Day Trippin' › California › From San Jose
From San Jose, Winchester Mystery House is about 10 minutes away, Lick Observatory under 40 minutes, and California Academy of Sciences about an hour. The best day trips from San Jose, by drive time.
176 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
Observatory · 38 min east
Historic hilltop telescopes above San Jose with a long winding road and big views.
Theme park · 40 min south
Classic seaside amusement park with a wooden coaster, arcade and a wide beach next door.
Museum · 55 min northwest
An aquarium, planetarium, rainforest dome and living roof all under one roof in Golden Gate Park.
Museum · 52 min northwest
Hands-on science exhibits on the San Francisco waterfront. Great for kids and curious adults.
Zoo · 38 min northwest
Hillside zoo with a gondola, a kids' ride area and a California wildlife section.
Family fun · 38 min south
A quirky roadside attraction where the ground seems to bend gravity and height.
State park · 43 min south
Old-growth redwood loop trail and river trails in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
State park · 46 min south
Sandy beach with tide pools, a sea arch and a winter monarch butterfly grove at the north edge of Santa Cruz.
Theme park · 1 hr 8 min north
Roller coasters, a water park and live animal shows in one park in Vallejo.
Hike · 1 hr 15 min northwest
Easy paths through old coast redwoods in a quiet canyon just north of the city.
National park · 1 hr 29 min southeast
Spires and talus caves from an ancient volcano, plus condors and good hiking trails.
Island · 1 hr 38 min northwest
Ferry to the old island prison with an audio tour and big city views.
Historic site · 1 hr 53 min north
A riverfront district of Gold Rush and railroad-era buildings with wooden sidewalks, under Tower Bridge.
Waterfall · 1 hr 57 min south
Short walk to an overlook of an ocean waterfall dropping onto a beach.
Landmark · 1 hr 1 min northwest
The famous orange bridge. Walk or bike across for big views of the city, the bay and the Marin Headlands.
Aquarium · 1 hr 12 min south
World-famous aquarium with kelp forest, jellyfish and sea otters, right on the water.
Landmark · 2 hr 9 min northwest
A historic lighthouse at the end of a long peninsula road with steep stairs and winter whale watching.
Historic site · 2 hr 20 min northeast
A whole Gold Rush town kept as it was, with stagecoach rides, gold panning, old saloons and costumed shopkeepers.
Historic site · 2 hr 40 min northeast
The place in Coloma where the 1848 gold find set off the Gold Rush, with a replica sawmill, a museum and gold panning on the American River.
State park · 2 hr 43 min northeast
Giant sequoias in the North Grove on an easy, mostly flat loop, where the big trees first became famous in the 1850s.
Historic site · 2 hr 51 min north
One of California's richest hard-rock gold mines, with a stone owner's cottage, formal gardens and the old mine yard.
Town · 2 hr 6 min northeast
A small, well-kept Gold Rush town with balconied buildings, antique shops and wine tasting along Highway 49.
State park · 2 hr 6 min northwest
A grove of giant redwoods along Fife Creek near Guerneville.
Lake · 2 hr 18 min northeast
A big reservoir with beaches, bike paths and boating close to Sacramento; Beals Point and Granite Bay are the main beaches.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 95112 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.