Location: San Jose
Top Things to do in San Jose
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Top 10 Things to do Good for a Rainy Day in San Jose, California (CA)
Welcome to bustling San Jose, where Silicon Valley meets Spanish history and modern edifices sit alongside meticulously restored 19th-century buildings. Such is the contrast of this city rich in tradition and, thanks to the tech industry, just plain rich. Five star-hotels and fine restaurants line the streets of the restored downtown area, and the cultural scene is thriving with museums, theater and art to rival any world-class hub. Don't miss the Tech Museum of Innovation, an exploration of Silicon Valley and its impact on the area. History buffs will relish the old mansions and can delve into the city's past at the History Museum of San Jose. Save time for a round of golf or the locals' other favorite pastime, sipping coffee and people-watching at a crowded cafe.
Restaurants in San Jose
1. Japanese American Resource Center/Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 35 reviews
The Japanese American Museum of San Jose's (JAMsj)mission is to collect, preserve, and share Japanese American art, history, and culture with an emphasis on the Greater Bay Area.
2. Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 14 reviews
Reviewed By karimexicogdl - Guadalajara, Mexico
It’s such a beautiful collection inside the public library, there’s thousands of books, albums, documents, art, etc. The paradise of Beethoven’s world in America. Must visit when in California!
3. California Theatre
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 85 reviews
The California Theatre in San Jose, California is managed and operated by San Jose Theaters, a division of Team San Jose. It regularly hosts major performances from Opera San Jose, Symphony Silicon Valley and other organizations. This beautiful theatre, originally built in 1927 and renovated starting in 2001, marries the opulence of its movie palace origins with state-of-the-art performing arts venue attributes. The California Theatre is Available to Rent * 1,122 seating capacity, with up to 14 wheelchair areas * State-of-the-art production and audio visual technology * Stage Size: 90'x40' * Several dressing rooms
Reviewed By 244laurieh - San Jose, United States
It's rare to see such a beautiful building like this on the West Coast. I especially love visiting it in December, as it is so nicely decorated for the holidays. Built in 1927, this theater has been renovated and restored to it's full glory. It hosts performances of Opera San Jose, Symphony Silicon Valley, and more.
4. ComedySportz
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 19 reviews
WHAT IS COMEDYSPORTZ? Two teams of players compete in an improv match for laughs and points, with a referee getting suggestions from the audience and calling fouls. Each show is different, with different players, different games, and different audiences supplying new suggestions. The fans judge the scenes, and decide the winners and losers. And who knows, an audience member might even make it up on stage! As Silicon Valley’s longest-running show, we’ve been named Best Comedy Venue and Best Local Theatre by the Metro’s Best of the Silicon Valley. If you like TV’s Whose Line Is It Anyway, you’ll love ComedySportz! WHO IS IT FOR? It’s a fun, fast-paced comedy show that’s great for the whole family, business entertainment, and groups of of all types. It’s the only entertainment that’s funny enough for bachelor parties, and still suitable for your faith-based or business group.
Reviewed By sndrtbr - Florence, United States
This was funny and fast paced. Kept you interested. Price was good and there was a parking garage right by the event, and they validated for you.
5. Santa Clara Valley Brewing
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 10 reviews
San Jose's finest craft beer served in the city's finest taproom. We offer tasting flights, snacks, board games, and sporting events on our big screen television.
6. Breakout Studios
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 10 reviews
Welcome to Silicon Valley's Newest Escape Room Adventure! Come discover our unique and interactive live games. As "Time Breakers," you travel in time and experience the stories that shaped Silicon Valley. We invite you to join us for an unforgettable adventure while creating fun memories, and stronger bonds.
Reviewed By Rjvvrma
Experience unlike any other and I have visited other escape rooms. First thing you will notice is that its very warm and inviting space, the employees are very professional and fun people, lobby is pretty cool and escape room itself is lot of fun. I will go back and visit all other rooms.
7. Broadway San Jose
8. Children's Discovery Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 453 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 B4Travel2 - San Jose, United States
If you live in the area, this is a great place to bring young kids or toddlers! It would not be a place that you travel to see, but if staying within an hour's distance, and have an active toddler that you want to run off some steam, and give them a creative outlet, or any kids, probably best for 8 years or younger, this is a wonderful place to give them new things to explore. We met up with some family here (mainly adults & 1 two-year-old), and it was a nice way to catch up, while giving the toddler plenty of things to experiment with. There is a Mammoth exhibit, showing where they were in the San Jose area, that is interesting for all ages, a book nook, some crafty projects, a bubble room, where you can make very large bubbles, many little exhibits that show how gravity works, or various interactive displays, an ambulance & fire truck that kids can climb through, etc. There are 2 stories to the building, and many different rooms with various things to do, so you can easily spend several hours here. It is $15/person, so if a local, it is probably worth getting an annual pass, to be able to come back and get best value. Also a great place to go, if it's a rainy day, and your kids are restless.
9. San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 159 reviews
The Center for the Performing Arts is managed and operated by San Jose Theaters, a division of Team San Jose. It hosts major performances from Broadway San Jose and other organizations. It has 2,608 seats, including 20 ADA-compliant spaces.
Reviewed By A9482XZmaryk - San Jose, United States
Went to see Cats at the CFPA and it was great. Sat right up in the 2nd row and we’re awesome seats. Very comfortable. Lots of room . Nice venue. Definitely will go again. Glad the Broadway shows are here in San Jose. Can now avoid going to the city!,
10. New Almaden Mercury Mining Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 42 reviews
Trace the history of local quicksilver mining at this interesting specialty museum.
Reviewed By interceptpubs - Columbus, United States
Today, most people think of the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill as the defining moment in early California history. The resulting gold rush of 1849 brought thousands of prospectors and settlers to the territory won from Mexico just the year before in the aftermath of the Mexican War and accelerated the process to statehood which followed just a year later in 1850. However, the sudden discovery of California gold was foreshadowed by an earlier discovery of mineral wealth in the region that in many ways was just as remarkable, yet today is almost completely forgotten. It happened in this small community just outside of present-day San Jose. Local Ohlone Indians first found samples of a red rock in the area that they found useful as a pigment, using it to paint their bodies a bright red. Other Indian tribes also coveted the red pigment. Indeed, Indians from as far away as modern-day Walla Walla, Washington came to trade and fight for this valuable material. Spanish settlers also found the deposits of the red rock in the early 1820s and, thinking that they might contain silver or even gold, tried their hand at mining but were unable to extract any precious metals. It wasn't until 1845 that the deposits were properly identified. Andreas Castillero, a Captain in the Mexican Army who also happened to be a mining engineer, was visiting the area and realized that the red rocks were cinnabar, a source of quicksilver or mercury. In many respects, the discovery was fortuitous as mercury was essential in refining gold and silver at that time. It was less fortuitous for Castillero whose services were soon required to fight in the Mexican War, forcing him to sell his mining rights to an English firm that named the site New Almaden after the world's largest mercury mining operation in Spain. In the end, the New Almaden mine developed into the world's second largest mercury mine and richest single mineral deposit in California, ironically even more valuable than any of the gold mines in California – eventually $70 million (in period dollars) of mercury was produced before mining ceased around 1910. This fine little museum of the history of cinnabar in the region and of the mining operation that capitalized on the find is fittingly housed in the impressive La Casa Grande. Originally built as a hotel in 1854, it latter served as the mine superintendent's office and home. The parlor, library and drawing room have been restored as they would have appeared during the period of the mine's operation, while other rooms provide museum displays with photos, artifacts, and even models of the mine and the refining operation used to liberate the quicksilver from the ore. On our visit, we got a private tour (mainly because we were the only visitors there at the time) of the museum by a docent and then left on our own to explore the exhibits in more detail. There's even a nice little gift shop where you can buy souvenirs and books on the history of the mine and the area. We actually learned a lot while talking with the volunteers while perusing the books in the gift shop – they were very friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly proud of the history of this almost forgotten chapter in California history. The only downside is that for most the year, the museum is only open three days a week (Fridays through Sundays) from 10 to 4 (there are expanded hours in the Summer). Sadly, we see online that the museum is currently closed due to the pandemic.
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