History San Jose is an outdoor history museum in Kelley Park on the south side of the city — a collection of more than 25 historic structures relocated and restored to recreate the look of early San Jose. The complex includes an 1880s town centre, a Chinese temple, Victorian houses, and an operating trolley line that loops through the grounds.
The museum is a good antidote to the tech-centred narrative that dominates most accounts of San Jose. It tells the city's story as a California agricultural town before Silicon Valley arrived — Chinese immigrants, Portuguese farmers, and California Mission heritage all get covered. Kelley Park itself has a small zoo and Japanese friendship garden, making it a half-day destination for families.