When you think of San Francisco, you probably conjure up images of the iconic hills that include meandering streets leading towards downtown. The Golden Gate City also offers a world-renowned culinary scene that features Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf.
However, there is another bustling gem located on the South Bay. Surrounded by rolling hills in Silicon Valley, San Joes is one of the most important technology hubs in the world. If Google, Facebook, and Microsoft find San Jose to be the ideal spot to build a corporate headquarters, then you know residents of the area are proud to call The Capital of Silicone Valley home.
What about visitors to San Jose? According to Pete Evering of Utopia Management, you can’t miss by putting eight venues on the itinerary for your next visit to San Jose.
Planning Your Trip to San Jose
After decades of being the little brother to big brother San Francisco, San Jose started to boom at the start of the digital era. The result has been the development of a wide variety of social, cultural, culinary, and recreational attractions that rival anything San Francisco has to offer. And if you are one of the non-english speaking traveller and have fears in communicating with the people, then that would no longer be a problem. It is because you can now hire the best translation services in san francisco such as CapitalLinguists that will help you translate or interpret the language into your native language. This way you will have a great vacation in San Francisco.
Start by Touring the Original Tech Headquarters
Before the explosion of the digital revolution, visionaries such as Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak worked in small suburban garages trying to perfect their computer masterpieces. Hollywood has immortalized the creative geniuses that work out of humble garages. Now, you can tour the spaces where Hewlett Packard developed the first audio oscillator and where the masterminds behind Google created the first search engine ranking algorithm. The Apple and Hewlett Packard garages are on the list of National Historic Landmarks.
Visit the Shark Tank
Considered one of the most intimidating venues in the National Hockey League (NHL), the SAP Center has for years been referred to as the Shark Tank for the home team, the San Jose Sharks. The Shark Tank consistently sells out to a rabid base of fans and ironically, the SAP Center recently unveiled a real shark tank that is located in the VIP area called the BMW Lounge. The 2,000-gallon shark tank inside of the Shark Tank holds 12 small sharks and nearly 30 other types of fish.
Immerse Yourself in a Little Mystery
As heiress to the Winchester family fortune, Sarah Winchester started construction of the massive Winchester Mansion back in 1886. Sarah believed and often spoke of the house as being haunted by the spirits of people that had died by a shot fired from a Winchester designed rifle. By the time she died 36 years later, Sarah Winchester left an unfinished home that included 160 homes, more than 2,000 doors, and a dozen staircases that lead to nowhere in an attempt to confuse the angry spirits. When the fog rolls in from the Pacific Ocean, the Winchester Mansion delivers a truly mysterious experience.
Stop and Smell the Beautiful Roses
When you have enough of the high tech gadgetry that defines the economy of San Jose, escape for a few hours at the Heritage Rose Garden and Japanese Friendship Garden. More than 2,800 different species modern, vintage, and miniature roses greet visitors to the finely manicured rose garden. Constructed in 1965, the Japanese Friendship Garden contains a koi pond, a serene flowing brook, and waterfalls that pay tribute to the bond built between San Joes and its sister Japanese city of Okayama. The brook is a magnet for numerous native bird species.
A Mecca for Children
San Jose is much more than a city for adults to channel their inner techie souls. The city has also earned a reputation for offering several family-friendly amenities that include Children’s Discovery Museum and Happy Hollow Park and Zoo. The children’s museum presents a maze of intricately designed educational exhibits that keep kids entertained for hours on end. Mammoth Discovery exhibit educates children and the kid in each of us about the history of the wooly creatures. Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, which is inside of Kelley Park, allows kids to meet an intriguing collection of small wild animals.
Back to Techie Heaven
San Jose bustles with a large number of museums dedicated to presenting the history of technology and innovation. The Computer History Museum unveils more than 2,000 years of history related to computer development. Rotating exhibits at The Tech Museum of Innovation challenge the standard interpretations of modern technology. Both Apple and Intel operate museums within their corporate headquarters.
Take a Hike at Almaden Quicksilver County Park
Several parks dot the landscape within and surrounding San Jose. If you have one option for getting close to nature, that option should be Almaden Quicksilver, County Park. The park is home to several hiking trails, as well as the second-largest mercury mine in the world. There are a large number of tracks and tunnels that were created by massive mining projects.
California’s Great America
Seven roller coasters that include the cutting edge floorless roller coaster called Patriot define the thrill-seeking fun you will find at California’s Great America. The amusement park offers family-friendly entertainment, as well as rides that cater to the youthful fascination of children. Families that like wet rides can enjoy a day of watery fun at nearby Raging Waters.
