Your Next California Escape: Silicon Valley Attractions

Six Silicon Valley attractions across Santa Clara, Mountain View, and San Jose reveal a history that extends beyond the region’s technology companies. Mission Santa Clara de Asís, the de Saisset Museum, and the Japanese American Museum of San Jose explore Indigenous heritage, the mission era, and Japanese American history. The Moffett Field Museum, the Intel Museum, and The Tech Interactive introduce visitors to aviation, engineering, and modern computing.

The Chip: Intel Museum, Santa Clara

The Intel Museum is inside Intel’s headquarters at 2200 Mission College Blvd. Its exhibits let visitors explore how engineers make silicon chips, why chip factories need clean rooms, and how microprocessors have changed since the company’s founding in 1968.

Before a visit, Intel’s online virtual museum offers a preview of the galleries. Regular visits need no reservation, while guided tours of 30 or 60 minutes for parties of up to 15 require advance booking.

The Sky: Moffett Field Museum, Mountain View

At the south end of Hangar One, the Moffett Field Historical Society Museum traces the airfield’s past, from Navy airships to Cold War patrol planes.

Because the museum sits inside Moffett Federal Airfield, home to NASA’s Ames Research Center, entry runs through a staffed gate. Before leaving, check the museum’s gate instructions, especially for a Saturday visit, when the south gate at Ellis Street and US 101 stays closed. Once inside the airfield, an orange-and-white checkered water tower across the road marks the entrance.

• A scaled diorama shows the USS Macon, the airship that Hangar One first sheltered.
• The museum has featured aircraft such as the P-3, Harrier, U-2, F-104, and F-18. Access to individual cockpits can vary, so staff can confirm which ones are open during a visit.

The Roots: Mission Santa Clara de Asís and the de Saisset Museum

At the heart of the Santa Clara University campus, the mission church still serves as an active parish. Spanish missionaries founded the mission in 1777 on the homeland of the Ohlone people, whose communities went through profound changes under the mission system. One such community, the Thámien, lived on the land where the campus stands today.

The de Saisset closes hours before the church, so the museum comes first in this self-guided order, which can shift with arrival time:

1. Download the parish’s Native Ohlone handout ahead of time, and if time allows, pick up a self-guided walking tour pamphlet at the Visitor’s Corner.
2. Visit the de Saisset Museum, next door to the church, so its exhibits give context for the rest of the visit. The permanent exhibition, California Stories from Thámien to Santa Clara, traces Ohlone heritage, mission-era history, Californio life, and the college’s early years.
3. Step into the church, which replaced the one that burned in 1926. The replacement uses steel-reinforced concrete instead of adobe, in a neo-colonial style. During the fire, students rescued a large crucifix linked to Padre Magín Catalá.
4. Finish outside at the porch steps of the burned chapel, which overlook the Rose Garden Cemetery. Nearby, the Adobe Lodge, the oldest remaining part of the campus, includes a wall from the 1822 mission quadrangle.

The Neighborhood: Japanese American Museum of San Jose

At 535 North Fifth Street, the museum, known as JAMsj, connects San Jose’s Japantown with the wider history of Japanese Americans in the Bay Area.

• JAMsj occupies the former home of Dr. Tokio Ishikawa and reopened at this address in 2010.
• Exhibits explore immigration, agricultural communities, and the forced incarceration that uprooted local families during World War II.
• In the Barracks Room, a recreation of a family’s living quarters at the Tule Lake camp holds genuine camp items, including a coal-burning stove and handmade furniture. Jimi Yamaichi, a museum curator who had worked as a construction foreman at Tule Lake, recreated it from architectural plans and his own memories.
• The rotating exhibition changes over time, so a look at what is on view can add another perspective on the community’s history.
• VTA light rail stops at Japantown/Ayer station.

The Lab: The Tech Interactive, Downtown San Jose

At 201 South Market Street, The Tech Interactive encourages visitors to experiment rather than simply look at displays, with more than 100 hands-on experiences about how science and engineering affect daily life.

• The BioTinkering Lab offers short activities in biology and materials science. Past projects have included work with algae-based materials. Themes and session times change, so the daily lineup on The Tech’s website is worth checking that morning.
• Body Worlds Decoded pairs real human specimens with digital screens that reveal the body’s internal systems.
• General admission includes one educational film in the IMAX Dome Theater, the only theater of its kind in the Bay Area. Children 3 to 17, students, and seniors 65 and older pay a reduced rate, and members enter free.
• Feature films on Friday and weekend evenings, along with LASERS! shows, require tickets separate from general admission, while the lab activities need no extra ticket.

Hours and Admission by Stop

The Tech adjusts its hours by season, and the de Saisset closes during Santa Clara University’s academic breaks. Moffett sells tickets at the door, and children under 5 and active-duty military enter free there and at JAMsj.

A Two-Day Route That Follows the Clock

Thursday and Friday work well for this two-day itinerary because all six attractions open on both days. Splitting the route by area also cuts the travel between stops, with the northern cities on Thursday and the two San Jose museums on Friday. Opening times can change, so each website is worth a quick look on the morning of the trip.

Thursday: Mountain View and Santa Clara

These blocks serve as a guide rather than fixed times and assume no special closures.

Thursday’s route connects three locations: Moffett Field, Intel’s headquarters, and Santa Clara University, home to both the mission and the de Saisset. Public transit is an option, but travelers should check the connections and walking distances before settling on a plan. For families or friends, planning direct pickups between stops can make it easier to reach the de Saisset before it closes.

Friday: San Jose

• Spend the morning at The Tech, with time for the galleries and a BioTinkering Lab session.
• Cross to Japantown by early afternoon, leaving about two hours for JAMsj’s permanent exhibits, since it closes at 4 p.m.
• Return downtown for an evening IMAX feature if energy allows.

Have a Third Day?

Travelers with a third day can head into the hills west of the valley to explore the wine region of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The roads climb from the valley floor into ridges lined with redwoods. On clear days, the views from the top reach across the cities below to the bay. Settling on a specific destination and checking its hours and road conditions beforehand makes the outing easier to plan.

Sunday visitors during the market season, usually May through October, can also stop at the Japantown Farmers’ Market. It sets up at Gordon Biersch Brewery, 357 East Taylor Street, and normally runs from 8 a.m. to noon, closing just as JAMsj opens.

Before Heading Out: A Quick Checklist

• Bring a REAL ID-compliant license or a passport for each adult entering Moffett Field, since the gates check photo ID.
• Stop at the Santa Clara University guard kiosk for a visitor permit when arriving by car on a weekday.
• Enter the church quietly, since services and ceremonies happen often, especially on weekends.

What Silicon Valley Shows Up Close

Many travelers picture Silicon Valley as company logos and commuter traffic, yet its attractions tell a longer, more human story. Ohlone communities, missionaries, farmers, aviators, engineers, and immigrant families all left marks that remain visible today. Seen side by side, those layers change that first image. The region stops looking like a place that only makes gadgets and starts looking like one where people have tested new ideas for generations. That wider view turns a short California escape into a trip with real substance.