Local’s Guide to Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is the birthplace of tech and home to corporate giants such as Facebook, Google and Apple and prestigious institutions such as Stanford. With beautiful weather year-round, hundreds of parks and pathways buzzing with academics and dreamers and rich history around every corner, theres a reason I’ve called Silicon Valley home for the past 20 years. #seekerchallenge

Apple Park Visitor Center, The Flintstone House, Lake Larry, Rosewood Sand Hill, Hewlett Packard Garage, Santana Row, Memorial Church, Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Buck’s Restaurant, Intel Museum, Sand Hill Road, Stanford University, Winchester Mystery House, Steve Jobs & Wozniak Garage, Googleplex, Facebook, Computer History Museum

• Apple Park Visitor Center in Cupertino, United States

  
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  The Apple Visitors Center is across the street from the company‘s headquarters. It’s basically an Apple Store on steroids with an AR experience, t-shirts snd other gear you can’t find anywhere else, a cool cafe and a roof deck.

• The Flintstone House, United States

  
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  Technically a bit north of what's traditionally considered Silicon Valley, the Flintstone House is viewable from Highway 280. When heading North, keep your eyes peeled to the hillside on the right for a real treat.

• Lake Larry, United States

  
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  When you are the founder of one of the most successful tech companies, you can name a lake after yourself and park your America's Cup winning boat in it. Lake Larry looks like a moat protecting the impressively designed buildings of Oracle's Headquarters. The nearby Bay Trail is the perfect spot for a jog or bike ride to take in this iconic lake and building.

• Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park, United States

  
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  Located on Sand Hill Road and a favorite amongst the tech elite, the Rosewood is a great spot to mingle at night or spa anytime.

• Hewlett Packard Garage in Palo Alto, United States

  
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  Considered the birthplace of Silicon Valley, this garage was the first home of Hewlett-Packard.

• Santana Row in San Jose, United States

  
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  Great shopping and restaurants with an upscale, hip vibe.

• Memorial Church, United States

  
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  Beautiful architecture at the center of Stanford University.

• Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, United States

  
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  Free art museum on Stanford Campus with an expansive collection of works spanning 5000 years.

• Buck’s Restaurant, United States

  
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  Buck’s is a gem in Woodside, CA with great homestyle food, quirky decor and rich Silicon Valley history. Legend has it, many world changing ideas were born here- the founders of companies such as Netscape, PayPal and Tesla frequented Bucks while dreaming up their big ideas.

• Intel Museum in Santa Clara, United States

  
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  Located at Intel’s Headquarters in Santa Clara, the Intel Museum holds the history of the semiconductor industry and Intel’s technologies from 50+ years of innovation.

• Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, United States

  
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  This famous road is home to some of the world’s biggest venture capitalists. Although you can’t go into any of the buildings without an invite, it’s worth a drive-by if you are a start up junkie or just love the show Silicon Valley.

• Stanford University, United States

  
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  Stanford University is a stunning campus with beautiful architecture everywhere. It’s the perfect spot for a long afternoon stroll or bike ride if you want to cover more ground. The campus is so photogenic that it’s become a favorite of local photographers.

• Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, United States

  
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  Once home to Sarah Winchester, the widow of William Winchester of firearms fame, this house is creepy AF. The tour is ridiculously entertaining with surprises around every corner. For the extra haunted experience, check out the night tour.

• Steve Jobs & Wozniak Garage in Los Altos, United States

  
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  Located at 2066 Crist Drive in Los Altos, CA, this modest house is the birthplace of personal computing. Today, it's a protected historical site. However, it is privately owned so make your drive by short and sweet as to not disturb its current residents.

• Googleplex in Mountain View, United States

  
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  You can’t enter the Google buildings unless you happen to know an employee, but the famous campus is still worth a visit if you are curious about life as a Googler. Here, you will see the multicolored bicycles used by employees to travel between buildings and quirky, larger than life art installations scattered throughout the grounds.

• Facebook in Menlo Park, United States

  
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  Unfortunately, there’s not much to see on campus without an employee escort, but visitors still love this spot for a quick snap next to the iconic ‘like’ sign.

• Computer History Museum in Mountain View, United States

  
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  Geek out while strolling rare artifacts and tech treasures from the past.