San Jose Travel

San Jose, CA: The Way to San JoseThere's more to California's oldest Spanish settlement and third largest city than silicon and wiz kids.The real deal: Innovation, the Internet, the human body, and exploration are permanent galleries at the Tech Museum of Innovation. Find out how hot you really are when you take your "picture" with the Thermocamera.Place we love, even if it's touristy: The Winchester Rifle heiress kept construction going on the 160-room Winchester Mystery Mansion from 1884 until her death 38 years later. The house is an architectural marvel with exquisite details like Tiffany glass windows and mysterious features like stairs that lead to a ceiling.Chill-out spot: Hike part of the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail in Big Basin Redwoods State Park--California's oldest state park--and meander past grand redwood groves and sparkling waterfalls.Where to blow a paycheck: Changing the way people think about malls, Santana Row strives to incorporate condos, a farmers market, and savvy restaurants with fountains, pedestrian walkways, and of course, upscale mall classics like Gucci.The place to wine and dine: The Russi husband-and-wife team brings a bit of Tuscany to Willow Glen at Vin Santo, which features an extensive wine list along with Northern Italian favorites like antipasti, capellini pomodoro, and osso buco.Did we mention it's free? See what home life was like back in 1797 when the Peralta Adobe was built. It is the oldest remaining structure from El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe.History lesson: Mission Santa Clara de Asis, established in 1777, is the eighth oldest of 21 missions in California. Now it is a landmark at the campus of the University of Santa Clara.Get out of dodge: A quick 15-minute drive away from San Jose takes you to the Mountain Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. If you're there between June and September, you'll be lucky enough to enjoy their popular Summer Concert series.