20 Perfect Things To Do In Gilroy, California

This themed park is like a mini Disneyland. There are lots of rides, natural landscapes, majestic trees, and many attractions.

Many of the rides are dedicated to the agricultural and historical past of the region including Mushroom Swing, Garlic Twirl, Timber Twister, and others. The park provides a necessity that tailors towards kids of a certain age group but still offers decent rides for the older kids.

This area is a must for anyone in the Bay Area of either Monterey or San Francisco. Additionally, one can check out their sleepover camp nights, special movie nights, and carnival nights. If you want more fun check out these things to do in Disneyland California.

Taking a historic walk down the downtown district is among the best things to do in Gilroy CA. The area is a blend of restaurants, shops, and many businesses.

Moreover, you will come across many antique stores and other specialty boutiques. Stop by and look for jewelry, furniture, kitchenware, toys, clothing, and other unique items.

For parking, move towards the Gilroy Historic Paseo pathway. Very conveniently it connects the various stores on Monterey Street with adjacent free parking lots. Take a moment and appreciate the historic murals and interpretative panels to get a brief idea about the city.

From the freeway you see many billboards advertising the Outlets. As you arrive it might be confusing where to go. So, carry a map, directory, or better signage for the best experience.

This is a good outlet with many brand name stores. It is an open-air outlet mall, so you can park close to any stores you are interested in. There are four separate shopping areas located on four different corners.

For food, there is an Applebee's as well as a drive-thru In-N-Out Burgers. The mall also has benches and sofas for those who do not want to enter the stores while the family members shop.

You should definitely hit this place up if you are in the area and wine tasting. It is amazing.

Their selection is well curated and they have all sorts of offerings; something for everyone. Other than what's on the menu, they have little placards on the table mentioning some of their newer offerings that have just been released or will soon be released.

The Pinots are sublime but even their whites like the Viognier are pleasant. The tasting room is lovely and the gardens are great when the weather in Gilroy CA permits being outdoors. Some might find prices a bit elevated but it is worth it.

Christmas Hill Park is a beautiful park where the Gilroy CA garlic festival takes place. The festival takes place during the last weekends of July every year.

This is a 3-day festival with cooking competitions, food vendors, and merchandise vendors selling everything from garlic products to wind chimes. Aside from the events, there is a beautiful children's area, a bandstand area, lots of green, green grass, and a nice creek that usually dries up on the hottest day of summer.

Plenty of space for picnics with or without picnic tables. Reservations can be made if you want a special day for a birthday party, shower, etc.

Located approximately 32 miles away, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is renowned. It is beautifully curated and has an excellent display of natural exhibits.

You need to buy tickets online and cannot just walk in and buy at the venue. Besides, countless attractions the aquarium has great food options, rest areas, and souvenir shops. Animals such as otters, giant jellies, and many other marine animals will make you go crazy.

The aquarium has a beautiful view of the Monterey Bay. It is an incredible place and here are some things to do in Monterey, on your next visit.

Only 12 miles from Gilroy, this is one of the best missions to visit. It has a good balance of keeping the authentic feel planted in a historic area and at the same time it is full of life.

The mission sits along the San Andreas fault line in California. There is a beautiful church and grounds. Some of the trees date back to the original construction.

After admiring the interior and learning some things about its history, walk around the ground and you will see a pioneer cemetery. There are some sculptures too and one can easily spend an hour relaxing here.

Gilray Old City Hall, California allows casual and fine dining. It is a beautiful place located right downtown and offers two main dining experiences.

The Clocktower has a more formal dining experience while the Courtyard Grill takes it easy and eats. This means that people can have everything from the mundane burgers to the exotic sea foods.

This establishment gives a home-like feel and is therefore appropriate for any occasion. Besides, they sometimes come up with special occasions such as karaoke.

This outstanding local business is over 115 years old. Although it was initially a cherry farm located alongside the road, today, it is a place of interest attracting visitors from all over the world.

Besides very fresh fruits and vegetable stalls, you'll also find shelves with dried fruits, nuts, seasonal varieties, handmade fudge, and other sweets.

They also offer wines, yummy burritos, and sandwiches as well as gift hampers. The kids will have fun riding in the Casa de Choo Choo train and try out the panning for gold in the Miner's Sluice. Don't forget to wave hi to the friendly residents peacocks during your visit.

Harvey Bear Ranch is a great place for mountain biking. It offers a great variety of trails, both fire roads and single track. Some trails are relatively flat, but if you are interested in hills this place has those too.

There are a couple of areas that are just plain fun. The terrain of the trails offers many varieties. Some areas are rocky, some gravel, packed dirt, loose dirt, and cracked earth.

They also have a visitor center if you want more information, and rangers are always about. In summary, it is a wonderfully maintained, fun park, that offers a lot of activities.

Most wine tasting is done while standing indoors in tiled and rich wood halls or tiny rooms in small wineries. This place is an outdoor party with wine tasting.

It's colorful and fun. Some come to taste wine, others bring lunch and have wine with their meal. It has an open-air bar, but most people sit at the tables.

No pretentious discussion of grapes, vintages, hints of this and that just fun wine tasting, or drinking. There's often live music playing and you may find one of their sweet pooches joining you, hoping you'll give them just a taste of your snacks.

Black Bear Diner is close to many hotels in Gilroy. This place has a very good variety on the menu, but their all-day breakfast selections are what you'll want to try.

The rustic decor, fun newspaper menu, pleasant servers, and excellent meal choices make the experience truly original. Prices are very reasonable, so it's a great spot when coming through Gilroy.

No matter what you order, the portions are big or bigger as well as being well prepared and great tasting. The chicken fried steak is a 'monster' and with the mashed potatoes and gravy it's out of sight!

This out-of-the-way tourist attraction offers all things garlic. Right from the raw cloves to their peculiar products such as garlic-flavored ice cream and chocolate chip cookies.

There is also a rather hilarious photo-op wall in the form of the world's longest braid of garlic. It stocks fresh foods that are locally grown, specialty foods, and many, many garlic-flavored products.

It is easily accessible since it lies close to Highway 101. You'll find it quite attractive to pull in for some good garlicky taste if ever you're in Gilroy.

This museum of San Martin is just almost 10 minutes away from downtown Gilroy. They have several buildings with airplanes, airplane motors, and aviation history.

Much of the support for the museum comes from volunteers. They also periodically have events such as speaker events. Anybody who is even the slightest bit interested in the history of air travel can spend days here.

Try to opt for a guided tour. You will learn a lot. For example, the explanations that came with the reproduction of Wright Brother Flyer are very interesting and cover aspects you might not have heard before. Learn about their upcoming events at the Wings of History website.

Placed all over the downtown area, these statues show episodes in this city's history. They are one of the best ways to interact with the history of the region while in the countryside.

Some of the sculptures are animals, and some are meaningful personalities. Most of them represent the artistic aspect of the community and are also good for photo shoots.

Plus, they are in line with efforts to improve public art in Gilroy and transform the downtown area into a more engaging one. Thus if you ever happen to be in the area you can go and have a look at them.

The Gilroy Museum is a tiny house which is located in the Carnegie Library that was built in 1910. It was established in 1963 but its history began much earlier in 1958 through a local history enthusiast who had the items on display in his basement.

There is always something of interest here including Ohlone Indian relics and other relics of the early history of the town. Besides, if you are ready for some trekking, take a free tour of Gilroy during the first Saturday of each month, where you will learn more about the history of Gilroy.

It is just a warm corner where people can immerse themselves in some traditional flair.

This hotel is more of a destination, or resort. You will find it packed with families, of all ages of children enjoying the breakfast area with games and then the pool.

Free breakfast is included with your stay and is comprehensive with cooked, cold, and grab-and-go items to suit all needs and purposes. The wonderful staff happily provides snacks, towels, and smiles to all the visitors.

There is a free library with books to take, a heated pool, hot tub, spa, gym, laundry, and secure building to accommodate your every need. Whether staying a night or a month, this is the best value and service for your dollar.

This is a fun place for all ages and a good place for families. It is a great place for the kids, but an adult must accompany anyone under age 6. The adults have a lounge with free wifi and massage chairs. Everyone must sign a waiver.

This isn't a huge place like Urban Air but it's got plenty of things to do. There is a general trampoline section, a dodgeball court, a basketball hoop section, a giant inflated pillow to jump into, and a rock wall for climbing.

The jump sessions last two hours, and for safety reasons, jump socks are required for all participants and are offered at $4.00 a pair.

This bowling alley is for casual entertainment where one can enjoy it with friends/family members. Having many lanes, it is suitable for an informal date night or a birthday celebration.

It uses modern bowling lanes and has brightly lit LED lane lights that add thrill to every game played. Especially if you're a player, you will feel that the place is welcoming for you as well as for your group.

There is also a bar and grill where you can get some food and drinks whenever there is a game on. It is a good way to relax and even have fun with a team competition.

Prepare yourself for some holiday magic in North Pole Nights, Gilroy Gardens. This holiday event takes place on select dates starting late November through December 31, when the park will be decorated for the winter holidays.

It is great for families and it comprises themed rides, light shows, and even ice skating at night. Be sure to catch a glimpse of Santa and his fun holiday pals including Rudy the Polar Bear and Tinsel the Christmas tree.

Filled with tasty Christmas goodies and the extraordinary music live show it's the best chance to start the Christmas together. Visit the Gilroy Garden website for more magical holiday events.