Are you looking for something fun to do in San Jose CA? Well, you’re in luck! Here are 10 of the best things to do in San Jose CA. From the best photo spots to family amusement, there’s something for everyone. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your trip today!
Best Thing to Do in San Jose CA
Winchester Mystery House
- Address: 525 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose, CA 95128, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (11948)
- Phone: +1 408-247-2000
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMTuesday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMWednesday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMThursday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMFriday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMSaturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PMSunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

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TOP 10 Fun Things to Do in San Jose CA

Municipal Rose Garden
- Address: 1649 Naglee Ave, San Jose, CA 95126, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (5757)
- Phone: +1 408-794-7275
- Website: Link
- Reviews:
Parking was on street, but easy and close. It was easy to socially distance. There are tons of roses to see and the landscaping is beautiful. There’s a wonderful fountain in the middle with lots of seating around it. Though there are a few other places to sit, finding something in the shade was very challenging. I think this place could use a little more signage for types of roses…don’t need big signs, but little signs near the ground would be perfect. I have a fascination with taking pictures of roses, so this was an ideal place to get these kinds of photos. Great place to go!By Katherine Rubie (6 months ago)A city park worthy of five stars! It’s free, clean, safe and convenient for parking. It has several doors that allow you to enter and exit easily, but pets are not allowed in. I entered from the side with wisteria. Under the corridor covered with wisteria, I smelled the faint smell of soil and flowers, and looked at the green rose fields. At this time, the roses were not in bloom, and most of them were buds. Only occasionally, you will find a few scattered blooming flowers. There is a fountain around the railing in the garden. The water from the fountain shines brightly in the sun. The water in the pool is clean and clear. Due to the epidemic, people pay attention to keeping a safe distance. Some sit around the bench next to the fountain to bask in the sun, some sit under the blooming tree to enjoy the flowers, and some enjoy the rose fields while walking. They see those blooming flowers taking photos with their mobile phones … Everything here feels so good! A place worth coming to! I will definitely come back in the near future, when the garden will be more beautiful and better!By Joanna H Ye (10 months ago)This garden was so much bigger than I expected. The flowers were so pretty but some were dying or haven’t sprouted. There weren’t that many people and it smells so good. The scene was relaxing and they have public restrooms! The parking is on the street so do be careful of on coming traffic. It’s worth going here not in the rainy season. Remember to wear sun screen!By MoonRule (9 months ago)Visited Rose garden last weekend. Lots of roses are there. It is not a very big garden but lots of people visit here during weekends. There is huge empty ground is also available for picnic. Also observed lots of people with camera to capture beautiful pics. There is no designated parking area however lots of road side parking is available. Entry is free here. Must visit if you like to take pictures and small picnic. You can not spend more than 2 hours here since garden is small.By Aditya Joshi (3 months ago)About 40% of the park is open field, and 60% is the rose garden encompasses a water fountain. There are various types of roses.
The park needs to add monuments to entice visitors. Otherwise, the park is pretty simple and plain, even it’s the blossom season.
I see people come to the park to read books and use the bench to unwind their complex thoughts.
There’s limited street parking outside the park. Free, of course. Not sure if you can park at the close-by residential area.
This review is neutral.
By Son Dang (6 months ago)
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
- Address: 748 Story Rd, San Jose, CA 95112, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (4019)
- Phone: +1 408-794-6400
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: ClosedTuesday: ClosedWednesday: ClosedThursday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMFriday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PMSaturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PMSunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Reviews:
Great day out with grandchildren aged 2 through to 8. Very reasonable price. Plenty of ride options available albeit some with height restrictions although there is what is called a yellow zone when the child must be accompanied by an adult. (Great excuse for Papa to take the ride)
Picnic areas throughout the park so bring your own Food and enjoy. Animals more visible early in the day.By David Munroe (7 months ago)Used to come here as a kid 50 years ago and it has upgraded for the better! Love the new bridge entrance and ticket prices are great for what you get. All the animals and all the rides are included. Plenty of grass and shady spots to relax and eat a picnic lunch. The bread basket offers sandwiches, pizza burgers and drinks. They still have the old maze and crooked house. Danny the dinosaur will take you around the park too! If you like playgrounds there are plenty around the park for all ages! The huge wooden playground will keep your little animals entertained for hours! Definitely recommend for families! Thursdays, once a month they have senior walking too!By N R (7 months ago)What a perfect blend of “small animal” zoo, and kid -friendly amusement park rides, all included in one price. A great way to spend 3-4 hours (at least). Bring your own lunch and make a day of it! If you’re coming from another zoo membership, check with them about reciprocity discounts. Highly recommended.By Dustin Ooley (8 months ago)Being that this was the first time for my family were were super excited to see how beautiful and spacious this place was in comparison to The Sacramento Zoo.Upsides : any kid 5 and under would literally have a blast here and run out so much energy. The rides are free and after paying to get in any parent can appreciate not having to pony up more money for the rides. And there is literally so much room to run and play that it’s almost impossible to not have fun especially with the huge 3 story playground located in the center.
Downsides : there are literally less animals than the Sacramento zoo and I promise I didn’t even know that was possible and to still list the place as a “Zoo”.
Out of the 13 animals located on the left , there were 7 missing or not in the exhibit . I brought my 7 and 17 year old and realized 20 min into this trip that it was going to be very short .
With the lack of animals actually out in the public and the rides going from adventure to boring in a matter of seconds at the ages I had with me …..it was an hour and a half at 70.00 for a family of 4 + parking making it 80.00. I could have went to the mall with them and got them something 40.00 each and the experience on our vacation would have been slightly better because we have something to show for and would have been walking for 2 times longer .All in all : decent place for kids 5-9 solely based on the huge playground. (Not worth the money just to play in a park. )
Not a place for a first date or for anyone single or without children. There’s not enough for adults to do period.
Totally not a place for a teenager unless there working there. But it’s cute and perfect for babies.By Krystina Fisher (9 months ago)So much to do here, my 18 month old daughter and I had a great experience for the first time here. Great combination of a zoo and mini theme park for younger ones. Highly recommend.
Only downside is $10 parking each visit, on top of the entrance fee. I really feel that parking fee could be free or less on weekdays at least, or reduced for membership even.By Pink Moonlight (2 months ago)
Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose
- Address: 180 Woz Way, San Jose, CA 95110, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (3396)
Alum Rock Park
- Address: 15350 Penitencia Creek Rd, San Jose, CA 95127, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (3068)
Plaza de Cesar Chavez
- Address: 1 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose, CA 95113, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.4 (2725)
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
- Address: 1660 Park Ave, San Jose, CA 95191, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (2706)
Almaden Lake Park
- Address: 6099 Winfield Blvd, San Jose, CA 95120, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (2446)
Kelley Park
- Address: 1300 Senter Rd, San Jose, CA 95112, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.4 (2434)
Emma Prusch Farm Park
- Address: 647 S King Rd, San Jose, CA 95116, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (2035)
Almaden Quicksilver County Park
- Address: 21785 Almaden Rd, San Jose, CA 95120, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (1729)

That’s it for our list of the best things to do in San Jose CA! If you have any arguments or additional information, please leave a comment. We love to hear from our readers. And don’t forget to check out some of the other posts on our blog for more travel inspiration. Happy traveling!
We enjoyed the Winchester Mystery Mansion tour at the beginning of November. The house is amazing and so much fun to explore. The architecture is very unique and the history is very intriguing. I would highly recommend the extended tour as well to get the full experience. We were able to see much more of the house, including the attic and basement. Don’t forget to walk around the exterior grounds and gardens to see the magnificent displays of beauty.
Loved this place. The house and grounds are beyond stunning. Parking was easier than I expected and the tour guides were fun. I enjoyed learning about the history. We did both tours and felt the price for the explore more tour was not a great value, but the $ you pay helps fund the restorations needed so I’m okay with that. Also we arrived basically one minute before our scheduled tour and they were very accommodating and offered to change our time before I could even ask.
We toured on our weekend getaway. What an AWESOME experience! Very unique! Just wish there was a little more time in between rooms; not only for pictures but to allow the available presence(s) to come through more. Faces are within paintings/pictures in pictures. Definitely does not sell short of the energy in that building! Beautiful architecture! Captivating! Now, we just need a midnight tour or sleepover! ☺️
Cool tour. The tour guides were amazing. I highly recommend taking the extra tour after taking the first tour, it made the overall experience that much better. Gift shop to shooting range, axe throwing to house tour, this site holds a lot of adventure to be had.
Warning: I and my guests experienced paranormal activity while in the house. My experience was not nearly as bad as my guests but be aware, paranormal experiences are possible and my not be suitable for all people.
They were running a little behind when we arrived and the tour was around 85min at a fairly fast pace. Much of the furniture is not original but they did a great job finding pieces that looked like the original time period for what she liked.
Lots of varying types of stair ways from tall skinny stairs to my my favorite short deep stairs. Many of the stairwells though weren’t very wide, so if you are a bigger person like myself it’ll feel a bit squishy in areas. Or if you are mobility restricted this is NOT the tour for you since you do go up and down many stairs throughout the tour.
Thankfully those areas you were allowed to touch walls since many of the rooms have original textured walls and they requested you not touch them. Photos are allowed and water was provided half way through, which was nice because it got very hot. They asked no flash photography, video, or food and to treat it like you would a museum.