San Jose Information

San Jose was first inhabited by the Ohlone Native American people prior to the arrival of Spanish immigrants who officially founded the city in 1777. Once a thriving farming community it has grown to become the third largest city in California and is well known for its high tech industries. Home to giant companies like Ebay, Dell, Netgear, Namco and Pay Pal, it is easy to see why San Jose got its nickname the “Capital of the Silicon Valley”.

As the tenth largest city overall in the United States, there is plenty to do and see and the city is packed with culture and history. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, San Jose Museum of Art, Children’s Discovery Museum, History Park, City Hall and the Tech Museum of Innovation all rank high as tourist attractions that are well worth the visit.

One of the best places not to miss seeing is the Winchester Mystery House. Here you can take the tour and learn the history of the Winchester heir Sarah who went nuts when her husband and children died, so she spent the entire inheritance building the most ridiculous and bizarre mansion that took 38 years to build and was suppose to appease the evil spirits and help her attain eternal life.

For action and entertainment the most popular include seeing a performance at the California Theatre, watching the San Jose Sharks play Hockey at the SAP Center, seeing a soccer game at the Avaya Stadium, enjoying an American football game at Spartan Stadium or watching the San Jose Giants play a baseball game at Municipal Stadium.

Nature lovers are not left out with the Municipal Rose Garden, Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, Alum Rock Park, Los Gatos Creek Trail, Kelley Park and the Japanese Friendship Gardens all offering some wonderful wildlife and fauna to get back to nature.

If you are lucky enough to be visiting San Jose in the summer months when its hot, then the coolest place to enjoy is Raging Waters which is the largest water park in Northern California offering a multitude of water slides, rides and fun summer activities.

For more holiday information on San Jose, see the official San Jose Convention and Visitor Bureau website.