Northern California - Things to Do

Theme Park Winery Premium Outlets Garlic Festival Mystery House

Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park. Gilroy Gardens features over 40 rides.  Its attractions include educational exhibits, gardens, food concessions, and nineteen one-of-a-kind Circus Trees in a family-friendly atmosphere.  Michael and Claudia Bonfante opened the park in 2001 to foster a greater appreciation of horticulture. www.bonfantegardens.com

Morgan Hill Aquatics Center. Learn to swim, stay fit, or just relax at this all-new recreational swim center. Open to swimmers of all ages, the center offers swimming lessons, recreational swimming, and pool party packages all year round.  The Center also has two large water slides for children.  www.mhaquaticscenter.com  [Top]

Morgan Hill Soccer Complex.  Home for many weekend soccer tournaments including state cup matches. 

Guglielmo Winery. Guglielmo Winery is known for its hearty Italian-style wines. With over 100 acres of active vineyards, this winery offers a wide variety of wines, from Chardonnay to Merlot. The winery’s charming old-world setting, with large wooden beams and terracotta tile transports guests straight back to old Italy without ever leaving California and is an excellent place for one’s wedding.   www.guglielmowinery.com

Pedrizzetti Winery. Established in 1913, Pedrizzetti Winery produces fine premium wines under their new label, La Fenice (The Phoenix). The Pedrizzetti Winery production lines in full operation can produce approximately 40,000 cases per year.   Discover the charm of this winery through wine tasting, tours, and picnics.  www.pedrizzetti.com  [Top]

Gilroy Premium Outlets. Visit this shopping destination located in Gilroy, just south of San Jose. This outlet has 145 premium stores, from Banana Republic to Mikasa, that will please even the most discriminating shopper.  (408) 842-3729. www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=23

Coyote Creek Golf Course. With two spectacular 18-hole courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Coyote Creek offers great experience for golfers at every skill level. With beautiful country views, this championship course is a relaxing place to play. www.coyotecreekgolf.com  [Top]

Gilroy Garlic Festival. If you love gourmet food, the Gilroy Garlic Festival is for you. This annual three-day event has been pleasing garlic lovers for over 20 years with hundreds of food vendors, arts and crafts vendors, and entertainers.  More than 125,000 visitors come every year. www.gilroygarlicfestival.com

Henry W. Coe State Park. Henry W. Coe State Park is the largest state park in northern California, with over 87,000 acres.  Open year-round for hikers, mountain bikers,  and campers, this park was the former home of the Ohlone Indians and offers rugged and varied terrain to explore.  National Geographic Adventures named this park as one of the hidden gems of the Bay Area.  www.coepark.org  [Top]

Winchester Mystery House. Take a walking tour through the mansion that the widow Sarah Winchester built after the untimely deaths of her baby daughter and husband.  Her husband was the heir to the fortunes of the Winchester family that sold the famous ‘Winchester’ rifle that conquered the West.  Believing that spirits required more room to move around her home, Sarah’s mansion contained 160 rooms, and bizarre architectural features, such as a window built into the floor, staircases leading to nowhere, and doors that open onto blank walls.   The mansion has been in a constant state of construction for 38 years and cost more than five million dollars to build.  www.winchestermysteryhouse.com

Anderson Lake Reservoir. Anderson Lake, Santa Clara County's largest reservoir, is located in the hills just east of Morgan Hill.  The seven-mile-long lake provides opportunities for power and non-power boating and fishing.  The 2,365 acre park surrounding the lake and downstream Coyote Creek features picnic areas and trails for hikers, bicyclists and equestrians.  [Top]