Silicon Valley

Less than an hour south of San Francisco is Silicon Valley, a hotbed of high-tech companies and startups that’s been growing since the early 1970s. Geographically, Silicon Valley includes most of Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, and Alameda County.

Love technology? Check out the fascinating museums: Computer History Museum (Santa Clara), the Intel Museum (Santa Clara), and the Tech Museum of Innovation (a great place for kids in San Jose).

Getting Here

Highway 101 and the I-280 travel the peninsula from San Francisco to San Jose.

Recommended Things to Do

Highlights

Winchester Mystery House: a mansion in San Jose. Home of Sarah Winchester, wife of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester. The Winchester Mystery House has guided tours of its bizarre construction, designed to appease the spirits of those haunting the home.

NASA Ames Exploration Center: is a science museum at the entrance to the NASA Ames Research Center exhibits a moon rock, the Mercury-Redstone 1A capsule ( launched in 1960), movies of NASA’s explorations and more.

Cantor Arts Center: this art museum at Stanford University houses one of the world’s largest collections of Auguste Rodin Sculptures.

Nearby Points of Interest

Pacifica: with six miles of beaches, Pacifica is a beautiful place to spend the day. Lounge on the beach, watch the surfers in action, hike the trails and then head over to Moonraker for oceanfront seafood dining.