Imagine visiting all the important landmarks of our current technological giants. Wait, that is possible, but it is only a part of things which you can see in Silicon Valley. It is located in San Francisco and it is called that way because all the technological giants have their headquarters there. Among other things, you can find the headquarters of Adobe, AMD, Apple, Intel, NVidia, Cisco, Facebook, Oracle, Tesla and many more. These are just some technological giants which you can find there, but also a part of the many amazing things you can see. Here is a list of sights and companies which you should visit on your next trip to Silicon Valley.
Castle Rock State Park
You thought that visiting tech companies would be the top of the list? Nah, with a state park covering over 20 square kilometers, stretching from Santa Clara to Santa Cruz, you should definitely check it out. Hike, explore and see what Silicon Valley consists of, which is a lot more than silicon. There are plenty of activities to do here so make sure to contact local guides if you want more specialized hints.
The Tech Museum of Innovation
This museum is often simply called The Tech and is located at the dead center of Silicon Valley. It has tech exhibits which can thrill both young ones and adults alike. Explore everything from VR to a cinema if you feel like taking a break from all the exhibits to watch a movie or two, maybe a Terminator movie, it would be appropriate.
IBM Almaden Research Center
Why should you visit this center? Because it is the home to some of the most important innovations of our time, such as the hard drive. Yeah, they are considered slow by some tech newbies, but they are still the cornerstone of server storage and our lives would be impossible or really expensive without them. They are committed to nanomedicine now, various other medical research, as well as storage, atomic and otherwise.
NASA Ames Research Center
NASA got this center late to the party. Well, not too late, but in 1958, even though it was opened in 1939 as an aircraft research center. Today, it is one of their ten research centers and it plays a great role in NASA’s research, with over 2000 people working there and over 3 billion dollars of equipment. The center itself is not open to visitors, but they do have something for you to see. The Moffat Museum is very interesting and the Exploration Center should not be overlooked.
The Computer History Museum
Why not see the history of computing, dating back two millennia? This museum has everything you want, over one thousand artifacts and a plethora of games to play and prizes to win. You can learn how to use the Adobe suite from experts as well as compete in typing. They have a cafe, free parking and plenty more for you to see and do, besides the history of computing, you know.
Silicon Valley has a lot to offer for tourists, from beautiful nature to the history of computing and technology. Make sure to plan your visit ahead because there are so many things to see and so much nature to explore.
