Why Should You Go? Will You Like It?
- Los Gatos is popular for shopping, fine dining and outdoor activities. It has one of the area's prettiest, best-preserved downtowns, making it popular with locals and visitors alike.
Best Time to Go
Los Gatos weather is generally better than in foggier areas around it. It's just far enough from ocean and bay to have clearer skies, but it stays cooler than the flatter portions of the surrounding area.6 Great Things to Do in Los Gatos
- Wine Tasting: Grab a designated driver for a beautiful drive through redwood forests to visit some of the Santa Cruz Mountain wineries. Just above town on the mountainside, Testarossa Vineyards runs California's fourth-oldest, continuously-operating winery, or you can sample the wines of Fleming Jenkins Vineyards without leaving town - their tasting room is at 45 West Main Street.
- Pamper Yourself: Get a massage, facial or a coddling body treatment at Spa Elia or at Spa Los Gatos, one of the nicest day spas we've visited, or try a pedicure at Feet in the Sand. Not far away from downtown on Los Gatos Blvd Yoga Source, voted best area yoga studio offers a relaxing, restorative yin yoga class on Sundays, along with a wide array of other practices.
- Active Outdoors: The Los Gatos Creek Trail passes through town, affording plenty of opportunities for walking, running and bicycling on a paved path that follows the pretty little creek from Lexington Reservoir past Vasona Lake. For milder activity, stop by the Chamber of Commerce office on Santa Cruz Avenue for a self-guided walking tour map or print it out before you go.
- Shopping: The town council keeps a tight rein on business development, selecting retailers who enhance the atmosphere and holding down the number of chain stores. Shops lining Santa Cruz Avenue, Main Street and University Avenue include The Indian Store (native American art), In the Old Manner (new versions of elegant vintage clothing) and Domus (housewares). Don't bypass the shopping arcade inside Opera House, where you'll find some especially interesting little shops. And if you're in for a little high-end window-shopping, you can fantasize outside the Rolls Royce, Bentley and Lamborghini dealerships, all in the middle of town.
- Fun With the Kids: Oak Meadow Park (University Ave at Blossom Hill Rd) is home to the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad and the the W.E. "Bill" Mason Carousel.
At nearby Vasona Lake, you can rent paddle boats and row boats from early spring through early fall.
- Indulge Your Inner Foodie: Read more about dining options below under Best Bites. Sur La Table offers weekly cooking classes and the weekly Farmers Market downtown is one of the area's best. You can also indulge your gourmet sweet tooth at Fleur de Cocoa.
Annual Events You Should Know About
- Third Saturday of January, April, July and November: The Santa Cruz Mountain Winegrowers Association sponsors Wine Passport Weekends
- May: Area artists show off their creations during the annual Silicon Valley Open Studios event
- October: The Los Gatos Haunted Harvest Festival in Oak Meadow Park includes a spooky moonlit train ride
- December: Vasona Park is the place to go for the Festival of Lights.
- December: Holiday carriage rides run through the elegant and beautifully-decorated Almond Grove district. Reserve online
- December: Historic Homes Tour, sponsored by the Los Gatos Museums features a peek inside historic homes, vintage cars and entertainment
Tips for Visiting Los Gatos
- It can be difficult to find a place to park downtown and many areas have a two-hour limit. For a longer stay without worries, you'll find unlimited parking on Santa Cruz Ave across from the Toll House, in the lot behind Washington Mutual at Hwy 9 and Santa Cruz Ave and on the lower level of the lot just off University Avenue at Royce. During the busy holiday season, the best thing to do is use the free valet parking service.
- Public restrooms are scarce and until plans to solve the potty shortage are realized, you may have to throw yourself on the mercy of a local merchant.
- If you're prone to motion sickness, bring your favorite motion-sickness remedy if you plan to take a drive into the mountains.
- On summer weekends, it seems like everyone in Santa Clara Valley head to Santa Cruz on Hwy 17, creating a traffic jam that can back up for miles before you get to Los Gatos. A good alternative is to take Winchester Blvd, which parallels Hwy 17 from Stevens Creek Blvd all the way into town, where it becomes Santa Cruz Ave
Best Bites
Locals queue up for omelets and some of the tastiest potatoes around at Los Gatos Cafe (340 N. Santa Cruz Ave) or pack into Southern Kitchen (27 E. Main) for biscuits and gravy and other country-style dishes. For a lighter start to the day, you can't beat breakfast on the outdoor patio at Andale Taqueria (21 N Santa Cruz Ave).This tiny town boasts two restaurants (Manresa, Trevese) that have earned Michelin stars. As you would expect, they're expensive and hard to get into. Other places for a great meal include (in alphabetical order) California Cafe, Cin Cin Wine Bar, Dio Deka, Forbes Mill Steakhouse, Restaurant James Randall (a personal favorite) and Nick's on Main.
For a little fun with your meal try Campo di Bocce, where you can book a bocce ball court
Where to Stay
Hotel Los Gatos takes top honors among reviewers at tripadvisor.com, along with more affordable Garden Inn Hotel. Both are downtown. Compare prices to get the best deal.Getting To Los Gatos
Driving? Los Gatos is 52 miles from San Francisco, 126 miles from Sacramento and about 225 miles from Lake Tahoe.If you live in the Santa Clara Valley, you can get to downtown Los Gatos by taking the trolley to Vasona Station, where you can catch a shuttle bus.
If you live in San Francisco or on the peninsula, consider a scenic drive home along Hwy 9 and 35 instead of speeding back up the freeway.
