San Jose Ghost Tour Brings Eerie Tales to Life in Downtown San Jose

Happy Friday the 13th! A few weeks ago I had a chance to participate in one of the most unique walks I have ever taken throughout Downtown San Jose. I joined the San Jose Ghost Tour: The Scythe, Sacrifice, & Silhouette. The guided one-mile journey takes participants past buildings steeped in decades of dramatic events and reported hauntings while at the same dropping tons of fascinating history of San Jose.

The experience began under the prominent arch at Paseo de San Carlos and wound through areas tied to everything from Wild West saloons and brothels to brewery tragedies to sorrows at San Jose State University. Stories shared included the former Sainte Claire Hotel, where spirits have remained active, and the last public lynching in the US at St. James Park.

I learned so many new things from the tour. I don't want to give too much away, but did you know Trials Pub used to have a jail in the basement where several people died, and the remnants of the cells are still there directly beneath the dart boards? Multiple people have reported ghost sightings at Trials as well as unexplained bruises when collecting darts.

On the other hand I also learned that the concept of quicksilver (mercury) mining actually came from Indian tribes. While there was so much fuss about the gold rush, more money was made mining quicksilver at the New Almaden Mine in San Jose than ANY individual gold mine in all of California.

This tour succeeded in blending in documented local history with accounts of shadow figures and unexplained phenomena. Anyone drawn to unique perspectives on local heritage will find this tour delivers in compelling fashion. The walk has offered distinctive way to experience Downtown San Jose after dark and the tour guide was fantastic!

All of the tours start at 8pm and are relatively kid friendly (ideal for older kids). Reserve your tickets at https://usghostadventures.com/san-jose-ghost-tour/ or https://lizzie-borden.com/ghost-tours/san-jose/

Ultimate guide to tours of San Jose

SJtoday has a great guide to every possible San Jose tour you can imagine. There are free walking tours, Segway tours down Guadalupe River, the San Jose Brew Bike, Ghost Tours (something I didn't even know about), Mt. Hamilton tours, and even boat tours--yes, San Jose has boats and access to the Bay in Alviso.

Next time you hear a friend say there is nothing to do in San Jose, find out what they like and take them on a tour. We have something for just about everyone.

See the full list here.

Valley Palms Neighborhood Association's "La Caminata" walking event

Tomorrow the Valley Palms Neighborhood Association in collaboration with Project Access (local nonprofit) are hosting a walking school bus event to raise awareness of pedestrian safety issues in East San Jose. As we slowly move to a future when cars are not the only way to get around San Jose, pedestrian access will only become more critical. All of the details from the press release are below.

MEDIA ALERT
                                                                                                                               
Valley Palms Neighborhood Association’s “La Caminata” Walking School Bus Event Sheds Light on Pedestrian Safety in East San Jose

Beginning Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 7:00 AM
Ends Wednesday April 26, 2017 at 7:30 AM

WHAT:              The Valley Palms Neighborhood Association is hosting a walking school bus event from Valley Palms Apartments to Katherine Smith Elementary School in order to demonstrate the need for improved pedestrian safety in the King/Tully neighborhood of San Jose.

                        An anticipated 150 community residents and their children will form a walking school bus and walk from Valley Palms Apartments to Katherine Smith Elementary School, where council member Tam Nguyen and community leaders will speak on the important issue of pedestrian safety.

WHO:               The Valley Palms Neighborhood Association, the County of Santa Clara Probation Department’s Neighborhood Services Unit, Project Access, Katherine Smith Elementary School, and Overfelt High School have partnered to rally the community and host the “La Caminata” Walking School Bus event. Interview opportunities with Project Access CEO Kathy McCarrell and Santa Clara County Probation Department officials.

WHEN:             Beginning Wednesday, April 26th at 7:00 AM

WHY:                To demonstrate the need for improved pedestrian safety in the King/Tully neighborhood of San Jose.

WHERE:           Begin walk in front of Valley Palms Apartments at 7:00 AM
                        2155 Lanai Avenue, San Jose, Calif., 95122
Meet in front of main gate

End walking school bus at Katherine Smith Elementary School, where presentations will take place at 7:30 AM.
2025 Clarice Drive, San Jose, Calif., 95122

HOW:               Meet in front of main gate of Valley Palms Apartments to participate in the walking school bus.

Take 50% off Japantown Sake Walk Tickets through Labor Day

There's a flash discount of 50% off tickets good through the end of today for the upcoming Sake Walk in Japantown on Thursday, Sep. 15 from 6pm to 9pm.

The folks from The Beerwalk are helping to continue Sake San Jose and proceeds will benefit Yu-Ai Kai and the Japantown Business Association.

Tickets can be purchased until the end of the day today for 50% off the currently priced $35 tickets at www.sakewalk.com.

For some more information, please check out my recent post on my local beer site at www.gratefulhubby.com.

Cheers!

PAC*SJ Summer Walking Tours!

The Preservation Action Council of San Jose (PAC*SJ) will be doing three walking tours this summer. They will be in the Vendome neighborhood, Palm Haven and North Willow Glen, and also a stroll down The Alameda. All tours will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays. More information and advance tickets for the set or individual tours are available on the website http://www.preservation.org/events/walkingtours/tickets2014.html

You can also purchase tickets on the day of the tour if slots are available by arriving about 10 minutes early. Individual tickets are $10 for members of PAC*SJ and $15 for the general public. It is $25/$35 for the complete set.

Vendome, June 14

This walk shows six decades of San Jose homes on only four streets. 

The tour will begin at Ryland Park near First Street. There are some parking spaces in the Ryland Park lot and along San Pedro, but parking east of First Street or taking Light Rail to Ayer is recommended. In the park, we’ll learn a little history about San Jose and how the neighborhood filled in over time. The biggest growth spurt was during the 1930’s when the property of the Vendome Hotel became available for development. After we visit the Rotary Ryland Pool, we’ll stroll through the southern half of the neighborhood to see the homes. The architecture includes Victorian, Craftsman, Prairie style, Tudor, art moderne, and a wide variety of Spanish styles.

Palm Haven and North Willow Glen, June 28

This tour begins at the corner of Fuller and Bird in North Willow Glen where is more street parking available. We’ll pass some interesting homes on Bird, before going through Palm Haven. Palm Haven was laid out in 1913 with a border of Mexican Fan Palms. The earliest homes were all substantial. Later homes on the outer streets are more varied in size. Many famous civic and business leaders lived in Palm Haven, as well as artists and architects, most notably in the Wolfe family. 

The Alameda, July 12

The tour begins at the corner of Emory and the Alameda, across from the Central Y. The resources for this tour are The Alameda: The Beautiful Way and the Alameda Right of Way Context Statement produced by the City. 

The Alameda is the piece of the El Camino Real that ran between Mission Santa Clara and Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe. The name comes from the shade trees that were planted along the route. On the first part of the tour, we’ll look at the prominent homes along the street and discuss some of the ones that are now gone. We’ll learn about some prominent people in city history. Later we’ll walk through a resurgent business area and talk about the past – and future – changes to the landscape.

The narrative will be finished as we approach Stockton Street after a 1 mile walk, so depending on the heat and how individuals are feeling, there is the option to take the #22 or #522 bus back to the starting point. They both run every 15 minutes.

Downtown San Jose Walking Tours Return this Weekend!

If you haven't been on one of these walking tours yet, I would highly recommend checking this out even if you live Downtown and think you know everything about the area. The tour guides were as entertaining as they were informative, and the whole experience was a lot of fun! This next tour starts and ends at the San Pedro Square Market and is scheduled to begin right before lunch (11am) this Saturday. More info below:

JUNE BLOOMS DOWNTOWN WITH SAN PEDRO SQUARE WALKING TOUR THIS WEEKEND

This weekend enjoy a great opportunity to discover some of the unknown stories of San Jose and also support San Jose Walks & Talks, whose aim is to help students uncover some of their hidden talents as they prepare for their future careers.

This Saturday our one-hour Adobe to Adobe walking tour will start from the Peralta Adobe in San Pedro Square and visit some well known and some unknown downtown sites. Along the way student-guides tell some of the historic, funny, tragic and surprising stories of San Jose. Our guides are local San Jose students who’ve done their homework about the city of San Jose. Our guests are local residents and a few tourists… just about anyone who enjoys a walk and a talk.

If this weekend doesn’t fit into your schedule future tours can be booked in advance for your group, large or small, by contacting us at www.sanjosewalksandtalks.org  Go to our contact page to email us directly and we’ll be back in touch right away.

Our tours start in various neighborhoods downtown and are designed as a circular. Most tours cover somewhere between 2 to 3 miles and the starting location and time is sent to you by email confirmation. Public tours for individuals are currently free of charge but we hope if you enjoy the tour you’ll consider tipping the student guides. For private groups there is a nominal charge – contact us for more details.

New Downtown San Jose Walking Tours!

One more step has been taken towards making Downtown a legitimate tourist destination. A group of students have come together under the guidance of Greg Adler--a high school teacher at Santa Teresa--to provide walking tours of Downtown San Jose. The group is called San Jose Walks & Talks and we should do everything we can to support them.

Their signature tour is aptly named Adobe to Adobe. It starts at the Peralta Adobe in the San Pedro Square Market and then goes all the way to the Adobe headquarters and back. The tour takes about an hour and the suggested donation is only $5. The next walk is Saturday, February 16th at 11:30am.

Downtown San Jose is filled with such a rich history that I think you will be surprised at how much you'll learn on these tours.

For more information, check out their website over here or email contact@sanjosewalksandtalks.org.