Santa Clara can be explored in many different ways: along trails through hills and oak woodlands, at a California mission, or in museums that tell stories of technology, history and culture. It is this very contrast between landscapes and human stories that gives a trip so many possible focal points.
Wide-Open Landscapes and Trails
At Rancho San Antonio County Park and Open Space Preserve, more than 25 miles of trails wind through the preserve and the adjacent county park. For a closer look at the area, visit Deer Hollow Farm: During regular farm hours, you can take a self-guided tour and see farm animals, a garden cared for by volunteers, and an orchard. Since opening hours may change, it is worth checking the current hours before your visit.
The Henry W. Coe State Park offers a different kind of landscape. It protects 87,000 acres of hills and ridges in the Diablo Range. Backpackers, horseback riders, mountain bikers and day hikers are welcome there. In spring, flowers include California poppies, lupines, goldfields, baby blue eyes, mariposa lilies, larkspur, wild hyacinths and Ithuriel’s spear; bloom times can vary from year to year. Taking the season into account means you can experience the landscape with changing highlights.
At Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve, the four-mile Arrowhead Loop Trail passes rare serpentine rock outcrops. The route crosses grassland and woodland characterized by oaks and California bay laurel trees. The preserve also offers opportunities for birdwatching, including sightings of red-shouldered hawks, golden eagles and yellow-billed magpies. The preserve lies on the western edge of Coyote Valley, which forms a greenbelt between San José and Morgan Hill.
A loop route at Rancho San Antonio Preserve also connects different landscapes: Over three miles, it follows a creek through a fern-lined ravine, climbs through chaparral to open meadows on the middle ridge, and returns to Deer Hollow Farm. Compared with the four-mile Arrowhead Loop, this loop is shorter; its description also highlights the transition from ravine to chaparral to open meadows.
Missions and the History of Santa Clara Valley
Mission Santa Clara de AsĂs is one of California’s oldest missions: it is the eighth-oldest of the original 21. This places the mission in the history of the state without reducing it to a single era.
History Park presents the past of Santa Clara Valley on a 14-hectare site with original and reconstructed homes, shops and landmarks. A tour offered there explores how people in San José worked and lived from 1850 to 1970. Streetcars also run through the park. If you plan to take a tour, check the dates in advance, as schedules may change.
Another perspective on the valley’s history awaits at the Chinese American Historical Museum. The first-floor exhibit explores the experiences of Chinese Americans in Santa Clara Valley, from the mid-19th century to the present day. Together with History Park, the museum offers different perspectives: here, the focus is on the history of a community; there, on living and working over a longer period.
Technology, Collections and Special Discoveries
At the Computer History Museum, the signature exhibition is titled “Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing.” The Tech Interactive also focuses on the history of technology with Pixel Playground, but there visitors can try their hand at activities: They can create animals from building blocks to train artificial intelligence, design and test a roller coaster, or paint with digital brushes.
The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum houses the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts on display in western North America. All tours there are self-guided, and a free museum app is available. Rosicrucian Park is also home to the Rosicrucian Labyrinth. The combination of the collection and the labyrinth offers two different reasons to visit. Check the latest information on museum procedures in advance.
The Winchester Mystery House offers a different kind of discovery: Sarah Winchester had the Victorian mansion built over 36 years, from 1886 to 1922. The Mansion Tour takes guests through 110 of the 160 rooms. As tour details may change, it is a good idea to check the latest tour information before your visit.
For a garden perspective, the Japanese Friendship Garden is modeled after Korakuen Garden in Okayama. More than 150 exotic, endangered and rescued ambassador animals live at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo; the zoo also participates in Species Survival Plan programs. Alongside historic buildings and technology, Santa Clara thus offers gardens and animal life as other areas of interest.
Discover more destinations: Morgan Hill, Saratoga, Campbell, Gilroy, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San José, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Los Altos, San Martin, Coyote, Los Altos Hills.
For the overall travel guide: California.
