I am 27 and am going down to Cambell for a week to see my (conservistive) parents. Any good ideas on things to do with them? On my own? Places to go?
2006-07-30 07:54:56 · 5 answers · asked by sofun 4 in Dining Out ➔ United States ➔ San Jose
Artsopolis has various listings of events in the area http://www.artsopolis.com/.
An hour south of San Jose is Monterey and the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a beautiful place to go. We especially enjoy the jellyfish exhibits, and they just opened a new wing. http://www.mbayaq.org/
Nearby is the famous 17 mile drive. Beautiful scenery along the coast, and you can get an idea of the views by going to http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/California/Monterey-754261/Things_To_Do-Monterey-17_Mile_Drive-BR-1.html
Gilroy, the garlic capital of the nation, has a different kind of park, Bonfante Gardens. The rides are more for little kids, but we enjoy walking through the park. http://www.bonfantegardens.com/ This is the home of the "Circus Trees", specially grafted and shaped. http://www.bonfantegardens.com/trees/trees.html
Back in San Jose...
The Tech Museum has all kinds of technical innovation exhibits and most are interactive. They have an IMAX theatre http://www.thetech.org/
If you do like technology, Intel has a museum and it's supposed to be interesting, but I don't know first-hand. http://www.intel.com/museum/index.htm
The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is interesting and sometimes has good speakers. http://www.egyptianmuseum.org/
The Winchester Mystery House is interesting with a unique history. http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com
Near the Mystery House is Santana Row, a shopping center resembling stores and living spaces in Europe. http://www.santanarow.com/ There is another mall nearby called Westfield Shoppingtown Valley Fair. http://www.westfield.com/valleyfair/
If you like amusement parks you can go to Paramount's Great America. http://www.pgathrills.com/
There's a beautiful, quiet Japanese Garden called Hakone Gardens. Located in Saratoga, it's a good place to get away from buildings, traffic and noise. You should see the koi fish and variety of flowers, trees and even bamboo. http://www.hakonegardens.org/
The San Jose area has a lot of different gardens and places to hike if you enjoy it.
The Martin Luther King Library is near the theatre, and it's supposed to be just fabulous to tour. The floor plans can be found at http://www.sjlibrary.org/about/locations/king/floors/floor1.htm
There are several Farmer's Markets in the area and they are listed in the Mercury News. Great for fresh fruits and vegetables and mingling.
A little farther north of town, you can visit the Stanford University campus. They have museums and lovely gardens including Rodin sculputres. Their website is http://www.stanford.edu/, and a listing of tours can be found at http://events.stanford.edu/byCategory/15/.
2006-07-30 16:35:55 · answer #1 · answered by Meira 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Downtown Campbell is a great place especially for the conservative parents. There is the Pruneyard that has several restaurants to choose from.... Rock Bottom Brewery has great food. The Outback. Left at Albuquerque's,this is a nice Tex/Mex everything made from scratch restaurant.
Then up the street on Campbell Ave is the actual "downtown" Campbell. They have the Sonoma Chicken Coop. Their food is real good and that restaurant also has a brewery. On Sundays they have an awesome Farmers Market and I highly recommend you have breakfast at Stacks. Call ahead and put your name on the list or get there early, the wait can be up to an hour or two. But the food is worth the wait. Its nice though because the Farmers Market is on the same street and you put your name down and go for a walk while you are waiting for your table.
I also suggest Santana Row....nice place to walk around and enjoy the shops they also have many, many restaurants. All are great. Except Village Cafe, GROSS!!!
Other than that, I hope I helped and hope you enjoy your visit to The Bay Area.
2006-07-31 15:19:31 · answer #2 · answered by Cynthia H 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Locally:
There's always shopping.
Westfield Mall (Valley Fair) 4 Miles 6 mins
Great place to go shopping. Not too high end. A lot of stores to shop in. Theres a store for everyones taste.
Santana Row (Across the street from Valley Fair)
More high end shopping. Gucci, Burberry, etc. More of a place to window shop. Great atmosphere and I recommend you eat at one of the restaurants there.
Great Mall 11.5 Miles 13 min
More of an outlet indoor mall. Great deals and values.
Going to San Francisco is really your best bet. You can just start walking and you'll find a place to go. Lots of site seeing available.
2006-07-31 13:59:58 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to San Francisco - the south bay is completely devoid of culture.
2006-07-30 14:58:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to the boardwalk/pier.....
2006-07-30 14:58:40 · answer #5 · answered by 345Grasshopper 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋