San Jose

San Jose is the cultural and political heart of the Silicon Valley and the oldest Spanish civilian settlement in California. The bustling city is a mingling of the area’s modern tech heritage along with the state’s colonial history. If you want to hit the beaches while visiting the city, the city’s favorites are Santa Cruz Main Beach and Natural Bridges State Beach. Check out Santana Row for its vibrant array of shops and restaurants, along with live music and yoga sessions in the outdoor parks and plazas. The city is home to many museums. The Tech Museum of Innovation is an interactive experience for all ages. The museum highlights the role of technology and its influence over our daily lives. The San Jose Museum of Art focuses on a contemporary collection of modern art and highlights the various movements of the West Coast. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Planetarium is one of the most popular museums in the city. Funded by the Rosicrucian Order, the museum collects artifacts discovered by archaeologists from Egypt.The Winchester Mystery House is one of the must-visit attractions for the more paranormally-inclined. The house is said to be haunted by the people killed by the Winchester rifle. Sarah Winchester, the owner of the house, kept building the house to appease the ghosts. She spent nearly $5 million at the time and the house is more than 24,000 square feet with 160 rooms, 10,000 windows, 6 kitchens, and 17 chimneys. Located near Santa Clara, Great America is an amusement park with some of the vest rides in the state. Raging Waters is a seasonal favorite for a water park. It spans over 23 acres near Los Angeles.