Free Things to See and Do in San Jose, California

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.