San Jose Must sees
 

Have limited sightseeing time the first part of june. Any sightseeing suggestions?

Well, there's always the Winchester House of Mystery. I've been in San Jose several times for conferences but didn't see much in the way of sightseeing in the downtown area except for the public library, which I thought was VERY impressive (if you're a library lover).

I hate to disagree with Emily, but I thought the so-called Mystery House was a waste of time and money. It is NOT true that the Winchester widow kept building the house in order to keep the ghosts of Winchester victims away; that's just a story invented well after the fact. In fairness to the tour guides, they don't deny (if asked) that the story has no merit. Also, there's not much particularly strange about the house, it's just big with a few oddities that you might find in any house built without advance planning. If you like visiting Victorian homes, this is as good as any; but there's not much difference between this house and dozens of others. This just has a better publicity agent, that's all. <BR> <BR>My advice: go to Santa Clara and see its mission, the college, and Great America. Or check out Santa Cruz.

I, for one, enjoyed the Winchester House. It was great fun! I would highly recommend continuing south and see Monterey and, especially Carmel. If you have even more time, the Hearst Mansion in San Simeon is not to be missed. It is unbelievable! <BR>

Winchester House is a real bore and tourist trap. Best fun (and a slight free buzz was had at the Miraseau (sp?)) winery and other wineries in the area. Some really good buys also. The Hearst Castle actually has 5 different tours. All fasinating, educational and different. The ticket booth gives recomendations. Take a light jacket.

The Mirassou winery and J. Lohr are both located very close to downtown San Jose. In addition, there are several wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains along Bear Creek Road. Los Gatos and Saratoga have cute downtowns with nice shops and restaurants that are fun to stroll along. The Tech Museum of Innovation would be my pick of the museums in the area--where best to see a tech museum than the heart of Silicon Valley. I agree with the previous posters that the Winchester Mystery House is a waste of time and money. Better would be the Fallon house and Peralta Adobe.

If you happen to be interested in quilts, there's a small quilt museum downtown. More of an exhibition space, actually, with interesting temporary exhibitions. San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, 110 Paseo de San Antonio, http://www.sjquiltmuseum.org/index.htm.

Be sure not to miss Fry's electronics, that's always a treat. The Paul Masson Winery is just south of S.J., I like their dry Chablis. If you want to drive up/over to Livermore, there is the Wente Winery, you could also visit the Livermore Labs and see all the secrets the Chinese stole. <BR>

I live in the San Jose area ( Los Gatos ). San Jose is not what you would call a tourist destination. However there ares some interesting things to see and do in the area. One thing that nobody has mentioned is the new High Tech museum in downtown San Jose. It is a must see. I persnally thik that the Winchester house is a compete waste of time. Great America is pretty good if you like amusement parks. Downtown Los gatos is very interesting and a funky place to visit. Travel over Hwy 9 to Santa Cruz. You will see some great scenery and interesting little towns. Stop at Adelita's Mexican restaurant in Boulder Creek for some very good authentic Mexican food at reasonable prices.

<BR>Thank You All. Since I'm there for business (@ an airport hotel no less) <BR>this really helps!

Fortunately for you, the hotel is really close to downtown so you aren't far from the heart of things. And 880/ 17 is the highway to take to Los Gatos, Saratoga and Santa Cruz. So not a bad location at all. <BR>

Fortunately for you, the airport is really close to downtown so you aren't far from the heart of things. And 880/ 17 is the highway to take to Los Gatos, Saratoga and Santa Cruz. So not a bad location at all. <BR>