San Jose Area
 

Will be in San Jose for business in march. Any interesting things to do around or in?? How far to the coast? How far to SF??. Any good drives around the area along the coast?

Thanks for the help.

In SJ itself, there are a few interesting things to do and see. The Tech Museum downtown is fun. The art museum is just across the park from there and is worth a look. The Rosecrutian (sp? - Egyptian) museum is good. St. Joseph's church is really beautiful inside. The SJ History park is interesting.

The coast is just over the hill - Santa Cruz is about 30 minutes away if there isn't traffic. Monterey is about 1 to 1 1/2 hour from SJ. SF is about 45 minutes. For redwoods, Big Basin state park is really good. For a coastal drive, head over to Santa Cruz and then go north on Hwy 1 to Hwy 84 or 92, then head back to SJ on Hwy 280. It makes a nice loop.

thanks for the insight

San Francisco is just a short distance from San Jose. It's definitely worth the trip. During commute time it can take awhile but it's less than an hour if there's no traffic.

Drive south from San Jose you can get to a beachside town called Santa Cruz. The drive north from Santa Cruz to San Francisco is really nice. Quiet beaches, small coastal towns.

There are also wineries in the San Jose, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz areas.

Enjoy your trip.

Don't forget the Winchester Mystery House. It's definitely worth seeing at least once (although I might get bashed for recommending it)...

I'm a mild defender of the Winchestery Mystery House. If you can get a two for one, you may like it. If you like those Haunted shows on the travel channel, you will like it.
Across from there, is Santana Row with restaurants and upscale shopping. I like downtown Los Gatos, downtown Campbell and the Willow Glen area.

Bash! Bash! for Nola... :)

My main issue with with Winchester Mystery House is that they charge too much for a tour. I think it is an interesting place and a really important part of SJ history. The last time I went though, I just felt ripped off.

JC basically backs up my comment about the Winchester. The current Entertainment book has a two for one. With that deal, I would reccomend it. At full price, I wouldn't.
http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/rates.html

OK, maybe I'm just a tourist with no taste, but I actually enjoyed the Winchester Mystery House. I remembered reading about it in Ripley's Believe It Or Not many (I hate to admit how many) years ago when I was a kid, and I'd been curious about it ever since. I finally went there last spring, and found it very interesting. I do enjoy house tours anyway, but the totally random way this house was created, and the sheer wackiness of Mrs. Winchester, made this one pretty fascinating. I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea, but this place is definitely unique. I do agree that the tours were pretty pricey, though. I can well believe that it costs a lot to maintain this property, so I guess it's understandable.

Okay, I think my comment from earlier in this post will help the OP decide about the Winchester House: "If you like those Haunted shows on the travel channel, you will like it." If you say, "why do they insist on having those Haunted shows every Friday?!", skip it. It varies from person to person.

If you like history do see the Winchester Mystery House. Its a bit of Americana and well worth whatever they are charging. Been there several times and when we are in CA next year will go once again.

That pretty much tells you all you need to know about San Jose when the main attraction is the Winchester Mystery House.

Believe me, I know San Jose too well. I avoid it if at all possible.

Curious

FYI Curious, Winchester is not the main attraction, just the most disagreed about attraction.
The Tech Museum, San Jose History Museum, San Jose Art Museum, music venues (Le Pettit Trianon & Montgomery theatre are my new faves), music festivals (Jazz festival last summer to name one), hotels, restaurants, walking and bike trails, new dining and music venues in downtown Campbell, Los Gatos, etc. Yes, San Jose is not San Francisco but it does have a lot to offer. :-)

LOL - well Curious, if you are avoiding SJ, then I guess we wont set a place at the dinner table for you - LOL.

I happen to think SJ is a very nice place (which is why I live here), but we have the misfortune/fortune of being in close proximity to some really fabulous places so we always pale in comparison. Not that I am really complaining though - it is nice to be so close to SF, Santa Cruz, and Monterey :)

If Egyptology interests you, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is very good, and so is the small planaterium next door. Too bad the rose garden won't be in bloom in March.

I found the Winchester Mystery House quite interesting.

Oh about gardens, there is the Japense garden in Kelley Park and Hakone Gardens in Saratoga. Oh and the grounds and trails at Villa Montalvo also in Saratoga are very pretty: http://www.villamontalvo.org/grounds.html

Japanese gardens. Sorry about that.

You can seeing this popular question every once in the while.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34668923

AR