Things to Do

San Jose's things to do range from downtown museums and performance spaces to gardens, historic neighbourhoods, and parks on the edge of the valley.

Guide

Things to Do

01

Winchester Mystery House

The Winchester Mystery House is one of the genuinely strange buildings in the United States. Sarah Winchester, heir to the Winchester rifle fortune, began …

Sight
02

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum holds the largest collection of ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, and Assyrian artefacts on the West Coast. The collection is housed in …

Museum
03

Japantown

San Jose's Japantown, centred on Jackson and Fifth streets about a mile north of downtown, is one of only three Japantowns left in the …

Neighbourhood
04

Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph stands at the south end of Plaza de César Chávez in downtown San Jose. It is the mother …

Sight
05

History San Jose (Kelley Park)

History San Jose is an outdoor history museum in Kelley Park on the south side of the city — a collection of more than …

Museum
06

Lick Observatory

Historic Mount Hamilton observatory above San Jose with sweeping Bay Area views

Architecture
07

Peralta Adobe

The Peralta Adobe is the oldest surviving structure in San Jose, built around 1797 during the Spanish colonial period. It stands in what was …

Sight
08

Olympic Black Power Statue

At San Jose State University, a powerful bronze statue commemorates the moment on 22 October 1968 when sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised …

Sight
09

Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

The Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose is consistently rated one of the best children's museums in the United States. The building — a …

Museum
10

California's Great America

Large seasonal amusement park in Santa Clara near San Jose
11

The Tech Interactive

Hands-on science and technology museum in downtown San Jose

Museum
12

Alum Rock Park

Alum Rock Park is a outdoor stop worth considering while exploring San Jose.

Sight
13

San Jose Municipal Rose Garden

Historic public rose garden in San Jose
14

Bank of Italy Building

For nearly four decades after its completion in 1926, the Bank of Italy Building was the tallest building in San Jose. The fourteen-storey Renaissance …

Architecture
15

San Jose Museum of Art

Museum in or near San Jose, useful for travellers adding depth beyond the headline sights.

Museum
16

Happy Hollow Park and Zoo

Family zoo and play park in San Jose's Kelley Park area.
17

Japanese American Museum of San Jose

Museum preserving Japanese American history in San Jose’s Japantown.

Museum
18

Heritage Rose Garden

Volunteer-tended rose garden in San Jose, best for a short seasonal stop when the plantings are in bloom.
19

Municipal Rose Garden

San Jose's Municipal Rose Garden, in the Rose Garden neighbourhood northwest of downtown, holds about 4,000 rose plants across nearly 200 varieties. The garden …

Sight
20

Five Wounds Portuguese National Church

Architectural and religious landmark worth a short detour

Sight
21

San Jose City Hall

Richard Meier-designed civic landmark with a glass rotunda in downtown San Jose.

Architecture
22

San Pedro Square Market

San Pedro Square Market is the social hub of downtown San Jose — a covered food market in the old produce district north of …

Market
23

Communications Hill Grand Staircase

Communications Hill is a low rise south of downtown San Jose with one of the best free views in the city. A 252-step concrete …

Sight
24

Japanese Friendship Garden

Japanese-style garden in Kelley Park with ponds, bridges, and a calm city-park setting.
25

San Jose State University

San Jose State University sits just east of downtown, a compact urban campus of brick buildings, lawns, and public art. Tower Hall, the campus …

Sight
26

ComedySportz San Jose

ComedySportz San Jose is a downtown improv show built around two teams competing in short comic games, with the audience helping steer the result. …
27

Plaza de César Chávez

Plaza de César Chávez is the social heart of downtown San Jose, a rectangular green space flanked by the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, …

Sight
28

Santana Row

Santana Row is a distinct district for an unhurried walk in or near San Jose.

Neighbourhood
29

Children's Musical Theater San Jose

Children's Musical Theater San Jose stages big, polished productions with young performers, from family classics to modern musicals. It is a good pick if …
30

SAP Center

The SAP Center, locally known as the Shark Tank, is San Jose's main arena — home to the NHL's San Jose Sharks and the …

Sight
31

Willow Glen

Walkable San Jose neighbourhood of cafes, shops and older homes

Neighbourhood
32

Market Street Chinatown Memorial

A plaque set into the pavement near Fairmont Plaza marks the site of San Jose's Market Street Chinatown, destroyed by an arson fire in …

Sight
33

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles

Specialist San Jose museum devoted to quilts, textiles, and fiber art.

Museum
34

Teatro Visión

San Jose theatre company focused on Chicano and Latino stories
35

Sonic Runway

Sonic Runway is a 350-foot tunnel of illuminated arches outside City Hall on East Santa Clara Street, downtown. After dark, microphones pick up sound …

Sight
36

Quetzalcóatl Sculpture

A massive coiled bronze representing the Mesoamerican feathered serpent Quetzalcóatl sits in the southern half of Plaza de César Chávez, downtown. Sculptor Robert Graham, …

Sight
37

Lupe the Mammoth

A life-sized bronze mammoth stands beside Guadalupe River Trail at the spot where the bones of Lupe were discovered in 2005. The sculpture, installed …

Sight
38

Replica Electric Light Tower

A scaled-down replica of San Jose's original 1881 electric light tower stands in San Pedro Square, a few steps from the Peralta Adobe. The …

Sight
39

St. James Park

St. James Park is a leafy two-block square north of downtown San Jose, ringed by Victorian houses, the old courthouse, and a clutch of …

Sight
40

Monopoly in the Park

Monopoly in the Park, in Guadalupe River Park near the Children's Discovery Museum, is the world's largest permanent Monopoly board — a 30 by …

Sight