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San Jose Things to Do

San Jose, located in the beautiful Santa Clara Valley, is the third largest city in California and the tenth largest in the United States. With a perfect Mediterranean climate, abundant trails through the city and lots of cultural and sports activity to see and partake in, it´s no wonder that San Jose attracts its fair share of tourism every year.

Here are some of our favorite things to do and see in San Jose.

The Chinese Cultural Garden is a lovely 6 acre patch of green found in the larger Overfelt Gardens which makes up 33 acres in San Jose. If you are fortunate enough to be traveling to the city in September, you can enjoy the annual Chinese Moon Festival which takes place on the third Sunday of every month. If you won´t be around during this time, there are still lovely features to see such as the beautiful Friendship Gate, the Chiang Kai-shek Pavilion, a statue of Confucius, a sundial, the Plum Pavilion and the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall.

The San Jose Museum of Art is found in downtown San Jose and has, since 1969, offered up a heavy dose of art and culture. These days the museum plays host to a permanent collection and temporary collections which often, being located in the Silicon Valley, portray a dance between art and technology. The permanent collection features artists such as Jay DeFeo, Deborah Butterfield, Joan Brown, Philip Guston, Bill Viola and Jim Dine.

With at least four million visitors each year, the famous San Jose Flea Market is the largest open air market in the United States. Since 1960, when George Bumb Sr. founded the market, it has provided an income to many San Jose families, selling pretty much anything, including jewelry, paintings, clothes, furniture, electric goods and collectibles. The market is now a California landmark and an absolute must-see on your trip to San Jose.

Held on the last full weekend of July, the Gilroy Garlic Festival is one of the largest food festivals in the United States. Warning: this festival is ideal for any garlic lover but a possible hell for those that don´t like the strong taste and flavor of garlic because at the fair everything, but everything, is garlicky. You can sample garlic ice-cream, garlic french-fries and even partake in the competition for the Queen of Garlic.