Downtown San Jose: Silicon Valley's City Center

Recreation

Recreation Downtowners enjoy an active lifestyle and a variety of choices.

Guadalupe River Park and Gardens cuts a swath through downtown, providing jogging and biking trails that extend to the bay, tennis courts, and some underrated wildlife and public art viewing. And where else can you play a game of life-size Monopoly with your friends or ride a shark on a carousel?

Downtown offers several indoor and outdoor fitness options. A number of fun 5k and 10k races each year begin and end downtown. The culmination of the running season is the Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon, which attracts more than 10,000 runners. Several health clubs – including those inside the new high-rise developments themselves - allow residents to get their hearts pumping for the requisite 35 minutes a day. And as the center of San Jose, people downtown are never far away from golf, swimming and other sports.

If cheering from the sidelines is your game, the NHL Sharks hockey team provides the hot ticket in town. The MSL Earthquakes soccer also offer excitement. The San Jose State University Spartans deliver top-level collegiate competition. And for the past three years, San Jose has hosted the Tour of California cycling race. Coming in 2012 are national gymnastics and figure skating championships

For music and events, HP Pavilion, The Center for Performing Arts, Civic Auditorium, California Theater, San Jose State Events Center and a number of theaters brings world-class entertainment to their stages. Plaza de Cesar Chavez and St. James Park are home to multiple outdoor concerts and events each year.

Parks

Guadalupe River Park and Gardens offers 2.6 miles of trails and 150 acres. Landscaped with more than 15,000 trees, 9,000 shrubs, and 60,000 groundcover plants, the park serves double duty – providing 100-year flood protection for downtown San Jose. Downtown is also home to several other parks and playgrounds.

Guadalupe River Park and Gardens
Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens (View Photos here)
(408) 298-7657.

Arena Green, Santa Clara and Autumn Street
McEnery Park, San Fernando Street and Almaden Boulevard
Discovery Meadow, San Carlos Street and Woz Way
Parque de los Pobladores, First and Market streets, SoFA
Pellier Park, Terraine and St. James streets, St. James Historic District
Plaza de Cesar Chavez, Market and San Carlos streets
Ryland Park, San Pedro and First streets, 3.2 acres, restrooms, picnic tables, barbecues, playgrounds, basketball courts, exercise course and dog park
St. James Park, St. James and Second streets, benches, chess tables, fountains

Near downtown:
Backesto Park, 13th and Empire streets, 13 acres, restrooms, 11 picnic tables, three barbecues, two playgrounds, two basketball courts, eight tennis courts, handball court, lighted softball field
William Street Park, 16th and William streets, 15.9 acres, 32 picnic tables, 4 barbecues, one playground, and one basketball court.
For more information, including additional dog parks, visit www.sjparks.org. For more about the city's trails, check www.sjparks.org/trails.

Family Fun

Favorite outdoor activities for the kids include splashing about in the fountain at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, taking the carousel in Arena Green for a spin and climbing on the play structures in Arena Green. For indoor fun, the Children’s Discovery Museum and Tech Museum provide hours of inspiring, enriching and interactive amusement.

Carousel at Arena Green (Guadalupe River Park): Operates year around, Tues-Sun 10 am-5 pm., weather permitting. $1. Children 12-under ride free on the second Tuesday of each month. (408) 999-6817

Tech Museum – Open 9 am-9 pm daily. Pricing for regular galleries is $8 all ages. Add on IMAX for only $4 more each.
201 S Market St.
(408) 294-8324

Children's Discovery Museum – Open 10 am-5 pm Tues-Sat and noon-5 pm Sun. $7-$8. 180 Woz Way
(408) 298-5437

For additional family friendly activities, try:
Downtowner Online