AREA ATTRACTIONS

Allied Arts Guild
  75 Arbor Road at Cambridge Ave., Menlo Park
  Information: (650) 322-2405
  www.alliedartsguild.org

Allied Arts Guild is a beautiful and historic garden oasis, home to unique shops, artists' studios, and a charming café.

Filoli
  86 Cañada Road, Woodside
  (650) 364-8300
  www.filoli.org

Filoli is a 654 acre estate 30 miles south of San Francisco with magnificent gardens and a grand Georgian country house where hundreds of rare flowers, plants and trees flourish.

Hakone Garden
  21000 Big Basin Way, Saratoga
  (408) 741-4994
  www.hakone.com

Hakone Gardens is the oldest Asian estate and garden in the Western Hemisphere--18 acres of magnificent beauty nestled in the verdant hills of Saratoga overlooking Silicon Valley.

Hidden Villa
  26870 Moody Road, Los Altos Hills
  (650) 949-8650
  www.hiddenvilla.org

Hidden Villa is a nonprofit educational organization that uses its organic farm, wilderness, and community to teach and provide opportunities to learn about the environment and social justice. Hidden Villa stretches over 1600 acres of open space in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, about 40 miles south of San Francisco.

Hoover Tower
  Stanford University
  (650) 723-2053
  www.stanford.edu/dept/visitorinfo/plan/guides/hoover.html

The observation deck on the 14th floor of the 285-foot tower offers a panoramic view of the Mid-peninsula.

Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
  Stanford University
  (650) 851-6813
  http://jrbp.stanford.edu/overview.php

Located near Stanford University's campus in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Preserve encompasses remarkable geologic, topographic, and biotic diversity within its 1,189 acres and provides a natural laboratory for researchers from all over the world, educational experiences to students and docent-led visitors, and refuge to native plants and animals.

Lick Observatory
  Mount Hamilton Road, East of San Jose
  (408) 274-5061
  www.ucolick.org

The public is invited to view exhibits in the main Observatory building, built in 1888. Enjoy an informal talk about Lick history while taking a look at the Great Lick Refractor in the 36-inch telescope dome. Take a short walk to the Shane Dome to view the 120-inch Reflector from the Visitors’ Gallery. Displays explain the Shane reflector, one of the major telescopes used to discover planets outside of our solar system.

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
  330 Distel Circle, Los Altos
  (650) 691-1200
  www.openspace.org

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is a regional greenbelt system in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is comprised of over 60,000 acres of land in 26 open space preserves protected for public enjoyment, making a preserve system of diverse and unparalleled beauty in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country.

Planetarium at DeAnza College
  21250 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Cupertino
  (408) 864-8814
  www.planetarium.deanza.fhda.edu

The FUJITSU Planetarium at De Anza College is one of the largest school planetariums in the country. Field trips can be booked for schools or private groups. Family astronomy evenings are held on selected Saturday nights. Telescope viewing is available after each presentation (as conditions permit).

Mission Santa Clara de Asis
  500 El Camino Real
  Santa Clara University, Santa Clara
  (408) 554-4023
  www.scu.edu/mission

At the heart of Santa Clara University is the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asis. Founded by the Franciscans in 1777, it is the eighth oldest of the original 21 California missions. The mission still serves the public with Catholic masses, weddings and baptisms.

Rancho San Antonio
  Information: (650) 691-1200
  www.openspace.org

The preserve's extensive 23 miles of trails are available for exploration, whether one chooses to hike, bike, or horseback ride. A highlight of the preserve is Deer Hollow Farm, a working farm with a cow, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, other animals, and an organic garden as well as numerous turn-of-the-century ranch buildings. An additional attraction is the restored Grant Cabin, furnished to represent living conditions in the late 1800s.

Stanford Linear Accelerator
  2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park
  (650) 926-3300
  www.slac.stanford.edu

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is home to a two-mile linear accelerator -the longest in the world.

Stanford University
  Visitor Information Services (650) 723-2560
   www.stanford.edu

The Stanford campus offers a wealth of sightseeing and educational opportunities. Pick up a self-guided tour map and walk around campus at your leisure, or take a one-hour, student-led Campus Walking Tour.

Sunset Gardens & Publishing Offices
  80 Willow Road, Menlo Park
  (650) 321-3600
  www.sunset.com

The gardens surrounding the headquarters of Sunset Magazine and Sunset Books, are open to the public Monday through Friday. There are more than 300 kinds of shrubs, trees, vines, ground covers, annuals, and perennials in the garden at any given time. Free admission.

Winchester Mystery House
  525 S. Winchester Boulevard, San Jose
  (408) 247-2101
  www.winchestermysteryhouse.com

The 160-room Victorian mansion built by the Winchester Rifle heiress, Sarah Winchester, over a period of 38 years is filled with so many unexplained oddities, that it has come to be known as the Winchester Mystery House. Open for tours daily.

Updated 11.09.2011

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