
San Jose Museums Tour (Self Guided), San Jose
The capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose is full of discovery and innovation. Also, steeped in history – established since 1777 – the city has born witness to numerous chapters of American past. When it comes to culture, education and recreation, the local museums are a perfect destination for solo adventurers new to the area.
Here, among other things, you can:
- get hands-on with technology at the Tech Museum of Innovation – dedicated to promoting the development of technology and showcasing its history; suitable for all ages; replete with a host of interactive exhibits and other exciting features;
- browse through collections of visual masterpieces at the San Jose Museum of Art – a popular spot for art and cultural enthusiasts; focused on modern and contemporary art, particularly that originated from or dealing with California;
- fuel your creative spirit from a unique experience in the complex world of textile art at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles;
- learn about Japanese-Americans’ way of life, culture, and art at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose – detailing the history of Japanese-Americans during the early- to mid-20th century, throughout World War II and thereafter;
- and so much more.
If you take keen interest in any (or all) of these activities and feel like a modern-day explorer, anxious to visit the diverse and most fascinating museums of San Jose, feel free to embark on this self-guided walking tour for a great day out!
Here, among other things, you can:
- get hands-on with technology at the Tech Museum of Innovation – dedicated to promoting the development of technology and showcasing its history; suitable for all ages; replete with a host of interactive exhibits and other exciting features;
- browse through collections of visual masterpieces at the San Jose Museum of Art – a popular spot for art and cultural enthusiasts; focused on modern and contemporary art, particularly that originated from or dealing with California;
- fuel your creative spirit from a unique experience in the complex world of textile art at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles;
- learn about Japanese-Americans’ way of life, culture, and art at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose – detailing the history of Japanese-Americans during the early- to mid-20th century, throughout World War II and thereafter;
- and so much more.
If you take keen interest in any (or all) of these activities and feel like a modern-day explorer, anxious to visit the diverse and most fascinating museums of San Jose, feel free to embark on this self-guided walking tour for a great day out!
How it works: Download the app "ϳԹ: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store to your mobile phone or tablet. The app turns your mobile device into a personal tour guide and its built-in GPS navigation functions guide you from one tour stop to next. The app works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
San Jose Museums Tour Map
Guide Name: San Jose Museums Tour
Guide Location: USA » San Jose (See other walking tours in San Jose)
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Sightseeing)
# of Attractions: 5
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
Author: DanaOffice
Sight(s) Featured in This Guide:
Guide Location: USA » San Jose (See other walking tours in San Jose)
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Sightseeing)
# of Attractions: 5
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
Author: DanaOffice
Sight(s) Featured in This Guide:
- Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
- San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
- Tech Museum of Innovation
- San Jose Museum of Art
- Japanese American Museum of San Jose
1) Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose (must see)
Located in downtown San Jose on Woz Way—a street named after Apple co-founder and major museum benefactor Steve "Woz" Wozniak—the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose (CDM) is a vibrant hub of hands-on learning and exploration. Since opening its doors in 1990, CDM has welcomed over 6 million visitors and earned a reputation as one of the top children’s museums in the United States, with accolades from Child Magazine and The London Observer recognizing it as a leader in interactive science education.
Housed in a striking 52,000-square-foot purple building designed by renowned Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta, the museum is an architectural landmark in itself. Legorreta’s signature use of vivid color, geometric forms, and light is evident throughout—shifting violet hues on the building’s surface interact with the sun, shadows, and seasons to create a dynamic visual experience.
CDM is known for its interactive, open-ended exhibits that encourage self-directed learning through play. The museum’s programs, such as BioSITE and Discovery Youth, are built around themes of community, creativity, and connection, offering sustained educational engagement for young minds. More than just a place to visit, the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose serves as an innovative learning environment designed to meet the diverse needs of children and families across the Bay Area and beyond.
Housed in a striking 52,000-square-foot purple building designed by renowned Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta, the museum is an architectural landmark in itself. Legorreta’s signature use of vivid color, geometric forms, and light is evident throughout—shifting violet hues on the building’s surface interact with the sun, shadows, and seasons to create a dynamic visual experience.
CDM is known for its interactive, open-ended exhibits that encourage self-directed learning through play. The museum’s programs, such as BioSITE and Discovery Youth, are built around themes of community, creativity, and connection, offering sustained educational engagement for young minds. More than just a place to visit, the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose serves as an innovative learning environment designed to meet the diverse needs of children and families across the Bay Area and beyond.
2) San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
Located in the heart of Downtown San Jose’s SoFA (South First Area) Arts District, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles (SJMQT) is the first museum in the United States dedicated entirely to quilts and textiles as a recognized form of art. Founded in 1977 by the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association under the name American Museum of Quilts and Related Arts, it has grown into a vibrant center for textile-based creativity and cultural dialogue.
Originally based in Los Altos, the museum underwent several relocations before settling in its current 13,000-square-foot home in 2005. It officially became a nonprofit public benefit institution in 1986 and adopted its present name in 1998. Over the years, its collection has expanded from 19th- and 20th-century quilts to include more than 1,500 items—thanks in part to major acquisitions like the Porcella Collection of Ethnic Textiles and the Marbaum Collection donated during its 40th anniversary.
The museum’s exhibitions explore how people from diverse cultures use textiles to express identity, history, and political thought. Shows range from solo exhibitions by Bay Area fiber artists to international surveys that spotlight the intersections of tradition and modern technology in fiber art. One notable exhibition in 2018, Guns: Loaded Conversations, organized by Studio Art Quilt Associates, addressed the complex theme of gun violence through the medium of quilts.
In addition to its exhibitions, the museum maintains a research library with over 500 volumes focused on textile history and techniques. By blending tradition with innovation, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles continues to champion the evolving narrative of textile art across generations and continents.
Originally based in Los Altos, the museum underwent several relocations before settling in its current 13,000-square-foot home in 2005. It officially became a nonprofit public benefit institution in 1986 and adopted its present name in 1998. Over the years, its collection has expanded from 19th- and 20th-century quilts to include more than 1,500 items—thanks in part to major acquisitions like the Porcella Collection of Ethnic Textiles and the Marbaum Collection donated during its 40th anniversary.
The museum’s exhibitions explore how people from diverse cultures use textiles to express identity, history, and political thought. Shows range from solo exhibitions by Bay Area fiber artists to international surveys that spotlight the intersections of tradition and modern technology in fiber art. One notable exhibition in 2018, Guns: Loaded Conversations, organized by Studio Art Quilt Associates, addressed the complex theme of gun violence through the medium of quilts.
In addition to its exhibitions, the museum maintains a research library with over 500 volumes focused on textile history and techniques. By blending tradition with innovation, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles continues to champion the evolving narrative of textile art across generations and continents.
3) Tech Museum of Innovation (must see)
The Tech Interactive is a science and technology center perfect for all ages, with lots of hands-on activities. Some of the exhibits include exhibitions dedicated to biology, computer technology, and robotics. Many have hands-on features to help make learning even more engaging.
Experiences include a VR experience based on bird flight and a genetics-related experience courtesy of Stanford Tech. These experiences help visitors get the most from their encounters. One of the most significant advantages that these experiences offer is an easy way to appeal to visitors of all ages and making learning more fun.
This science center has an IMAX theater where you can see films in an unforgettable experience. Some of the companies that feature their films here include MacGillivray Freeman and National Geographic, with genres ranging from wildlife to space. There is also a cafe featuring sandwiches to go and offering indoor and patio seating.
Experiences include a VR experience based on bird flight and a genetics-related experience courtesy of Stanford Tech. These experiences help visitors get the most from their encounters. One of the most significant advantages that these experiences offer is an easy way to appeal to visitors of all ages and making learning more fun.
This science center has an IMAX theater where you can see films in an unforgettable experience. Some of the companies that feature their films here include MacGillivray Freeman and National Geographic, with genres ranging from wildlife to space. There is also a cafe featuring sandwiches to go and offering indoor and patio seating.
4) San Jose Museum of Art
The San Jose Museum of Art is an art museum in Downtown San Jose founded in 1969. It hosts a large permanent collection emphasizing West Coast artists of the 20th- and 21st-century. The museum's historic wing was originally designed by architect Willoughby J. Edbrooke and built as the San Jose post office in 1892, then served as the city's library from 1937 to 1969. The "New Wing", comprising the majority of the current exhibition space, opened in 1991. Many of the changing exhibitions at the San Jose Museum of Art focus on the West Coast and California.
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, a great many exhibitions are centered on the intersection of art and technology. Exhibitions and individual installations typically remain on view between 4 to 6 months. The collection includes more than 2,000 works in a variety of media, including sculpture, paintings, prints, digital media, photographs, and drawings by artists such as Robert Arneson, Milton Avery, Gregory Barsamian, Joan Brown, and many more.
In 2007 the San Jose Museum of Art won the prestigious MUSE award from the American Association of Museums Technology Committee.
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, a great many exhibitions are centered on the intersection of art and technology. Exhibitions and individual installations typically remain on view between 4 to 6 months. The collection includes more than 2,000 works in a variety of media, including sculpture, paintings, prints, digital media, photographs, and drawings by artists such as Robert Arneson, Milton Avery, Gregory Barsamian, Joan Brown, and many more.
In 2007 the San Jose Museum of Art won the prestigious MUSE award from the American Association of Museums Technology Committee.
5) Japanese American Museum of San Jose
The Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) is a cultural institution located on North Fifth Street, in the heart of San Jose’s historic Japantown—one of the few remaining Japantowns in the United States. Founded in November 1987, the museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing Japanese American art, history, and culture, with a particular emphasis on the Greater San Francisco Bay Area.
JAMsj has its roots in a 1984–86 research project focused on Japanese American farmers in the Santa Clara Valley. This initiative gathered family histories, archival photographs, personal memoirs, and unpublished documents, which not only enriched local understanding of Japanese American heritage but also led to the creation of a school curriculum used by the San Jose Unified and Eastside Union High School Districts.
The museum’s educational efforts contributed materials and images to the award-winning 1985 publication Japanese Legacy: Farming and Community Life in California's Santa Clara Valley, co-authored by Timothy J. Lukes, Ph.D. and Gary Y. Okihiro, Ph.D.
Originally housed in the historic Issei Memorial Building (once the Kuwabara Hospital), the museum was launched with support from the San Jose Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League. In 2002, it adopted the name Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) to highlight its evolving archival and museum focus. Today, JAMsj is located in the former home of Dr. Tokio Ishikawa, just a few doors down from its original site. The current museum space opened to the public in October 2010, following the demolition of the original building in 2008.
JAMsj continues to serve as a vital center for education, memory, and community, preserving the experiences and legacies of Japanese Americans in the Bay Area.
JAMsj has its roots in a 1984–86 research project focused on Japanese American farmers in the Santa Clara Valley. This initiative gathered family histories, archival photographs, personal memoirs, and unpublished documents, which not only enriched local understanding of Japanese American heritage but also led to the creation of a school curriculum used by the San Jose Unified and Eastside Union High School Districts.
The museum’s educational efforts contributed materials and images to the award-winning 1985 publication Japanese Legacy: Farming and Community Life in California's Santa Clara Valley, co-authored by Timothy J. Lukes, Ph.D. and Gary Y. Okihiro, Ph.D.
Originally housed in the historic Issei Memorial Building (once the Kuwabara Hospital), the museum was launched with support from the San Jose Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League. In 2002, it adopted the name Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) to highlight its evolving archival and museum focus. Today, JAMsj is located in the former home of Dr. Tokio Ishikawa, just a few doors down from its original site. The current museum space opened to the public in October 2010, following the demolition of the original building in 2008.
JAMsj continues to serve as a vital center for education, memory, and community, preserving the experiences and legacies of Japanese Americans in the Bay Area.
Walking Tours in San Jose, California
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Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 6.0 Km or 3.7 Miles
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Travel Distance: 6.0 Km or 3.7 Miles
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During World War II, several... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles
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