101 Family Day Trips and Day Trips Around San Jose | Kids Out and About San Jose <

101 Family Day Trips and Day Trips Around San Jose

**Follow each link to get details about your visit directly from your destination, since some places operate seasonally or by reservation, as well as to check each venue's COVID requirements (masks, limits, social distancing).

 

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Take A Deep Breath In the Garden

Los Gatos Lavender Farm
Municipal Rose Garden
Japanese Friendship Garden
Heritage Rose Garden
Chinese Cultural Garden
Guadaloupe River Park

 

Get Wild on a Hike

  San Bruno  Mountain State and County Park
Oyster Point Marina and Park 
Shoreline at Mountain View
Sawyer Camp Trail

 

Time Travel Today

  San Jose History Park
Niles Canyon Railway
Mission San Jose 
Winchester Mystery House
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Black Cavern Chasm
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park

 

Make Life a Beach

Aquatic Park Cove
Angel Island State Park
Cull Canyon
Don Castro Regional Park
Parkside Aquatic Beach 
Chicken Ranch Beach

 

Splash into Some Water Fun

Raging Waters San Jose
Golfland San Jose 
Aqua Adventure
  South Bay Shores
Great Wolf Lodge - an Francisco

 

Spend the Day at a Museum

  Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
Curiodyssey
Aquarium of the Bay
Children's Museum of Sonoma County 
Randall Museum of Science, Nature and the Arts

 

Explore These Cities

Calistoga
San Francisco
Monterey
Santa Rosa
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Sacramento
Sausalito 

 

All Aboard Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and Boats!)

  Wings of History Air Museum
Hiller Aviation Museum 
The Transportation Museum
The Schooner Freda B
San Francisco Wale Tours
Sea Spirit Ocean Safari
Academy of Art University Automobile Museum

 

Grow Some Fun at the Farm

Emma Prusch Farm Park
Ardenwood Farm Park
Swanton Berry Farm
Spina Farms
Hidden Villa

 

Play Ball!

  Bowlero Milpitas
San Jose Batting Cages
Golfland San Jose
Campo di Bocce 
Fremont Table Tennis Academy - San Jose

 

Treat Yo' Self

  Willow Glen Creamery
Sweet Fix Creamery
Smitten Ice Cream
CREAM San Jose
Cauldron Ice Cream 

 

Connect with Nature

Skyline Ridge Preserve
  Municipal Rose Garden
Hakone Japanese Garden
Filoli Gardens
San Francisco Botanical Garden
The Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt

 

Amuse Yourself at These Amusement Parks

  California's Great America
  Gilroy Gardens

 

Talk to the Animals

  Happy Hollow
Oakland Zoo 
Gilroy Ostrich Farm
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo
Lemos Farm
Alma Bonita Animal Rescue
San Francisco Zoo

 

Explore the Globe Close to Home

  Portuguese Historical Museum
Japanese Friendship Garden and Tea House
Japantown
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
Mexican Heritage Plaza
Chinese Cultural Garden 

 

Let's Go Chasing Waterfalls

  Castle Rock State Park
Maple Falls 
  Rainbow Falls
Carson Falls

 

Get Active Indoors

Luv 2 Play
Pump It Up
Fun Factory 
Rockin' Jump Trampoline Park

 

Challenge Yourself

  Symphony Silicon Valley
San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art
Omescape Escape Room
Planet Granite Santa Clara
iFly 

 

Shop Your Heart Out

  Hicklebees
Zonkey Toys
The Wooden Horse
Automobuild

Limiting our list to 101 ideas meant some great destinations may have been left off the list - if there is something you’d like to see added, share it with us on Facebook!


Most of these destinations are within an hour from downtown San Jose. For those that are a bit farther away:

             = Less than 1 hour away

          = 1 to 2 hours away

       = 2 to 3 hours away

   = Just over 3 hours away