San Jose Attractions Free Things to Do in San Jose

Now that the U.S. Census Bureau, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that San Jose deserves to be named first in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan statistical area, this is a demographically appropriate time to discover some of the city's many attractions. And even if you're living well, it's good to know that free events abound in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Anno Domini
366 S. First St., San Jose; www.galleryad.com; special events combining art and performance the first Friday of every month

Japanese American Museum of San Jose
535 N. Fifth St., San Jose; 408.294.3138, www.jamsj.org; Tue-Fri 11am-3pm, Sun 11am-2pm, closed Sat and Mon

MACLA
510 S. First St., San Jose; 408.998.2783; Wed-Thu noon-7pm, Fri-Sat noon-5pm

Phantom Galleries
An ongoing project turns empty storefronts into art exhibits in downtown San Jose, with receptions the third Thursday of the month. See www.populuspresents.com for details.

San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art
451 S. First St., San Jose; 408.283.8155; Tue-Wed, Fri 10am-5pm, Thu 10am-8pm, Sat noon-5pm, closed Sun-Mon

Saturday Art Market
Circle of the Palms, next to San Jose Museum of Art; 110 S. Market St., San Jose; Aug 9-10, noon-8pm; Sep 13, noon-5pm

WORKS/San Jose
30 N. Third St., San Jose; 408.295.8378; Tue-Sat noon-4pm, Thu noon-7pm

San Jose Jazz Festival
Downtown San Jose, multiple venues; August; 408.288.7557

Jazz is quintessentially an urban art form. The rhythms of the players match wits with the rhythm of the streets. For 14 years now, the San Jose Jazz Festival has brought big names from all reaches of the genre to outdoor stages downtown to fill the summer evenings with riffs and solos. The draw has proved irresistible, and the festival has grown into one of the biggest free events of its kind anywhere. With the exception of a couple of galas, all the shows are free.

How much, after all, is Dumber and Dumberer worth? Not $9, that's for sure. Instead, some genuine cinema classics can be enjoyed outdoors at Santana Row and downtown by the museum (think drive-in without the cars, and bring your own popcorn), or inside at the venerable ciné16.

Gypsy Cinema Movies
Circle of the Palms, by the San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose; 408.882.5064, populuspresents.com

Cinema San Pedro
San Pedro Street, between Santa Clara and St. John streets, San Jose; six weeks of free outdoor screenings hosted by Cinequest and POPULUS Presents

Tapestry Arts Festival
Park Avenue, Almaden Boulevard, San Fernando Street, in downtown San Jose; Labor Day weekend

The annual festival features several hundred artists and craftspeople plus multiple stages for a wide variety of music performances in all genres. Did we mention lots of food booths? Proceeds fund arts education programs in schools and arts outreach to the community.

Santa Clara County FairFest
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds; Aug. 2-4, 11am-11pm; 408.494.3100, www.thefair.org

The annual celebration of the valley's agricultural roots has dropped its usual $8 adult admission all the way down to…zero. A parking charge remains, but that's still a considerable savings for unlimited access to music, fireworks and exhibits.

Metro Presents Music in the Park
Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park, San Jose; Thu 5-8:15pm, through Sep 4

A free after-work concert series in the traffic-island oasis between the Fairmont and the Tech Museum. The series draws big names, and this year is no exception.

Music at the Creek
Canyon Creek Plaza, Silver Creek Valley, San Jose; Sat 6-9pm

A new evening music series.

Santana Row
Winchester Boulevard and Stevens Creek, San Jose

This upscale shopping street features a variety of live performances for strollers and shoppers most Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in the afternoons and evenings. Check www.santanarow.com for complete schedule.

The Blank Club
44 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose; 408.29BLANK

Rockstars and Bitches presents rock shows with live bands every Wednesday night--and no cover required. As long as you're 21 or over, with I.D., the evening is completely free. There isn't even a drink minimum. The schedule offers a good mix of local and out-of-town bands. Check www.rockstarsandbitches.com for updates.

Santana Row Farmers Market
Santana Row, Winchester Boulevard and Olin Avenue, San Jose; Sun noon-2pm; 408.551.4600

Microwaving is easy; slow food takes a little more time and expertise but is well worth the effort. Every week at its Farmers Market, Santana Row hosts guest chefs who will demonstrate the finer points of the culinary arts. With luck: samples!

Free Legal Advice
Lawyers in the Library; 408.998.5298

The billing hours aren't accumulating faster than the national debt as local attorneys from the ProBono Project offer free legal advice Mondays, 6-8pm, at the Martin Luther King Jr. and Alviso branch public libraries (the main library will open soon at its new location by SJSU; call 408.277.4816 for info about resumption of its program).

Free Comedy at Santana Row
Local comics cut it up at no charge at Park Valencia, Santana Row, Winchester Boulevard and Olin Avenue, San Jose.

Lick Observatory
Mt. Hamilton, San Jose; 408.274.5061

The famed astronomical outpost is open to visitors 12:30-5pm weekdays and 10am-5pm weekends (closed for major holidays). Short guided tours of the main refracting telescope are available. Don't underestimate the time it takes to negotiate the extremes twists and turns of Mt. Hamilton Road to the observatory's 4,300-foot redoubt.

The summer heat suits San Jose's gardens, especially the sun-loving roses. A number of spectacular floral displays are available for strolling and lingering throughout the city.

San Jose Heritage Rose Garden
Taylor at Spring Street, San Jose; www.heritageroses.us

The garden is so prolific that volunteers are needed Aug. 12 and Sept. 9 to help deadhead the plants in order to keep them blooming in the fall. Free ice cream afterward for the stalwart. Call 408.298.7657 or email lperez@grpg.org for details.

Japanese Friendship Garden
1300 Senter Rd., San Jose; daily 10am-sundown; 408.277.2757

An oasis in Kelley Park, designed in the fashion of the Korakuen Garden in Okayama. A large pond (full of koi happy to see visitors bearing food pellets available from the vending machines) is fed by several streams and waterfalls.

Gardening Workshops
Park Valencia, Santana Row, Winchester Boulevard and Olin Avenue, San Jose; 408.551.4600

Airie Middlebrook, an advocate of California native gardens, offers advice for city gardeners in some free workshops.

Free admission doesn't count for that much if parking consumes a roll or quarters. Space in downtown San Jose is at a premium, which means that parked cars generally pay a high tariff for the privilege of leasing a rectangle of asphalt, but options do exist with careful planning. Weekdays at 6pm and all day on weekends and big holidays, the seven public parking lots and garages in the downtown area offer free spaces for visitors. The garages are:

Market & San Pedro Square Garage
(between Santa Clara and St. John streets)

Third Street Garage
(between Santa Clara and St. John streets)

San Fernando & Third Street Lot
(Block 3) (between Second and Third streets, north of the San Jose Repertory Theatre)

San Fernando & Second Street Lot
(Block 2) (on San Fernando Street, between First and Second streets, across from Gordon Biersch Restaurant)

Pavilion Garage
(on Second Street, between San Fernando and San Carlos streets)

Second & San Carlos Street Garage
(on Second and Third streets at San Carlos, next to Camera 3 Cinemas)

Fourth and San Fernando Street Garage
(northeast corner of Fourth and San Fernando streets)

Check www.sjdowntownparking.com/freepark.htm for details

Free San Jose Airport Shuttle
408.321.2300

Service to the airport from the Santa Clara Caltrain station and the Metro/Airport Light Rail station. Runs from about 5am to 11:30pm daily; from about 6:30am to 7pm, shuttle takes off every 15 minutes.

Free Arena Shuttle
408.321.2300

Service between the arena, Santa Clara and Paseo de San Antonio Light Rail stations and downtown parking garages is available at regular intervals before and after all major arena events.

Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH)
408.279.1775

Service connects Caltrain station with Light Rail line, transit mall, Convention Center and San Jose State University. Shuttle runs from 6:15am to 10:25pm with 10-minutes intervals.

Free HIV Screening
Crane Center, 976 Lenzen Ave, San Jose; 408.792.3720; Mon 9-4:45pm, Tues 9-7:30pm, Wed 10-4:45pm, Thur-Fri 9-4:45pm

Kelley Park
1650 Senter Rd., San Jose; Tue-Sun noon-5pm, 408.287.2290, www.historysanjose.org

Most weekdays, this loving reconstruction of what San Jose looked like a century ago is blissfully devoid a people, making it a perfect spot for a quiet lunch amid the Victorian architecture. There is no admission charge Tuesday through Friday, although there is a summer parking fee (but try around the corner on Phelan). The history park also sponsors free Family Sunday events.

New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum
21350 Almaden Road, San Jose; Fri noon-4pm, Sat-Sun 10am-4pm; 408.323.1107

Housed inside an 1854 hotel known as La Casa Grande, the museum traces the rise and fall of quicksilver mining in the once-flourishing town of New Almaden. A museum visit can be combined with a walk around Almaden Quicksilver County Park, which covers 4,000 largely undeveloped acres, with 33 miles of trails for hikers.

Alum Rock Park
16260 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose; 408.258.4322, www.ysi-ca.org/AlumRock/ARHome.html

This park in San Jose's eastern foothills is highlighted by the constant flow of Penitencia Creek. Some vigorous legwork is rewarded with exceptional views of the valley.

Guadalupe River Park and Gardens
www.grpg.org/Thepark.html

The park complex lies south of the San Jose International Airport and runs along the Guadalupe River to downtown, and offers a great escape in a matter of minutes from the urban overload. Features include the Heritage Rose Garden, Historic Orchard, Courtyard Garden and the Taylor Street Rockscape, as well as the Discovery Meadow, McEnery Park and Arena Green. Click on www.grpg.org/map.html for a map of the available trails (some of which are still under construction).

Polish Festival
St. Albert Polish Church, 10250 Clayton Rd. (corner of Clayton Rd. and Kaylene Dr.), San Jose; 408.251.8490, www.polishfestival.com

This free festival is a daylong celebration of Polish culture, packed with food, gifts, crafts and folk dance performances.