Museums 05/17/06 The flexibility of homeschooling makes possible one of the perennial favorite activities of homeschoolers, field trips. Interesting possibilities abound - historic sites, museums, government buildings, police & fire stations, manufacturing plants, food processing plants, restaurants, stores, and more. Below is a list of many museums in the Silicon Valley area that may be of interest for organized group or family field trips. It is organized topically: HISTORY & HISTORIC LIFE; HAND CRAFTS; SCIENCE, INDUSTRY, & TECHNOLOGY; ART MUSEUMS; FUN STUFF; GARDENS. Each listing includes the location and the means to contact the museum for hours, cost (some are free), and, where appropriate, arranging a group tour. Many have websites, which may be helpful in lesson planning and preparing for the field trip. As always, the editors of the Homeschool Resource Pages appreciate readers' feedback and suggestions. HISTORY & HISTORIC LIFE Ardenwood Historic Farm // Patterson House
34600 Ardenwood Blvd.; Fremont
510-791-4196 http://www.ebparks.org/parks/arden.htm Berryessa Adobe
373 Jefferson St.; Santa Clara, CA;
408-615-2488 http://www.santaclara.org/thingstodo/historicsites.cfm Big Basin Historic Park Nature Lodge
21600 Big Basin Wy.; Boulder Creek, CA 95006
831-338-6132 California History Center & Foundation - de Anza College
21250 Stevens Creek Blvd; Cupertino, CA 95014
408-864-8712 http://www.calhistory.org/index.html Campbell Historical Museum
51 N. Central Ave., Campbell, CA 95008
408-866-2119 http://www.cityofcampbell.com/communityandarts/museum.htm Ainsley House
300 Grant St., Campbell, CA 95008
408-866-2119 http://www.cityofcampbell.com/communityandarts/ainsleyhouse.htm Cupertino Historical Society & Museum
10185 N. Stelling Rd.; Cupertino, CA 408-973-1495
 Emma Prusch Farm Park
647 South King Rd.; San Jose, CA 95116
408-926-5555 http://www.sanjoseca.gov/prns/regionalparks/pfp/ Forbes Mill Museum of Regional History
75 Church St.; Los Gatos, CA
408-395-7375 http://www.los-gatos.org/main/museums.html Gilroy Historical Museum
195 5th St.; Gilroy, CA
408-848-0470 http://www.ci.gilroy.ca.us/pdf/1museum.pdf Harris-Lass Historic Museum
1889 Market St.; Santa Clara, CA
408-249-7905 http://www.ci.santa-clara.ca.us/events/harris_lass.html Higuera Adobe Park
Wessex off N. Park Victoria; Milpitas, CA
408-586-3210 http://www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/citydept/Planning/recreation/parkfacilityreservation.htm James Shinn House
1251 Peralta Ave.; Fremont, CA 94538
510-795-0891 Japanese American Museum of San Jose
535 N. 5th St.; San Jose, CA
408-294-3138 http://www.jamsj.org/ Juana Briones Heritage Foundation
1685 Mariposa Ave.; Palo Alto, CA 94306
650-321-5260 http://www.brioneshouse.org/ Los Altos History House // Smith House // Los Altos History Museum
51 South San Antonio Rd.; Los Altos, CA 94022
650-948-9427 http://www.losaltoshistory.org/museum.htm Los Gatos Museum Of Art And Natural History
4 Tait Ave.; Los Gatos, CA
408-354-2646 http://www.los-gatos.org/main/museums.html Military Medal Museum and Research Center
448 N. San Pedro St.; San Jose, CA 95110
408-298-1100 Mission Santa Clara
500 El Camino Real; Santa Clara, CA 95053
408-554-4023 http://www.scu.edu/visitors/mission/ Morgan Hill Historical Society, Morgan Hill Museum, and Villa Mira Monte
600 W. Main Ave., P.O. Box 1258; Morgan Hill, CA 95037
408-779-5755 http://www.morganhillguide.com/Webpages/MHHS/MH_Historical_Society.htm Museum of American Heritage
P.O. Box 1731, 351 Homer Ave.; Palo Alto, CA 94302-1731
650-321-1004 http://www.moah.org/ Museum of Local History (Fremont)
190 Anza St.; Fremont, CA 94539
510-623-7907 www.museumoflocalhistory.org/ New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum // La Casa Grande
21350 Almaden Rd. (off Almaden Expwy.); New Almaden, CA
408-323-1107 http://www.geocities.com/almadenqs/newalmmus.html Niles Canyon Railway
Sunol Depot, 6 Kilkare Road; Sunol, CA
925-862-9063 http://www.ncry.org/ Niles Depot Museum
36997 Mission Blvd.; Fremont, CA 94536
510-797-4449 http://www.nilesdepot.railfan.net/ Old Mission San Jose
43300 Mission Blvd., P.0. Box 3159; Fremont, CA 94539
510-657-1979 http://www.athanasius.com/camission/san_jose.htm Peralta Adobe & Fallon House Historic Site
175 W. Saint John St.; San Jose, CA 95110
408-993-8300 http://www.historysanjose.org/visiting_hsj/peralta_fallon/ Pine Ridge Ranch at Henry W. Coe State Park
9000 E. Dunne Ave.; Morgan Hill, CA 95037
408-779-2728 http://www.coepark.org/theranch.html Portuguese Historical Museum
1650 Senter Rd. P.O. Box 18277; San Jose, CA 95158
http://www.portuguesemuseum.org Rengstorff House
3070 N. Shoreline Blvd.; Mountain View, CA 94043
650-903-6392 http://www.ci.mtnview.ca.us/citydepts/cs/sd/rengstorff_house.htm San Jose Historical Museum Kelley Park
1600 Senter Rd.; San Jose, CA 95112
408-287-2290 http://www.sanjoseca.gov/prns/regionalparks/kp/sjhm.htm San Lorenzo Valley Museum
12547 Hwy. 9; Boulder Creek, CA 95006
831-338-8382 http://www.slvmuseum.com/ Santa Clara Historic Museum // Headen-Inman House
1509 Warburton Ave.; Santa Clara, CA 95050
408-248-2787 http://www.santaclara.org/thingstodo/historicsites.cfm Saratoga Historical Park & Museum
20450 Saratoga-Los Gatos Rd.; Saratoga, CA
408-867-4311 Santa Clara CalTrain Station - South Bay Historical Railroad Society
1005 Railroad Ave.; Santa Clara, CA 95050
408-243-3969 http://www.sbhrs.org/ Sunnyvale Historical Museum
235 E. California Ave.; Sunnyvale, CA
408-749-0220 HAND CRAFTS The Lace Museum
552 S. Murphy Ave.; Sunnyvale, CA 94086
408-730-4695 http://www.thelacemuseum.org/ San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
520 S. First St.; San Jose, CA 95113;
408-971-0323 http://www.sjquiltmuseum.org/index.htm SCIENCE, INDUSTRY, & TECHNOLOGY Computer History Museum
1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA 94043
650-810-1010 http://www.computerhistory.org/ Hiller Aviation Museum
601 Skyway Rd.; San Carlos, CA 94070
650-654-0200 http://www.hiller.org/ The Intel Museum (How integrated circuits work and are made)
2200 Mission College Blvd.; Santa Clara, CA 95052-8119
408-765-0503 http://www.intel.com/intel/intelis/museum/index.htm Iron Man Museum (Metal mining & working equipment)
401 E. Hendy Ave.; Sunnyvale, CA 94088
408-735-2020 http://www.geocities.com/alkol6/ Lick Observatory
Mt. Hamilton Rd.; San Jose, CA 408-274-5061
http://www.ucolick.org/public/index.html Minolta Planetarium at De Anza College
21250 Stevens Creek Blvd.; Cupertino, CA 95014
408-864-8814 http://www.planetarium.deanza.edu/ Moffett Field Museum (Moffett Federal Airfield, Hangar One)
Moffett Blvd., off State Highway 101 P.O. Box 16; Moffett Field, CA 94035
650-603-9827 http://www.moffettfieldmuseum.org/ Perham Collection of Early Electronics Formerly the Foothill Electronics Museum. Now part of History San Jose; public display is planned. http://www.historysanjose.org/exhibits_collections/collections/Perham.html San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory // Coyote Creek Field Station
1290 Hope St., P.O. Box 247; Alviso, CA 95002
408-946-6548 http://www.sfbbo.org/ Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
2575 Sand Hill Rd., Menlo Park, CA 94025; P. O. Box 20450, Stanford, CA 94309
650-926-2204 http://wwww2.slac.stanford.edu/tours/ The Tech Museum of Innovation
201 South Market St.; San Jose, CA 95113
408-294-TECH (8324) http://www.thetech.org/ Wings Of History Air Museum
12777 Murphy Ave. PO Box 495; San Martin, CA 95046-0495
408-683-2290 http://www.wingsofhistory.org/ ART MUSEUMS de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University (Art; historic, ancient artifacts)
500 El Camino Real; Santa Clara, CA 95053
408-554-4528 http://www.scu.edu/deSaisset/ Euphrat Museum of Art - De Anza College
21250 Stevens Creek Blvd.; Cupertino, CA 95014
408-864-8836 http://www.deanza.fhda.edu/euphrat/ Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University
Lomita Drive and Museum Wy.; Stanford, CA 94305-5060
650-723-4177 http://museum.stanford.edu/ Palo Alto Art Center
1313 Newell Rd.; Palo Alto, CA 94303
650-329-2366 http://www.city.palo-alto.ca.us/artcenter/ San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art
451 South First St.; San Jose, CA 95113
408-283-8155 http://www.sjica.org/ San Jose Museum of Art
110 South Market St.; San Jose, CA 95113
408-294-2787 408-271-6840 http://www.sjmusart.org/ Triton Museum of Art
1505 Warburton Ave.; Santa Clara, California 95050
408-247-3754 http://www.tritonmuseum.org/ FUN STUFF Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
180 Woz Wy.; San Jose, CA 95110
408-298-5437 http://www.cdm.org/ Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo
1451 Middlefield Rd.; Palo Alto, CA 94301
650-329-2111 http://www.city.palo-alto.ca.us/community-services/museum-index.html GARDENS Hakone Gardens
21000 Big Basin Wy.; Saratoga, CA 95070
408-741-4994 http://www.hakone.com/ Overfelt Gardens // Chinese Cultural Gardens
2145 McKee Rd. at Educational Park Dr.; San Jose, CA 95133
408-251-3323 http://www.sanjoseca.gov/prns/regionalparks/og/ San Jose Municipal Rose Garden
Naglee & Dana; San Jose, CA 408-277-4661
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/prns/regionalparks/rg/index.htm