San Jose, CA is a vibrant city with lots of exciting tourist attractions, but sometimes it’s nice to leave the city and explore what the surrounding areas have to offer. Luckily, San Jose is close to many great tourist destinations. Here are three of our favorite places to visit.
1. Tour the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Drive south from San Jose to California’s scenic oceanfront and tour the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a world-renowned destination for tourists and locals alike. Located at 886 Cannery Row, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is surrounded by restaurants, shops, and (of course) the ocean.
Since it opened in 1984, the Monterey Bay Aquarium brings the ocean to life with its 200+ exhibits featuring 80,000 plants and animals. The aquarium’s largest attraction is the Open Sea exhibit, featuring tuna, stingrays, and sea turtles that swim past a 90-foot window. If you are mesmerized by the Open Sea exhibit, be sure to check out the Kelp Forest—a 28-foot tall habitat with schools of fish, crabs, wolf-eels, and octopi.
2. Visit the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
If you want to take advantage of California’s famous weather and beaches, pack your beach gear into your Ford F-150 and head south to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Located at 400 Beach Street, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has been in operation since 1907 and has more than 40 rides and attractions, including the 1924 Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster and the ring-toss Loof Carousel—both of which are designated as National Historic Landmarks.
For those who prefer to keep their adrenaline rush with their feet on the ground, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has indoor arcades with the largest selection of games in Northern California. From food vendors serving up classic boardwalk fares, like corn dogs and cotton candy, to summer concerts and fireworks, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is a quintessential California experience.
3. Walk the Trails in Calistoga’s Petrified Forest
Go back in time and discover trees that are millions of years old in the Petrified Forest. Located at 4100 Petrified Forest Road in Calistoga, the Petrified Forest was created when the now-extinct volcano Mt. St. Helena exploded around 3.4 million years ago and buried the redwood trees.
There are two trails in the Petrified Forest. The Main Trail is a half-mile loop with exhibits on the petrification process and the discovery of the forest in the 1800s. The Meadow Trail is an evenly graded winding path that is a half-mile long, so you’ll need to be able to walk at least one mile (out and back). At the end of this trail, Mt. St. Helena is visible in the distance.
On your way home, be sure to stop by Mission Valley Ford Trucks and check out our inventory of new models today!
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