Making the Most of a few days in Silicon Valley
 

We're going to be in Silicon Valley for 5 days in October. Would love some tips on what to do and where to stay.

>>We're going to be in Silicon Valley for 5 days in October<<

Why? Work? A conference? Vacation?

>>Would love some tips on what to do and where to stay.<<

Mostly depends on <i>why</i> you chose Silicon Valley -- it isn't a hot bed of scenery/sites.

Definitely let us know why you are coming - most people visit for business or family. That will help us give you better advice.

The name "Silicon Valley" is nebulous & seems to keep expanding so the actual place name where you'll be will be useful as well.

Hello--thanks for your responses. I should have clarified. I am going to be in the Silicon Valley area for a conference--otherwise, I would probably stay in San Francisco!

I've been doing some research, and there are some interesting things to do, including the Tech Museum and a tour of Levi's Stadium. Hope to catch a concert at Montalvo. I'm also interested in wine tasting in downtown Saratoga. I've looked at hotels in Saratoga and the surrounding area. Does anyone have any recommendations? Hotel Los Gatos looks good, and I found a link for the Inn at Saratoga, http://www.innatsaratoga.com, that I'm liking. Each room has a private balcony. Thanks!

If you have enough free time definitely consider seeing the Redwoods either in Big Basin or Henry Cowell state parks. Also a drive over to teh coast/Half Moon Bay.

As for hotels of your two I've only stayed at the Hotel Los Gatos and it was great. Where is your conference? The traffic in the area can be really bad -- especially if you are going in the 'wrong' direction.

Definitely consider traffic when choosing your hotel in relation to your conference venue.

Big Basin and Henry Cowell state parks are great - definitely visit if you have time.

In Saratoga there are a few different tasting rooms - I like the wines at Cinnabar quite a bit. And they've recently redone their tasting room and it's nice and spacious now. They also have some outdoor space.

The Tech Museum is great - and it's downtown, which also has some good restaurants.

Mountain Winery is a great venue for concerts - they have a great outdoor concert space and the views are terrific.

My DD went to a concert at Mountain Winery last weekend and loved the venue.

I think you would enjoy staying in Los Gatos. Very cute town with lots of shops, restaurants.
Testa Rosa winery is a beautiful place for wine tasting and light meals.
Hotel Los Gatos is very nice, has a great restaurant but there are many nice restaurants in downtown area as well

I second Testarossa winery in Los Gatos!

From an earlier thread, my experiences visiting San Jose a few years ago.

For sightseeing, one can spend a couple days via public transport or perhaps one day if renting a car to see various things.

--Winchester Mystery House. Several miles west of downtown. Definitely the most eccentric Victorian residence I've ever toured, unusual for its relatively small rooms, low ceilings, and doors and windows and stairs that lead to nowhere or open onto nothing. Very ornate in a decidedly offbeat way, and has a nice garden and outbuildings. Enjoyed the tour a lot. Liked this.

--Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. Approximately halfway between downtown and the Winchester House. The building is at one end of a curious park filled with garden areas and faux Egyptian trappings. Museum has a lot of smaller items (jewelry, papyrus, burial items, pottery) and a clutch of larger sarcophagi and mummies. Unfortunately, its underground burial chamber and most all of its larger items are fakes, mostly reproductions of famous pieces in the Louvre, British Museum, or Victoria and Albert Museum. I guess if you never plan to go to these European musts, it makes sense to see copies, but it wasn't clear to me what was so great about this. Not a big fan.

--San Jose Museum of Art. Located right downtown. Modest sized museum with a good permanent collection mostly consisting of post-modernist painting and sculpture, much of it by artists with California ties, and much of it of good quality despite the lack of brand names. Enjoyed this.

--Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph. This is right across the street from the art museum. A good church to see, has a larger dome in back that's a little like that of Florence's Duomo and spires up front that suggest a take on Spanish mission ideas. Inside, decoration seems somewhat recent but tasteful, with plenty of attractive frescoes and stained glass.

--San Jose Historical Museum. This is located at the south end of Kelley Park, about a mile or more southeast of downtown. It consists of several old area buildings that have been moved to this central location. There are among other things several Victorian era homes, a hotel, a stable, blacksmith's shop, migrant farm worker shacks, firehouse, church, fruit barn, and Chinese temple. Some are open and contain such things as a candy shop, souvenir shop, small art gallery, and tiny and somewhat eccentric museums. Pleasant to visit.