This event deserves more business! The food trucks that were there last weekend included: Sam's…read moreChowder Mobile (where I got a yummy shrimp po' boy), Waffle Amore, Chutney Mary's, Rice Rocket, and TaKoz Mod Mex. There was also a live band playing outside the funeral home (...the only awkward part is the location. Just try to ignore it). Also, 10% of food truck sales goes to whichever non-profit is being supported that week. Benefit your community -- eat moar!

This event has been a great event all summer. They have raised money for local non-profits and the…read morefood from the food trucks was great. The bands were not bad either and it's nice to be able to ride your bike there, park and enjoy. There has been some interesting vendors selling things that are giving back to the local charities too! http://www.facebook.com/SaratogaGatewayBusinesses

Review for the 2025 version. Compared to christmas in the park's version of the drive thru lights,…read morethis was 100x better. Well organized with signs directing you where to go. The lights were much longer to drive thru so it just felt more worth it to check out. Compared to previous years, it looks like there are some newer sections. Always a classic

Although we have been to this park numerous times, it took having a three year old spirited kid to…read moreget us to plan a visit. This light show requires purchasing tickets online and choosing a date and time slot so this is not for the spontaneous! The confirmation email was very clear about instructions, how to arrive, etc. And yet, we still saw several cars with headlights on (you turn them off after driving in). We picked the first time slot of 6 pm so there wasn't any traffic and all the staff make it very easy and clear to enter safely. It took us about 30 minutes to drive through all the light displays and it was magical. There are themed neighborhoods of lights like elves, north pole animals, dinosaurs, garden flowers, and several beautiful arches of lights. It was nice to see so many families with young adults enjoy it, so I think it is for all ages. If the weather isn't bad, you can have your kids stick them selves out of moon roof and windows. There are open restrooms at entrance and at the end. Very family friendly and affordable ($30 per vehicle). Cozy pajamas and blankets optional!

I attended Saratoga's classic car show at the Historic Saratoga Village this past Sunday, and had a…read moregreat time. So many cars to admire and explore, and not so crowded that it becomes difficult to move around comfortably. A good range of music playing through the speakers added to the laid back summer vibe of the event, including hits like I Get Around by the Beach Boys and Hey Jude by the Beatles, while an "all star" band performed other tunes further down the street which was lined with these beautiful classic cars for several blocks. Some of my faves include a 1962 VW Double Cab Bus, a 1957 Chevy Bel Air (in a unique blue tone), a '37 Woodie with modifications (maple wood, suicide door, vortex motor, etc.), and a metallic silver VW Beetle.... But they had more than just cars here, bikes too! I especially liked one of the bikes designed as a train in the Saratoga Village Center area of the event (in fact, I kind of liked this more than the cars, even in its simplicity). They sold beer and wine (separate tents for tickets/bracelets and for actually getting your drinks). We enjoyed the Wolf Pup IPA as we strolled along Big Basin Way touring the display of the various show vehicles. Not only did we enjoy viewing all of the cool cars, but we also got to check out some unique shops and eateries along the main street in this charming neighborhood. There were also a few miscellaneous vendors on site, and I saw one food truck (more reason for visitors to support the local businesses in this old town district). We grabbed some dark chocolate espresso beans from Moke Hill Nuts and Candies before we left, a yummy treat to snack on as we ventured on to our next destination. Parking was easy at West Valley College (about 5 minutes drive away), and the wait for the shuttle to and from the event wasn't too bad, with much needed AC inside the shuttle bus on a hot and sunny day. For a free event, the Saratoga Classic and Cool Car Show is definitely deserving of 5 stars. Organized well, lots of friendly people, a perfect relaxed outing with friends, family, or a significant other, whether or not you are car enthusiasts.

2019 was the 10th anniversary of the Saratoga Classic Car Show, which was organized by Cool Car…read moreClub, who runs annual shows in Campbell and Los Gatos as well. There were so many cars... maybe TOO many. There must have been 300 or more. After 50 minutes in the scorching heat (8 weeks after a new hip), I had to regrettably turn back about halfway. The organizers couldn't do anything about the heat, but they did have a misting fan area (courtesy Compass) and the kick-ass live band (Chubby's All-Stars) thoughtfully kept asking pet owners not to walk their dogs on the hot asphalt. And the funeral home was passing out free ice water... ironically (and thankfully) trying NOT to get new business. By the way, the organizers also have a car cruise and a kick-off party leading up to the car show, so check their website for more information. Besides being FREE, I loved a lot of things about it. The car selection was vast, my favorites being the Jeepster, blue '72 Bronco, a yellow Datsun 510, Ford Suburban, mid 60s Mustangs, camper van, Good Humor ice cream wagon. Shuttle services were available. Free photo (courtesy Chamber of Commerce. The live band was pumped out in speakers up and down the streets of beautiful downtown Saratoga.Good selection of food and drinks, including affordable $5 Bud Lights, in case you needed more water.

Had an awesome time! Several music venues, lots of food, drinks and many, many booths. Businesses…read morealong the street were also open so there were a ton to look at. Not to mention perfect weather this weekend for all the festivities.

The music was pretty good. lot's of booths with people…read moreselling things mostly, Not a lot of dancing going on... actually no dancing going on. looks like just another excuse to go out and do something. The best part where the metal figures I found.

I always enjoyed myself here. They always have something to do for all ages…read more Love seeing some of the interesting vendors. On the other side of the park you can see some koi fish. Going inside the building near the koi fish area they have some activities and art even a stage with a show. Outside they have a big stage with different shows. My favorite show is the Taiko Drums. The restrooms are very clean. Parking in De Anza College garage is less hectic and more space if you want to park away from people.

Another great yearly event. This is one of the events that starts out the spring season. It's…read moremainly for the Japanese culture,but it's also a time to raise money for local non profits. There's plenty of free parking across the street at DeAnza college. There's also a huge section for kids, plenty of jumpers and crafts. I like how they have a food truck area and a separate area for food vendors. The crowds were smaller than usual due to the weather.

I came here for the Taylor Swift laser show and it was a fun way to spend an hour. It was just fun…read moremusic, lots of screaming kids singing the lyrics, and some cool lasers to look at. I did have to close my eyes a few times to give them a break from all the colorful lights. You can choose where to sit when you come into the planetarium room. The presenter did a good job. The visuals were a bit older, but it was still fun and the ticket prices were pretty reasonable/affordable. There were lots of parking available in I think Lot E.

My husband and I attended the Daft Punk laser show and it was sooo good. Apparently, they only do…read moreDaft Punk once a year and we were lucky to catch it. Parking is easiest in lot E and there were plenty of spots available. The workers were friendly and gave good advice on where to sit, which is toward the back and in the center. We got there 20 minutes early which was perfect because there were only a few people waiting outside the door. Around 15 minutes before the show, they opened the doors, and we were able to snag the best seats. The seats are decently comfortable and you can rest your head against the back for the show; I've been in more comfortable recliners but it was adequate. The laser show was very good - had some of the best Daft Punk music and a variety of lasers from just syncing to the beat of the music to drawing out storylines. The show ended up being about 45 minutes total from start to end and I would definitely go again.

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.

Nice festival, caver band playing, food trucks, & vendors…read more Many vendors that have been here in the past that we were looking for are not here this year sadly.

Awesome art and wine festival, with plenty of food, wine, art and merchandise vendors displaying a…read moreplethora of items to peruse. A great setup, spacious enough to accommodate a decent amount of people comfortably, mainly an adult crowd (I only saw a few kids in attendance throughout the day), and it just set the perfect vibe for me and my bf. We did a little bit of shopping, and listened to the awesome sounds of the musicians performing on stage (Johnny Neri Band, and the Houserockers) while dancing to hits like My Girl and Have You Ever Seen the Rain. We also had a couple glasses of wine, and enjoyed some treats from a few of the food trucks on site (Fresh Catch Poke, Road Dogs, Luv's Brownies) as we picnicked underneath the shade of beautiful trees. FYI, most food trucks left around 4:15pm, more than an hour before the event ended. But it was more than sufficient, a variety of choices for snacks and desserts (about 5 trucks total), never any long lines or waits. It was a well organized and lovely event and a perfect way to spend our Sunday afternoon.

I wouldn't recommend going to Moreland Pumpkin Patch if you're planning on doing the family walk…read more It was quite expensive at $15 per person, even for my 2yo. We lined up at our 730pm check-in time and waited 35 minutes in the cold and were only halfway through the line. We left because it would have been another 25-35 more minutes to get through the line. However, the staff was great and the carnival games were fun. Nice to have all of the thoughtful decorations as well, our child loved playing with all of the pumpkins.

This patch is cute…read more The haunted trail costs $15 per person and there are scheduled appointment times to go in, however the line backs up and you have to wait at least 30 minutes past your appointment time before entering. We did not enter the trail until 720pm, and that is after getting in line at 640pm. Just be aware. Which is fine, my family had fun and the actors inside are funny and well rehearsed. However, since we waited so long, we got out of the trail around 750pm. My kid wanted to play the carnival games, which close at 8pm, so we bought some tickets to play, and were out to the carnival by 752pm, they had already taken everything down and had only a few simple games still up. My kid was bummed, but I figured since there were no refunds, I could go back and get a snack instead with my tickets. I was denied and told to come back next week to redeem the tickets. I know this is all for a good cause and it really isn't too big of a deal, but it is silly that I literally bought the tickets within a minute and then walked back after the carnival being closed and then denied to even use the tickets on anything else and then told to come back next week. They were told not to sell any tickets since they were closing up the carnival early, but I guess it wasn't communicated well. I guess we will be back to use up the tickets next weekend...?