Do you know the way to San Jose?
You know I love me a Victorian mansion. Tell me there is one with creepy ghost stories, crazy quirks, and inspired the Haunted Mystery Ride at Disney and it was going to make it on my wishlist. San Jose is just over an hour from San Francisco and 2 from Sacramento, so I built an adventure day around it and had a fabulous time!
The dogs got me up really early every day, so I decided to take a Saturday and hop in the car and head to Big Basin State Redwood Park. I drove two and a half hours only to find that the park was closed. Be sure to check the website for what you can and can’t do there these days. Even though the trails and main part of the park were closed, there was still an impressive display of beautiful old redwoods to visit. I did a little drive by of sweet Saratoga, a town absolutely worth exploring if you find yourself in the area.
I doubled back to San Jose to visit the Winchester Mystery House for the standard tour. They offer a garden only tour, an extended hard hat tour, on Friday the 13ths they do haunted flashlight tours, and they really go all out on Halloween. The mansion is dreamy, totally weird, and full of the most beautiful and strange details. I’d go back for an extended haunted tour, there is so much to see and learn in this historical money pit. I loved the rooms full of stained glass, gingerbread trim and corbels, and vintage ephemera. Leave plenty of time to wander the grounds, you can do an escape game or axe throwing, you can spend some serious time (and cash) here. Parking was really limited, but there is a mall across the street. I parked at the mall, grabbed a quick snack at one of the restaurants and ate it in the garden before my tour. Masks are required the whole time in the mansion, tour sizes are limited, and you actually can socially distance in most of the rooms. I felt nice and safe here, there is really NO REASON not to go. Except maybe that $50 a head to walk around an old house is a little nuts. Watching people drag disinterested kids around the house made me weep for their wallets, but I was in heaven.
My little brother really wanted to go to Stanford, and I had heard that campus was stunning. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make time for a visit, but after learning that there was a Frank Lloyd Wright house just outside campus that decision was easily made. The Hanna-Honeycomb House is only open to the public two days a year, but it’s just a couple miles from campus and the exterior is lovely and worth a drive by.
My visit to the Stanford Mansion in Sacramento also inspired my stop. Those people had exquisite taste and an incredible eye for details. After the tragic loss of their only son, I could only imagine the beauty of the school they built in his honor. It did not disappoint. It’s free, you just need to make a timed online reservation. There are QR codes posted outside, it’s a piece of cake to book yourself and get in. Like most of my favorite museums, the home of the art is just as impressive as what’s on display. Lucky for you, they have the most incredible collection of Rodin sculptures outside of the Rodin Museum in Paris. Explore the Gates of Hell, The Thinker, and a broad spectrum of global artifacts. It is a truly beautiful way to spend a day.
Silicon Valley is full of interesting stops. Make sure to hit the HP Garage, actually- there are several famous tech garages to see. Even if you don’t go to a famous house, there are some real stunners in this neighborhood. I was pleasantly surprised to pass Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park on my way out of town too. Who knew Zuck had such a sense of humor? The address of campus is 1 Hacker Way, hehe.
I’m sure I didn’t even scratch San Jose’s surface, but I had a marvelous introductory visit. Do you have any other San Jose tips for me? I hope to find myself back in the bay next year and I’m sure I’ll be back :)
