Page 89 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

Beyond tech, the valley offers much to
see and do, with theme parks for fami-
lies, cultural institutions and varied
landscapes, from the Santa Cruz Moun-
tains to lively city and town centers.
Nestled at the foot of the Santa Cruz
Mountains are Saratoga and Los Gatos,
hamlets with picture-perfect Victorian
homes and Craftsman bungalows. Vast
stretches of parks, open space preserves
and rows of vineyards and winery tasting
rooms cluster in the surrounding moun-
tains, as well as south of San Jose, along
the Hecker Pass Highway and around the
city of Gilroy, which is home to an annual
Garlic Festival that draws thousands.
With its Mediterranean climate of
warm summers and mild winters, and
location 50 miles south of San Fran-
cisco and 30 miles inland from the
Pacific Ocean, it’s no wonder that Sil-
icon Valley developed as a world center
for innovation, drawing some of the
best and brightest engineers in the
world to a quiet valley where once only
fruit trees blossomed.
TESLA MOTORS, left; San Jose’s
Mexican Heritage and Mariachi
Festival, opposite.
DRIVE
»
TOUR
PALO ALTO
SARATOGA
CASTLE ROCK
STATE PARK
LOS
GATOS
Starting in PALO ALTO, take in
vibrant University Avenue
and drive the leafy lanes of
the STANFORD CAMPUS,
stopping to see the mosaics in
Memorial Church and the
MAIN QUAD. Head west on
Sand Hill Road to Highway
280 south to revitalized
downtown SAN JOSE for a
visit to the striking Tech Museum of Innovation. Take Highway 17
west to LOS GATOS, stopping to enjoy the village-like downtown and
its shady plaza, and head south on Highway 9 to the equally charming
hamlet of SARATOGA, nestled at the foot of the Santa Cruz
Mountains. Continue on Highway 9 up into the mountains to Skyline
Boulevard (Highway 35), the crest of the range. Here you’ll find
uncrowded wineries, pristine forests and many open space preserves
and parks, including CASTLE ROCK STATE PARK, the most spectacular.
Follow Skyline Boulevard south and rejoin Highway 17 east, which
leads back to San Jose and the heart of Silicon Valley.
SAN JOSE
»
MUST
SEE,
DO
» Cantor Arts Center Stroll Stanford
University’s beautiful campus and visit Cantor
Arts Center, which features 24 galleries and
sculpture gardens, including one of the largest
collections of Rodin bronzes outside Paris.
Outdoor art by Calder, Goldsworthy and Moore is
found throughout the campus.
› stanford.edu
» Santana Row Discover one of San Jose’s
restaurant and nightlife hubs at Santana Row, a
European-style development with chic shops and
fine restaurants, across the street from one of
the valley’s major attractions, Winchester
Mystery House.
› santanarow.com
» The Tech Museum of Innovation
Try your hand at Silicon Valley’s famous creative
spirit at San Jose’s technology museum, which in
2013 introduced a hands-on exhibit, “Social
Robots,” allowing visitors to design and build a
real robot. Once done, you can program the robot
and dress it up. The museum also features many
more interactive exhibits and an IMAX theater.
› thetech.org
» California’s Great America The theme
park in 2013 opened Gold Striker, Northern
California’s tallest and fastest roller coaster, with
high-speed turns and drops, one falling 103 feet
at a 50-degree angle. Another area theme park
ideal for families is Raging Waters in San Jose
with a large collection of pools, water slides and
private cabanas that groups can rent by the day.
› cagreatamerica.com, rwsplash.com
» Santa Cruz Mountains Take a drive
through Los Gatos and Saratoga into the Santa
Cruz Mountains to Castle Rock State Park where
32 miles of hiking trails wind through redwood,
fir and madrone forests and a large sandstone
outcropping draws rock climbers. The park is part
of an extensive park and trail system that
extends to the Pacific coast.
› parks.ca.gov
2014 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A 87