Google Merchandise Store at 1981 Landings Drive.
![google-store-1-aa google-store-1-aa](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/google-store-1-aa.jpg)
This store is open to anyone and everyone and is filled with all sorts of goodies including Google apparel, Google-branded phone accessories like battery packs and wireless chargers, water bottles, pens, and the list goes on. It’s certainly a must visit place if you are on campus and I walked away with a few souvenirs for sure.
Now, in the past, that was pretty much all that was publicly open. I was told by a few Google employees that the new Google Visitor Center “Beta” is now open to the public as well, even without a Googler by your side (though I received a few conflicting reports on its public status) . If correct, this is a change from the past, where only guests that were accompanied by Googlers could get into the Visitor Center. Unfortunately, I was told the visitor center is only open until 5PM… which by this point it was going on close to 6PM. Maybe on my next visit? Fingers crossed.
![google-visitor-center-beta google-visitor-center-beta](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/google-visitor-center-beta.jpg)
After getting directions from some helpful folks, I also made my way over to a few things I missed. Namely, there is a cool sculpture garden with a number of stone busts showing important figures, and there is a garden area where food is grown that is actually used in the creation of food at the Google Cafe.
Were there other things publicly available to see that I missed? More than likely, but honestly even if I didn’t get to see everything during my time due to coming late (had too much OC3 work to catch up on), it was still quite the experience and I saw a lot.
![google-lollipop-aa google-lollipop-aa](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/google-lollipop-aa.jpg)
For those who ever find themselves in the Bay area, I highly recommend giving the Google campus a tour. Also, if you visited many years ago, it might be worth re-visiting, as the site continues to change and more of it is becoming publicly accessible.
![google-maps-car google tour san jose](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/google-maps-car.jpg)
Anyone else visit the Googleplex in the past? What were some of the highlights of the experience? Let us know in the comments below.
![google tour san jose google tour san jose](https://assets.guruwalk.com/assets/be_guide/btn_be_guide_en-008721f9aab6b0d3205fad9abf0de815122a3141f4201e7ee1dcf3fa66a889a3.png)
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How to Get a Tour of Google Headquarters, Mountain View, California
**Important note: I keep getting emails from people who think I’m a Google employee— I DO NOT work for Google, nor have I ever worked for
![google tour san jose Googleplex](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_5684.jpg)
My friend was gracious enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to give a tour of the Google campus to me and my mom while she was in town. Now, please note that we had just gotten back from touring a castle in Napa Valley the day before, so our standards were pretty high. But because this is Google we’re talking about, we were absolutely blown away by the campus.
To give some background, I absolutely adore Google, its products and its culture. It used to be a dream of mine to work for the search engine giant, but I’m really enjoying working for myself , so now I’m content admiring from afar.
We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the offices, but I did get some photos of the campus. Below are just some highlights of what we saw:
An in-office minibar and keg. Because why not?
My friend showed us his office, and we stopped on the way to his cubicle. He gestured to the right. “We have a minibar and keg,” he said casually and shrugged his arms. “Because, why not?”
Laundry service, oil changes, haircuts, and more…
There is really no reason to ever leave the Google campus.
![google tour san jose Mobile laundry services for the Googler on the go](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_5670-1024x682.jpg)
All the free coffee and snacks you could ever want
We passed countless snack areas and baristas. My mom and I got free lattes to go before we left the campus.
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![google tour san jose Coffee menu at Google](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/coffee.jpg)
Google even has their own colony of bees from which they can harvest honey that is sometimes made available in their cafeterias. The place in which they keep their bees is named, of course, “ The Hiveplex .”
![google tour san jose Google honeybees](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/bees-1024x682.jpg)
Google has a dog-friendly work environment.
![google tour san jose Google is dog friendly](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/dogs.jpg)
Cots–ahem, Napping Pods
You have to reserve these. valium buy online xanax order
![google tour san jose One of the famed Google napping pods](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_5691.jpg)
A ball pit (yes, like the ones kids play in at Chuck E. Cheese)
At least this one was adult-sized. And yes, it took every ounce of my self-control to not dive into it.
Relaxation areas and massage rooms
With all their perks, I’m not sure what Googlers are so stressed about…
tramadols buy tramadols
![google tour san jose Relaxation area on Google campus](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_5688.jpg)
Google bicycles (AKA G bikes)
If you live in Silicon Valley, you’ve probably seen the brightly-colored Google bikes at some point. Googlers are free to just grab one to ride to a different part of campus, and just leave it there for the next Googler to use.
![google tour san jose Google bicycle](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_5682.jpg)
Oh, and this happened…
![google tour san jose Google bikes](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/bikes.jpg)
On our way out of the cafeteria, my friend pointed out a funny-looking contraption with a steering wheel in the middle, and bicycle wheels encircling it.
“That’s the conference bike,” he explained. “One person steers, and everyone else pedals as you hold your meeting.”
I stared at the contraption.
“You have to reserve it,” he told me, as though he could read my mind and knew I was about to hop on it and take it for a spin.
![google tour san jose Google sculpture](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_5687.jpg)
Cafeterias with free food galore
Ah yes, the highest of highlights. My friend invited us to grab lunch with him at one of the many cafeterias on campus. I was overwhelmed by the options: salad bars, meat carving stations, pizzas, vegetarian options, desserts, and a coffee bar bombarded me.
![google tour san jose Sandwich in Google cafeteria](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/sandwich.jpg)
A bowling alley, swimming pools, treadmills, dance studios
We walked through a flurry of activity during our tour. In one office, a woman was walking on a treadmill. Then we passed these two guys swimming in the Google lap pools:
![google tour san jose swimming pool at Google](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_5693.jpg)
There was also a dance studio that holds a variety of different dance classes for Googlers to sign up for.
![google tour san jose Google dance studio](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_5695.jpg)
Good-looking people
Perhaps in part due to the previous perk, Googlers are fit and gorgeous. I have no photographic proof of this. Just trust me.
Japanese space toilets
Apparently, while I was busy admiring the dance studio, I missed out on the crown jewel of the entire Googleplex: the bathrooms.
My mom had to tell me about the many wonders of the toilets. The seats are heated, and there is a control on the side that lets you…um, how to put this delicately…lets you wash your front or your back, bidet style , and it even lets you control the water pressure and temperature. And yes, my mom got pictures:
![google tour san jose Google toilet](https://www.whereverwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/toilet.jpg)
So, you wanna work at Google now?
Get in line. Google gets more than a million applicants a year .
But if all you really want is to see the campus, the public is welcome to walk around the outside and see things like the Android sculpture garden. There is plenty to see outside.
For more travel tips and stories, explore the rest of The Wherever Writer !
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Local news | this summer’s stubborn covid wave continues, local news | san jose jazz summer fest expands into downtown’s grandest stage, the california theatre will be a venue for 18 performances at this weekend's big summer festival.
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The lineup is eclectic, as usual, with Herbie Hancock, Lisa Fischer, the Family Stone, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra and Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra headlining the outdoor stages throughout the weekend. But fans should consider heading indoors for a bit, too, as Summer Fest has brought back the majestic California Theatre as a venue this year.
“There’s great sound in here,” San Jose Jazz Executive Director Brendan Rawson said, looking around the empty theater this week. “There’s a great piano. The presentation here is a powerful.”
There’ll be 18 performances at the California over the weekend, split between the main stage and a more intimate stage on the mezzanine level dubbed the California Music Lounge. Performers include the Jorge Luis Pacheco Trio, Dominique Fils-Aimé, the Sean Mason Quartet, and the Roberta Gambarini Quartet.
![google tour san jose Vanessa Collier performs at the Sobrato Organization Main Stage during...](https://www.eastbaytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SJM-L-JAZZFEST-0813-17.jpg?w=620)
Vanessa Collier performs at the Sobrato Organization Main Stage during the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose Vanessa Collier performs at the Sobrato Organization Main Stage during...](https://www.eastbaytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SJM-L-JAZZFEST-0813-12.jpg?w=620)
Andrew Reynolds, of San Jose, plays congas during the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose Festival goers stroll around during the San Jose Jazz Summer...](https://www.eastbaytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SJM-L-JAZZFEST-0813-18.jpg?w=620)
Festival goers stroll around during the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose San Jose Jazz Board Member Curtis Jacobson, left, Santa Clara...](https://www.eastbaytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0816-01-1.jpg?w=620)
San Jose Jazz Board Member Curtis Jacobson, left, Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, center, and San Jose Jazz Executive Director Brendan Rawson at a Summer Fest kickoff party sponsored by Urban Catalyst and San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres at 55 South on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose The crowd at the Latin Tropical stage on South First...](https://www.eastbaytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0816-03.jpg?w=620)
The crowd at the Latin Tropical stage on South First Street dances to the music of San Miguel during San Jose Jazz Summer Fest on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose Leroy Barnette Jr. plays jazz at the Circle of Palms...](https://www.eastbaytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SJM-L-JAZZFEST-0813-2.jpg?w=620)
Leroy Barnette Jr. plays jazz at the Circle of Palms during the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose The audience packed Plaza de Cesar Chavez to listen to...](https://www.eastbaytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0811-01.jpg?w=620)
The audience packed Plaza de Cesar Chavez to listen to the Sobrato Organization Main Stage acts at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest on Aug. 14, 2022. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose Members of the Urban Renewal Project perform during the San...](https://www.eastbaytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SJM-L-JAZZFEST-0814-124.jpg?w=620)
Members of the Urban Renewal Project perform during the San Jose Jazz’s Summer Fest 2022 in downtown San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (Josie Lepe for Bay Area News Group)
![google tour san jose JC Smith Band performs at the San Jose Jazz’s Summer...](https://www.eastbaytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SJM-L-JAZZFEST-0814-12.jpg?w=620)
JC Smith Band performs at the San Jose Jazz’s Summer Fest 2022 in downtown San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (Josie Lepe for Bay Area News Group)
The California hasn’t been used as a festival stage since 2016, and it was a late substitution this year. Festival and Artistic Director Bruce Labadie said the festival couldn’t afford to book the Hammer Theatre Center — which has hosted two stages in recent years — but was fortunate to get the California as a replacement. Both indoor venues are sophisticated and wonderful, Labadie said, but the California, which first opened in 1927 and was restored in 2006, definitely adds a level of grandeur.
“This is world class,” he said.
There are a few other changes this year, too. With construction on Park Avenue done (for now), the PG&E Latin Jazz/Tropical stage has been moved there from South First Street where it had been the past two years. Now, this will provide a little more room for dancing, which isn’t a bad thing, and it’s also closer to the Jay Paul Co. Main Stage and inside the festival gates — which is great for stage-hoppers who don’t want to go through security over and over. But it also means the Latin Jazz/Tropical Stage requires a wristband.
But there are still two free stages open to the public: The ASML Next Gen Stage at the San Jose Museum of Art and the Swing Stage, which will be hosted in the outdoor courtyard of San Pedro Square Market, following the closure of Tabard Theatre, the stage’s longtime venue.
Sadly, the Jazz Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral Basilica, one of my all-time festival faves, still hasn’t made a return, but there are a whole host of options Sunday morning including a New Orleans Sunday Brunch at Poor House Bistro with saxophonist Abraham Vasquez; a Gospel Brunch at the San Jose Marriott featuring vocalist Joyce Randolph, accompanied by Janice Maxie Reid; a Boom Box Brunch with R&B hits at Mama Kin; a Jazz Service at the First Unitarian Church on North Third Street; and Urban Sanctuary at 80 S. Fifth St. is hosting a “Soulful Sunday” with Hammond organ music.
You might want a chart to keep all this straight, but fortunately, there’s an app for that. San Jose Jazz launched a new Summer Fest app (available on the Google Play and Apple App stores) with schedules, a map, tickets and even a listing of food trucks and booths that will be on the festival grounds. You can also get more information on everything at summerfest.sanjosejazz.org .
STAGE DIRECTIONS: It’s always a delight to hear about work involving Timothy Near, who led San Jose Rep as its artistic director for 21 years. She’s next directing a staged reading of “Molly Bell’s Hysterical,” a new musical that’s part of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s New Works Festival at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto.
Bell — who got her start with Los Altos Youth Theater and at St. Francis High School — recently won a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for her performance in TheatreWorks’ “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
“She’s wildly entertaining,” Near says. And you can find out for yourself at the staged readings on Aug. 10, 16 and 18. Tickets to that show — and the rest of the New Works Festival, which runs Aug. 9-24 — are available at theatreworks.org .
UNSTOPPABLE FORCES: Gerry Lopez, a Bay Area educator and historian, will be displaying his collection of more than 300 items in an exhibition about the 201st Mexican Fighter Squadron this Saturday at the annual Spirit of ’45 Day celebration at History Park in San Jose. The event commemorates the end of World War II, and Lopez says the 201st is an important part of the war’s story. The “Aztec Eagles,” as they were known, were attached to the U.S. Army Air Force’s 58th Fighter Group during the liberation of the island of Luzon in the summer of 1945.
“It is an incredible time in history when Mexicans, Americans and Filipinos came together to fight a common enemy and oppressor,” Lopez said. “And this small but significant involvement changed Mexico-U.S. relations up until our day.”
Besides Lopez’s display, the event starts at 2 p.m. with big band music, kids activities, fashion and car shows, a World War II tent city and a homecoming parade, leading up to a 1940s swing dance at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at historysanjose.org/program-events .
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Andrew Reynolds, of San Jose, plays congas during the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)