My friend and I were looking for something to do on our day off and we decided to visit Hakone…read moreGardens. After hearing about a coworker who had her wedding here I was excited to visit. The drive up to the gardens is beautiful at this time with all the trees being red & orange. Entrance fee is $12 per adult but we just so happened to visit on Santa Clara County Resident's day. After showing ID, our admission was free; what a nice surprise! The gardens were small but had many different areas to enjoy; there was a beautiful pond with fish, waterfall, tea ceremony room, bamboo garden, bonsai exhibit, and more. There are a lot of nice benches to soak it all in. It's the perfect escape from the city!

Somebody as Hakone Gardens needs to update the website and social media better when the cherry…read moreblossoms bloom. I drove 45 minutes to Hakone Gardens recently at the end of March and found out that most of the cherry blossoms were gone. I was like whaaaa....I usually go during the end of March and they would be in full bloom. Apparently, they bloomed earlier this year. I was looking forward to seeing the wonderful pink color all around. Anyways, Hakone is still a treat to walk around and is very nice when the flowers are blooming. I love sitting near the beginning of the trail and looking at the ponds, bridge, koi fish and all the trees. It transports me to Japan without the airfare and passport. Parking can be difficult on busy days and will be waiting for awhile for someone to leave. Gift shop is cute and there are many cute finds in there. Admission is now $12 but parking is still free.

Communications Hill Grand Staircase is a beautiful spot. Great views and a solid workout if you're…read moreup for a fast climb and doing it multiple times. Perfect for a scenic stroll or exercise.

Pretty sweet stairs that runs a long from a residential area up a hill top…read moreIts not that long but its still nice to be able to see the hills ranges sunsets and the tops of the dense housing

As small business month is quickly approaching I was thinking how wonderful and vibrant a community…read moreJapantown San Jose is. There so many seasoned and new diverse small business owners here in the heart of Japantown. Classic Loot, Zonkey, Roy's, Santo Market, Taqueria Corona, Minato, Hukilau, Kazoo are among my families favorites. We have also enjoyed and welcomed new businesses too like Banne (yummy sourdough) and Furbaby Fancy petgrooming (the most posh and elite pet grooming experience) into our rotation as well! I should have just listed all the businesses here! So proud of the businesses that contribute to our community!

There's definitely a lot of history, community love, and shops and restaurants here. It's smaller…read morethan the other Little Tokyo in LA and Japan Town in SF (I think), but because we came around midday lunch time on a Tuesday after Fanime, not many stores or restaurants were surprisingly open? Maybe it's due to being after Memorial Day or because most of them were night time dinner service only restaurants. Either way it's much cleaner than Little Tokyo in LA and with less jump scares and trash everywhere. Easier to find parking and more affordable, in a sense, than Japan Town SF. Stopped by the Japanese grocery store and Santo Market while we were here. Fun to kill a couple of hours, I suppose. I just gotta come back here again when more things are open !

This historic site has become a special place for my son and I, especially on Mother's Day. We have…read morebeen coming here since he was a baby and that's something to think about! So many memories have been made here throughout the years and I love every visit I made and will continue to make! As much as I love dogs, I am glad this place is now more strict about not allowing them within the gates. You could be fined if caught! In the past, I've seen people walk their dogs around and even seen people not prepared to pick up after their left behinds. It's a beautiful place and we don't need to see or step on any poo-poo. Are cats allowed though? Asking for a friend.

I've been here a couple times, and it's a nice spot for photos and also for special events. There's…read morea good mix of rose varieties and lots of picture worthy spots. My favorite rose from the garden is a rose with pink and white speckles, very unique! Definitely a lot of people here during weekends though as it's free admission, and I'm not sure if there's a parking structure nearby as it can be a bit difficult with street parking.

The best circle of trees in all of the South Bay!! Grateful to have this local gem so close to home.read more

when I entered the circle of palms my 4 year old began to asend to the sky going completely…read moreUnconscious, my 6'7 husband was able to catch Him, however I still feel this place is unsafe and would not recommend bringing buoyant children.

Outstanding history of local fire dept. Perfect for school…read moretrips or even personal events! Restored equipment is beautiful. David Wood is amazing!!! His anecdotes and personal stories bring it alive. They can only afford limited hours so please contact the city and any foundations or business leaders and promote more monetary support!!!

What a great museum. What an incredible collection of vintage hardware. I was thrilled to see the…read morehorse-drawn steamers, the brass and chrome, and the hook and ladder truck that was stationed at the Panama Pacific International Exposition 1915 (PPIE). So many people say the South Bay is so bland and there's nothing to see. Here is proof that they are wrong. I could have spent six hours here exploring the detail. Best of all: no gender neutral restrooms.

My boyfriend and I walked in here during the holiday season, but during the day time so there…read morewasn't any real event or lights on, but it was still nice to see all of the houses, decor, and set up. Plus parking was free and entry was free when we went. Just a BIG FYI, because we didn't go during an event, they DO LOCK UP THE PARK and when I was waiting for my boyfriend to pick me up from our parking area (ended up on the other side of the park somehow), I saw a bunch of people trying to call for help after the gate locked them in. Woops. It seems that they hold lots of events here with outdoor local vendors, food vendors, and also opportunities to go inside the houses and learn about the history of a lot of the buildings. I'd keep an eye out on their social media or website for those, but as a freebie person exploring through. It's fun and cute.

If you've been to medieval or historical towns (where folks dress up in that time period and…read morereenact that time period...), this History Park has that kind of vibe. It's like a small town within a big town. There's a museum. There's a gift shop. There's a garden. There's a bunch of seating areas. There's sculptures. There's trains and horns you can honk. Parking is strange. No idea if they truly monitor and ticket folks because it's self pay.

This is one of the places you have to see if you live in San Jose. It's not one of the bigger…read moremuseums in town, but it is interesting. I found out that this is the world headquarters for this religion. Make sure you get the free tickets to the stone tomb. It's a recreation of a governors tomb. There's plenty of free parking in the back. Also it's only open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

I really enjoy all things Egyptian and was pleasantly surprised to find out there was a museum in…read moreSan Jose! It's not as large as other museums so less people, which means more time for you to look around! It's 3 levels and there are a lot of different artifacts to see, my favorite of course, are the 2 mummies they had! There are few casted statues (wish they had originals but that's understandable for a small/lesser known museum) and a couple spots where if you push a button it tells you more about what you're looking at. There was also a free "Tomb Tour" that was cute. The guide was funny and engaging and explained different parts of the fake tomb/answered questions after if we had any. I liked that extra part because even though it was a replica, it was neat to see how areas may have been used back then. Parking is free and around the corner in a lot, and it's wheelchair friendly with even pathways and ramps to get to the museum. It's a cool way to kill a couple hours, definitely check it out!