Santa Clara is a city in the heart of Silicon Valley, sandwiched between San Jose and Sunnyvale in the southern San Francisco Bay Area. It is home to the headquarters of Intel and countless other tech companies, but for visitors the main draws are California's Great America theme park and Levi's Stadium, where the San Francisco 49ers play their home games.
The historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís, founded in 1777 and now part of the Santa Clara University campus, is one of the original 21 California missions and worth a visit for its gardens and quiet cloister. The university campus itself is attractive, with palm-lined walkways and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. The Intel Museum in the Robert Noyce Building offers a free, surprisingly engaging look at the history of the semiconductor — fitting for a city that helped invent the modern world.
Santa Clara is not a destination most travelers would seek out on its own, but if you are in the South Bay it makes a practical base with good freeway and Caltrain access. For a day trip, head south to Gilroy, self-proclaimed garlic capital of the world, or west over the Santa Cruz Mountains to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, where 300-foot coastal redwoods tower over fern-lined trails. The steam train at Roaring Camp in Felton, which chugs through the redwood groves, is a memorable excursion for families.