1. Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum (14 minutes from hotel)

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose houses the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts on exhibit in western North America.

 

The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is home to the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts on exhibit in western North America.

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2. The Tech Interactive (Tech Museum) (12 minutes from hotel)

The Tech Interactive

 

With its splashy, mango-colored exterior, the Tech stands out among everything else in downtown San Jose. Millions have visited the place since it opened at the original location in 1990, which was around the corner on San Carlos Street. The Tech's founders envisioned a world-class facility wholly devoted to science and technology exactly what one would expect from Silicon Valley. Today people from across the globe have descended upon San Jose to check out its educational displays.

The Tech is a cosmopolitan museum singularly focused on technology—how it works and the way that it is changing every aspect of the way we work, live, play and learn. Its people-and-technology focus and the integration of advanced technologies into visitor experiences and infrastructure, distinguishes it from other science centers.

The 132,000 square feet of The Tech are shared by four major theme galleries packed full of one-of-a-kind exhibits, the Hackworth IMAX Dome Theater, an educational center for workshops and labs, an upscale cafe, and a retail store featuring books, gifts, and only-in-Silicon Valley items. An estimated 650,000 visitors are expected to trek to The Tech each year, making it one of California's most popular destinations.

 

3. Santana Row (15 minutes from hotel)

A Place Where Community Starts | Santana Row

 

Santana Row – A place where community starts where everyone can come together as family and friends for great food, shopping, and scenery.

 

4. Winchester Mystery House (15 minutes from hotel)

Welcome to the Winchester Mystery House® - Winchester Mystery House

 

5. California’s Great America (7 minutes from hotel)

Amusement Park | San Francisco Bay Area | California's Great America (cagreatamerica.com)

 

California's Great America is a 112-acre amusement park located in Santa Clara, California. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, it originally opened in 1976 as one of two parks built by the Marriott Corporation. California's Great America features over 40 rides and attractions, and one of its most notable is Gold Striker, which has been featured as a top-ranked wooden roller coaster in Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards publication. Other notable rides include RailBlazer, a single-rail coaster from Rocky Mountain Construction, and Flight Deck, an inverted coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard. The park appeared in Beverly Hills Cop III and Getting Even with Dad, two films that were released in 1994.

 

6. Computer History Museum (10 minutes from hotel)

Home - CHM (computerhistory.org)

 

The Computer History Museum is a museum established in 1996 in Mountain View, California, US. The museum presents stories and artifacts of the information age and explores the computing revolution and its impact on society.

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7. Stanford University (20 minutes from hotel)

Visitor Information : Stanford University

 

Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university located in the census-designated place of Stanford, California, near the city of Palo Alto. The campus occupies 8,180 acres (3,310 hectares), among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is ranked among the top universities in the world.

 

8. Stanford Dish Area (Trail) (22 minutes from hotel)

Stanford Dish Area

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The Dish is a special area to both Stanford and the surrounding communities, and it serves many purposes.

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Academic programs – The Dish itself is a radio telescope that is still in use. Other research and teaching programs also use the dish area.

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University Support Facilities – In order to support academic, environment, habitat, and recreational services, support from our facility shops are necessary. Services include maintenance to water storage, pump stations, road maintenance, grounds, and other required facility services. Please yield to service vehicles as they pass.

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Environmental Restoration – Stanford's Conservation Program is directing a program of environmental restoration in the dish area, which includes use of native grasses and other plants.

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Habitat Conservation – Portions of the dish area are devoted to special efforts to enhance habitat for the California tiger salamander, including the development of new breeding ponds.

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Recreation – The Dish is a popular area for hiking and jogging and is open to the public from approximately sunrise to sunset throughout the year.

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9. Hakone Gardens (25 minutes from hotel)

Hakone Gardens | Japanese Garden in Saratoga, California

 

Hakone Gardens is an 18-acre traditional Japanese garden in Saratoga, California, United States. A recipient of the Save America's Treasures Award by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, it is recognized as one of the oldest Japanese-style residential gardens in the Western Hemisphere. Notable features include a bamboo garden, a Zen garden, a strolling garden, tea houses, and the Cultural Exchange Center, which is an authentic reproduction of a 19th-century Kyoto tea merchant's house and shop. Parts of the movie, “Memoirs of the Geisha” have been filmed at this location.

 

10. Golden Gate Park/ Golden Gate Bridge (57 minutes from hotel)

Golden Gate Park - San Francisco, CA

 

The third most visited park in the United States. While the park is free to visit during the day, popular attractions charge admission, such as deYoung Museum, California Academy of Sciences and Conservatory of Flowers. The park is filled with gardens, museums, art, flowers, trees, lakes, birds and wildlife. There are also plenty of opportunities to participate in sports, clubs and other activities. Browse the site for information on parking, maps, weddings, hotels, permits, making reservations, transportation, contact numbers, and the history of Golden Gate Park.

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Be sure to check out the Golden Gate Bridge!

 

11. Palace of Fine Arts (Near the Golden Gate) (1 hr 4 minutes from hotel)

Palace of Fine Arts Event Venue in San Francisco

 

The iconic Palace of Fine Arts Exhibition Center provides an astonishing venue for your event that’s sure to impress your guests before they even walk in the door. With its Greco-Roman rotunda and colonnades, immaculately planted grounds, lagoon, and super-spacious exhibition center and theater, this San Francisco treasure brings the wow factor to corporate events, private parties, trade shows, conferences, galas, weddings, and more.

 

12. Lombard Street (1 hr 2 minutes from hotel)

Lombard Street is San Francisco’s Crookedest Street. (sftodo.com)

 

Lombard Street is an east–west street in San Francisco, California that is famous for a steep, one-block section with eight hairpin turns. The famous one-block section, claimed to be "the crookedest street in the world", is located along the eastern segment in the Russian Hill neighborhood. It is a major tourist attraction, receiving around two million visitors per year and up to 17,000 per day on busy summer weekends, as of 2015.

 

13. Pier 39/ Fisherman’s Wharf (1 hr 2 minutes from hotel)

PIER 39 Information - Pier Info - PIER 39, San Francisco

 

PIER 39 is a 45-acre waterfront complex that is a gathering place for millions of San Francisco locals and visitors. In addition to its 13 full-service restaurants, 90+ shops and popular attractions, PIER 39 is home to a 5-acre waterfront park and a 300-berth marina. PIER 39 is known for its spectacular views of San Francisco Bay including the Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge and Alcatraz, as well as the world-famous California sea lions hauled out on K-Dock.

 

14. Alcatraz – San Francisco (1 hr 6 minutes from hotel)

Alcatraz Island (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

 

Alcatraz reveals stories of American incarceration, justice, and our common humanity. This small island was once a fort, a military prison, and a maximum security federal penitentiary. In 1969, the Indians of All Tribes occupied Alcatraz for 19 months in the name of freedom and Native American civil rights. We invite you to explore Alcatraz's complex history and natural beauty.