Must see attractions in The Peninsula

Just over a dozen miles southeast of Pescadero State Beach, Año Nuevo State Natural Reserve is home base for one of the world's largest mainland breeding…

Definitely the most interesting tech visitor center in the area. You'll be met by an army of Geniuses in red shirts offering information from how to use…

This ridiculous yet fascinating Victorian mansion is filled with 160 mostly non-utilitarian rooms with dead-end hallways and a staircase that runs up to a…

Opposite Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose's excellent technology museum examines subjects from robotics to space exploration, and genetics to virtual…

West of downtown, this educational Egyptian museum is one of San Jose’s more unusual attractions. Its extensive collection includes statues, household…

Nobel Prize–winning scientific discoveries have been made at this 2-mile-long linear accelerator – the world's longest – built in the mid-1960s…

A half-dozen miles south of Pescadero along the coast, this 115ft-high light station is one of the tallest lighthouses on the West Coast. The 1872…

Auguste Rodin’s Burghers of Calais bronze sculpture marks the entrance to Stanford University's Main Quad, an open plaza where the original 12 campus…

Five miles south of Pescadero, bobcats and coyotes reside discreetly in this pretty park's 4600 acres of dense redwood canyon and uplands laced with…

At this local-food treasure, the split-level farm shop sells creamy artisanal goat's cheeses festooned with fruit, nuts and a rainbow of edible flowers,…

Though there are no official tours of the Googleplex, visitors can stroll the campus and gawk at the public art on the leafy grounds, where scads of…

Historical buildings from all over San Jose have been brought together in this open-air history museum. The centerpiece is a scaled-down replica of the…

Roll up your shirtsleeves and harvest fruit at this organic pick-your-own farm. It’s a union outfit (operated by Cesar Chavez’s United Farm Workers), with…

Hit the brakes for this roadside farm stand in a wooden barn to pick up fresh produce, eggs and coffee, plus amazing fruit pies (which sell out fast). The…

Pretty sand beaches speckle the coast, though one of the most interesting places to stop is Pebble Beach, a jewel less than 2 miles south of Pescadero…

About 5 miles south of the town of Pacifica, this wide-open crescent is a local favorite for its pristine sand. Inland the park encompasses McNee Ranch,…

Busy Half Moon Bay is bordered by this 4-mile-long, crescent-shaped beach. Stop by the park visitor center (open weekends only) at the parking lot to…

A campus landmark at the east of the Main Quad, the 285ft-high Hoover Tower offers superb views. The tower houses a university library, offices and part…

At Moss Beach, this marine reserve protects tide pools teeming with sea life. Walk out among the pools at low tide – wearing shoes that you can get wet –…

With driftwood scattered on the sands near San Gregorio Creek, this mile-long beach where Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolà camped in 1769 makes a pretty…