eatured local attractions include the San Jose Tech Museum, the Children’s Discovery Museum, the San Jose Museum of Modern Art, and the Japanese Friendship Garden. San Jose is the largest city in Northern California and offers a wide variety of activities for visitors to enjoy including outlet and first-rate shopping, great gourmet restaurants and some of the most unique museums and galleries in North America. For travel tips & information, please visit the San José Convention & Visitor’s Bureau website at: www.sanjose.org

The Tech Museum of Innovation ( www.thetech.org )
201 S. Market St., San José, (408) 294-8324

Technology from Silicon Valley and beyond comes alive in this unique museum featuring 132,000 square feet 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.

( www.simuart.org )
110 S. Market St., San José, (408) 271-6840

SJMA is one of the leading institutions dedicated to visual culture in Silicon Valley - one of the most dynamic and influential regions in the United States. It is a community anchor, ensuring artistic excellence and access for an extraordinarily diverse populace through our Free Admission policy. It is a contemporary art center whose acclaimed exhibitions have ranged across modern masterworks to the newest frontiers of art. It is a cultural crossroads, more than tripling its attendance in the past year alone. It is the largest visual arts education provider in Santa Clara County. It is a source of inspiration, contemplation, and delight for a fast-moving community. It is a Museum of the future. Free Admission to everyone, every day!

Japanese Friendship Garden
1300 Senter Rd, San José (408) 277-5254

San Jose's Japanese Friendship Garden is a beautiful living symbol of the "Sister City" relationship between Okayama, Japan and San Jose, California. The garden was dedicated in October 1965, and was patterned after Okayama's world famous Korakuen Park. You will find exotic koi ponds, unique bridges, pathways, and beautiful landscaping are styled after this garden. While visiting the Garden, take some time to feed the exotic koi fish. Koi are an ornamental variety of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio, bred especially to reveal their distinctive color characteristics.

Children’s Dicscovery Museum of San José ( www.cdm.org )
180 Woz Way, San José, (408) 298-5437

The striking 52,000 square foot purple building, designed by Mexico City-based architect Ricardo Legorreta, signals the purpose of Children's Discovery Museum to serve the needs of children, families and schools as a center for learning and discovery. This dynamic cultural and educational resource offers more than 150 interactive exhibits in science, humanities, technology, and arts.

Winchester Mystery House ( www.winchestermysteryhouse.com )
525 S. Winchester Blvd., San Jose, (408) 247-2000

Beautiful but bizarre 160-room Victorian mansion built by rifle heiress Sarah Winchester. Collection of fine craftsmanship and architectural oddities. Tours available: mansion, garden, behind the scenes, and flashlight tours. Enjoy the rest of the day by visiting the wonderful museum, café, and gift shop.

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Mirassou Vineyards ( www.mirassou.com )
3000 Aborn Rd., San José, (408) 274-4000

America's oldest wine making family offering free tours and tastings of their award-winning wines at two historic locations nestled in the foothills of San Jose's Evergreen area. Mirassou also offers a wide array of corporate services including off-site conferencing and catered dinners.

J. Lohr Winery ( www.jlohr.com )
1000 Lensen Ave., San José (408) 288-5057

The J. Lohr Winery Tasting Room is open daily, 10:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m. in the "heart of urban wine country". We offer a complete tasting or our award-winning varieties in a friendly, easily accessible downtown environment. Tours are offered on Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. All white wine production, bottling, and the cellaring of the red wines take place at this facility.

( www.fogartywinery.com )
19501 Skyline Blvd., Woodside, CA 94062 (650) 851-6777

Thomas Fogarty Winery invites you to experience the “flavors of the fruit” from our beautiful mountain Winery. Come up for a special wine tasting. Our property is located west of Palo Alto and Stanford University, perched on scenic Skyline Boulevard. The scenic winery grounds include facilities for corporate conferences, weddings, private parties and business dinners. The hilltop setting has a stunning view of the San Francisco Bay Area.

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San Francisco is located only 50 miles north of San José. It is a place where golden dreams come true. A place where heart, mind and soul embrace, lost in the simplicity of delightful deliverance. The City is a cultural wonderland, an ethnic treasure chest where custom, tradition and history are preserved, celebrated, shared. The City's restaurants, shops, theaters, art galleries, museums and, above all, its people hold the key to unique visitor experiences. First class shopping is found at Union Square. You can experience San Francisco with a walking tour to Union Square, North Beach, Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Pacific Heights. For many visitors, Ocean Beach on the westernmost edge of The City is the first stop on the itinerary. The Pacific Ocean is always an exhilarating sight, especially for first-timers. Golden Gate are alluring for hikers, fishermen and picnickers. Take a scenic tour of the bay on the Hornblower Cruise, ride the cable cars or spend the day on Alcatraz. Visit www.sfvisitor.org for more information.

Monterey Bay Aquarium ( www.mbayaq.org )
886 Cannery Row, Monterey, (831) 648-4860

Discover the Monterey Bay Aquarium The marvels of our ocean planet come to life at the world-acclaimed Monterey Bay Aquarium. Your visit will carry you into the hidden world of Monterey Bay - a place of ever-changing beauty at the heart of the nation's largest marine sanctuary. We'll put you eye-to-eye with more than 300,000 strange and beautiful creatures that live in Monterey Bay, from playful sea otters and delicate jellies, to powerful sharks, elusive octopus and giant ocean sunfish.

Paramount’s Great America ( www.pgathrills.com )
4701 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, between Hwys 101 & 237 (408) 988-1776

Features more than 50 thrill rides, including the world’s first and only flying coaster. This 100-acre family theme park has rides, coasters, games and shows.

Intel Museum ( www.intel.com/go/museum )
2200 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, (408) 765-0503

Self-guided, hands-on museum shows how computer chips are made and used. Guided group tours available by reservation, Intel Museum Store carries unique "high tech" clothing and souvenirs. At the Intel Museum in Santa Clara, you can experience the power of computer chips first hand, and the evolution of their development. Explore the pages of the site and interact with our Web movies to learn more about the museum and computer chips.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk ( www.beachboardwalk.com )
400 Beach Street, just 30 minutes from San José

Warm sand, cool surf, hot rides at California's exciting beachside amusement park on Monterey Bay. The Boardwalk is a half-mile long historic amusement park next to Santa Cruz’s mile long main beach. It includes more than 34 rides and attractions (featuring two national historic landmarks: the 1924 Giant Dipper roller coaster and the 1911 Looff Carousel plus plenty of modern ride thrills), dozens of restaurants, shops, games, indoor arcades, and miniature golf.

Six Flag’s Marine World ( www.sixflags.com )
2001 Marine World Parkway, Vallejo

Six Flags Marine World is home to America's Favorite Thrills! It's the country's only combination wildlife park, oceanarium and theme park featuring over 30 thrilling rides, 35 exotic animal attractions and 10 great shows. With a 136-acre property, it features 33 animal attractions, ten entertaining live shows and exciting adult and children's rides.

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Bounded on both sides by mountains, Napa Valley stretches approximately 30 miles in a northwesterly direction, its width ranging from five miles at the widest point near the city of Napa to just one mile where the valley narrows near the town of Calistoga.

Besides being known for its optimum climate and desirability, Napa Valley is recognized around the world as a great wine region. Its wines are highly regarded for their superior quality and diversity of style. The appellation encompasses about 297,000 acres, with more than 45,000 acres planted in grapes. For more information on visiting the Napa Valley Wineries, please visit the Napa Valley Vinters Association website at: www.napavinters.com

The Napa Valley Vintners Association (NVVA) represents 209 member wineries including small, family-owned enterprises producing just 200 cases to large, publicly held companies that have productions up to one million cases annually. With diverse wine styles and personalities, each winery is unique, yet members are united in their shared vision: the promotion and protection of Napa Valley as the finest winegrowing region in the world.

 

Sonoma Wineries

Just one hour north of San Francisco, home to vineyards, redwoods, and the wild Sonoma coast. Sonoma offers you Bay Area sophistication with the reserve of a quiet country feel. A complete wine tasting experience in Sonoma could easily take a few days. The vineyards of Sonoma County exist from the cooler coastal growing regions into the hotter inland valley areas. As you journey from winery to winery, you chance across quaint hamlets and larger towns.

If wine tasting is the goal, then the drive is the magic - the routes are some of the most scenic in California. You can take a gourmet picnic to enjoy along the way. And don't forget your camera as photo opportunities present themselves around every corner.

And please, be safe... taste responsibly. When you discover a wine you really enjoy, purchase some at the tasting room to savor when you're driving time is behind you. Ciao!

For more information on Sonoma and its Wineries, please visit: www.sonoma.com/wineries

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