Things to do in San Jose

Lennie & Alison

From Lennie & Alison's guidebook

The Sharks' best-known tradition is their pre-game entrance scene. At the beginning of each Sharks home game, the lights go down and a 17-foot open shark mouth is lowered from the rafters. As the mouth is lowered the eyes flash red and fog pours out. Then, a live view of the locker room tunnel with Sharks players is shown on the scoreboard and the goalie leads the team out of the locker room, through the mouth, and onto the ice. The Sharks currently use "Seek & Destroy" by Metallica as their entrance song. Any time the Sharks go on the power play, the Jaws theme song is played while the fans do "The Chomp," extending their arms in front and moving them up and down to form a chomping jaw.

John

From John's guidebook

The SAP Center at San Jose (formerly San Jose Arena and HP Pavilion at San Jose) is an American indoor arena, located in San Jose, California. It is home to the San Jose Sharks.

Rebecca

From Rebecca's guidebook

See the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center. Not a bad seat in the house.

Vonny

From Vonny's guidebook

Perfect for kids 10 and under. Afterwards visit the Japanese Tea garden.

Frederik

From Frederik's guidebook

Great for the little kids. See animals, ride the carousel, wander through the park.

Rebecca

From Rebecca's guidebook

Cute little park with animals and rides, ment for all ages but especially younger kids.

Jason

From Jason's guidebook

Dive into hands-on science and technology exhibits at this interactive museum.

Jennie Lou

From Jennie Lou's guidebook

Interactive science, technology, and engineering space for older kids and even adults. Just a quick drive away in the heart of Downtown San Jose.

Luis Alberto

From Luis Alberto's guidebook

Technology museum with interactive exhibits for all ages

Lei

From Lei's guidebook

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.

Bruce & Teri

From Bruce & Teri's guidebook

An eclectic house built by Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Rifle fortune. Fearful of being haunted by ghosts of victims of Winchester Rifles, she had the house worked on 24x7 for nearly 40 years to fend off spirits. The result are stairways to nowhere, second story doors with drops to the first floor, and more.

Suzanne

From Suzanne's guidebook

We highly recommend a visit to the infamous Winchester Mystery House to our guests! This sprawling Victorian mansion is a marvel of architectural eccentricity, with its labyrinthine layout, staggering number of rooms, and bizarre features like doors that open into walls. We love that our guests can explore the fascinating history and mythology surrounding the house, and get a glimpse into the life of Sarah Winchester, the enigmatic heiress who built this strange and wondrous place. And as an added bonus, the Winchester Mystery House is directly across from the upscale shopping and dining destination Santana Row, where our guests can indulge in some fantastic high-end retail therapy. A perfect combination of history, mystery, and luxury! 4/5 stars

John

From John's guidebook

San Jose Museum of Art is a distinguished museum of modern and contemporary art and a lively center of arts activity in Silicon Valley.

Ryan

From Ryan's guidebook

San Jose downtown area. make sure to visit San Jose State University and have a cup of Philz coffee. You will like it.

Lynnea Jean

From Lynnea Jean's guidebook

This has a nice permanent collection of art, as well as excellent temporary installations. It has a good gift shop and cafe. Part of the building includes the historic post office, which was damaged in the great 1906 earthquake.

Eli

From Eli's guidebook

Great for kids. Children's Discovery Museum has two floors worth of exhibits and activities, including a history of bubbles, face painting and all sorts of things to keep children busy and thinking. The museum is a giant structure straddling the Guadalupe River Park, so picnics are common for visitors. It is located right on the light rail station, which makes public transportation a snap. https://www.cdm.org/

Sharon

From Sharon's guidebook

Visit Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose where you can expect to test, crank, listen, prod and tinker. One of the largest museums of its kind in the nation, CDM's 150 interactive exhibits lead visitors to explore, understand and enjoy the world. Over 28,000 sq. ft. of discovery awaits you!

Lili

From Lili's guidebook

The Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose is a hands-on, play-based cultural institution in downtown San Jose, California, that fosters creativity and learning through interactive exhibits in science, art, nature, and culture for children and families.

Vicki

From Vicki's guidebook

the Rosicrucian Museum houses a diverse collection of over 4,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts, including mummies, statues, pottery, jewelry, and objects from daily life and temple life. It is the largest collection of authentic ancient Egyptian artifacts on display in Western North America

Laura

From Laura's guidebook

Rosicrucian Park is the headquarters for a community of mystics whose members have a particular fascination with ancient Egypt. Spanning a city block, the park includes an Egyptian peace garden, a Grand Temple, a planetarium (currently closed for renovations), and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, home to the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts on exhibit in western North America.

Daniel & Grace

From Daniel & Grace's guidebook

This museum holds the largest collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the Western U.S.

Nga

From Nga's guidebook

Close to house: Best trails: South Rim Trail (4.4 miles--2 hrs), Penitencia Creek and North Rim Loop (3.6 miles--1.5 hrs), Eagle Rock Loop (2.7 miles--1 h 18 min)

Pt

From Pt's guidebook

Is California's oldest municipal park, founded in 1872. Located in a valley in the Diablo Range foothills on the east side of San Jose, the 720 acre (2.9 km2) park offers 13 miles (21 km) of trails, varying from fairly level along Penitencia Creek to sharp switchbacks climbing to the ridges to the South Rim Trail and the North Rim Trail. The narrow floor of the valley includes a visitor center, a small museum/animal rehab facility, picnic areas, playgrounds, lawns, sand volleyball pits, mineral springs, lush plant life, woodlands, creek play opportunities, and occasional group camping.

John

From John's guidebook

Alum Rock Park Penitencia Creek and North Rim Loop Trail 3.6 miles long, only 452 feet of climbing The section along Penitencia Creek is shaded by trees along the creek, while the North Rim Loop has less shade, so if you are afraid of the sun, you can only walk one section There is a parking lot at the entrance, you can drive directly into the park without stopping, and there are several parking lots along Penitencia Creek Rd There are many picnic areas in the park, and it seems that you can barbecue Dogs are not allowed

Leonardo

From Leonardo's guidebook

4 blocks from our guest home, the park boasts fantastic photo opportunities form April to July. Awesome picnic spots and great people-watching.

Diana & Miranda

From Diana & Miranda's guidebook

A city block sized rose garden that holds many heirloom varieties that smell heavenly.

Cindy

From Cindy's guidebook

Neighborhood Rose Garden, great spot for picnic and pictures