Location: Santa Clara
Top Things to do in Santa Clara
Countries
10 Things to Do in Santa Clara That You Shouldn't Miss
Santa Clara (/ˌsæntəˈklærə/) is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 116,468 at the 2010 United States Census, making it the ninth-most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area. Located 45 miles (72 km) southeast of San Francisco, the city was founded in 1777 with the establishment of Mission Santa Clara de Asís, the eighth of 21 California missions. The city was later incorporated in 1852. The mission, the city, and the county are all named for Saint Clare of Assisi.
Restaurants in Santa Clara
1. Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 227 reviews
Built in 1876, this church serves the oldest parish in San Jose.
Reviewed By joepaulsenngoro2 - Dublin, California
Nice Basilica that was open late for a choral recital. Acoustics were excellent and could see the singers.
2. Levi's Stadium
Overall Ratings
4 based on 786 reviews
Reviewed By Christopher C
We attended the Foster Farms Bowl game. The stadium is very nice with state of the art technology. It was a great football watching experience.
It had the typical stadium food at the typical stadium prices. Good kettle corn. Molded plastic seats with backs were comfortable and came with a cup holder.
Unfortunately, some of the food vendors were not open for the bowl game (local San Francisco vendor carts) and Bourbon Pub was also not open. I was looking forward to trying both. There isn’t much around the stadium for a pre or post game party. We ended up hanging out at the Hilton pre-game until the stadium opened.
We used Uber for transportation. There are designated Uber pick up and drop off areas.
3. Sunnyvale Farmers Market
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 81 reviews
Reviewed By 3nvi
The farmer's market takes place on Saturday mornings in downtown Sunnyvale. Lots of fruit and vegetable stands, flower stands and some good food. There's a lot of parking within a couple of blocks. I particularly like the little Crepe stall. There's also a stand that sells really good Olive oil. I go fairly regularly to stock up on produce and fresh flowers, and grab breakfast while I'm there.
4. Mission Santa Clara de Asis
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 113 reviews
Founded in 1777, this historic mission is located on the campus of Santa Clara University.
Reviewed By VWriter - Los Gatos, California
I attended a concert here and the setting was nearly perfect.
It's a lovely old mission, founded in 1777, and built on the present site between 1784 and 1819. It's been ruined and restored six times and in its present state is a mix of Spanish and 1920's art deco influences. Under the supervision and control of the Spanish explorers, the building was constructed by Native American forced labor but, in the fervored logic of the Spaniards, was created for the good of the native tribes in the area, The setting is peaceful and today is part of the University of Santa Clara campus.
Why do I think it was nearly perfect, but not perfect? The acoustics are good and it's one of the most lovely and historic buildings in central California. No, the reason is that the seats for the concert were straight back chairs with wicker seats, hard and uncomfortable. After two hours I hoped the concert would end a.s.a.p. to give me some relief. A cushion next time!
5. Municipal Rose Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 446 reviews
Reviewed By Louise925 - Rogers, Arkansas
Most of the beds were full of weeds, plants have not been pruned and many have black spot on leaves. Surely there is a garden club or some volunteers that could help maintain the gardens. This is the most poorly maintained garden I have visited anywhere.
6. Children's Discovery Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 380 reviews
Since opening in 1990, Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose has become one of largest and most respected museums of its kind in the nation. With interactive exhibits and programs encompassing science, humanities, performing arts, and health and physical fitness, the award-winning Museum offers new exhibits each year that respond to children's diverse educational needs. With the broad themes of community, connections and creativity, hands-on exhibits invite self-directed, open-ended explorations.
Reviewed By Claudia G - Newark, New Jersey
This is a wonderful place where you can let the kids roam around and let them use their imagination for play. My 4 and 5 year old nieces LOVED the Museum and did not want to leave.
There are crafts which are nicely done by museum staff, there are many areas to discover--from science to history and its quite interactive! I HIGHLY recommend for anyone with children--it will be the best $15 you'll spend to entertain the kids for hours.
7. Santa Clara University
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 78 reviews
The oldest private institution for higher learning in the state boasts modern and historic architecture.
Reviewed By Kelsey1976 - Santa Clara, California
Easy to walk around and see the mission type architecture. The gardens are stunning, and this time of year (April) the wisteria is in bloom. In June the jacaranda tree is in bloom. Be sure to stop and go into the mission. It is beautiful.
8. California's Great America
Overall Ratings
4 based on 533 reviews
The new roller coaster, called Stealth, mimics flight and is one of the park's thriller rides.
Reviewed By mhx1337 - Bratislava, Slovakia
This place is ok for someone who has never visited a theme park. Most of the rides had long lines ~60-70minutes so the Fast Lane Pass is a must. Food was expensive and not of a quality that matched the price. The only good thing about the park is Gold Striker rollercoaster.
9. Santa Clara Convention Center
Overall Ratings
4 based on 107 reviews
The award-winning 302,000 sq. ft. Santa Clara Convention Center is the ideal setting for conventions, meetings and tradeshows. It features column free exhibit halls, 22,400 sq. ft. Mission City Ballroom, 607-seat theatre, 31 breakout rooms, and exceptional in-house services. Santa Clara has 3,800+ hotel rooms, a 100-acre theme park, historic mission, championship golf and tennis facility, and is future home of the 49ers new 68,500-seat Santa Clara Stadium.
Reviewed By Traveler-O-World - Flagler Beach, Florida
We were at the the Santa Clara Convention Center for the North American Bengali Conference - 2017 (NABC-2017), attended by nearly three thousand (~3,000) persons from all over the USA and other countries. The place has very good facilities such as a large number of halls, meeting and screening rooms and a couple of auditoria, which provide adequate facilities for holding large conventions. A very good facility for conventions.
10. Santana Row
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 432 reviews
Santana Row is Silicon Valley's premier outdoor destination for shopping, dining, living and working. Surrounded by landscaped gardens, parks and plazas, Santana Row features over 50 shops, 30 restaurants, a 212-room boutique hotel and a six-screen movie theatre. Santana Row hosts a variety of events ranging from fashion shows to free outdoor concerts to the annual tree lighting ceremony. In addition to the dynamic shop & restaurant collection, Santana Row offers 615 luxury rental homes, 219 privately owned condos and 350,000+ square feet of Class A office space.
Reviewed By photograher - Stockton, California
We are first time visitors to Santana Row and found the environment quite classy. High end shops; from clothing, book stores, to eateries, seem to attract a wide clientele. Many of the shops are quite upscale and very pleasant to stroll through. Another nice thing...MoreHello, Thank you for taking the time to review Santana Row! We are so happy to hear about your pleasant experience at Santana Row, checking out our many stores and restaurants. Please visit us again soon!
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