Parks and Gardens
Although known as a major urban center, San José has some 3,000 acres of parkland, including 125 parks and gardens, such as: Emma Prusch Farm Park, an 86-acre farm park that represents San José’s rich agricultural past; Alum Rock Park, San José’s first and largest park with 700-acres of natural and rugged beauty; Lake Cunningham Park, an open space and 50-acre lake perfect for fishing, jogging, walking and family barbequing; downtown’s Plaza de Cesar Chavez, once the site of the 1797 town center and location for several festivals such as the city’s annual Music in the Park; San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, with more than 150 varieties of roses; Overfelt Gardens is home to the Chinese Cultural Garden, which offers visitors a natural wildlife sanctuary amid a peaceful pond setting; and Kelley Park, which includes the Japanese Friendship Garden (modeled after Korakuen, a park in San José’s sister city of Okayama, Japan), and the Happy Hollow Park and Zoo. A spectacular work in progress is the Guadalupe River Park, which will offer visitors and residents three miles of lush gardens and natural riverbank beauty when completed in the near future.

For more information on San José’s parks, visit http://www.ci.san-jose.ca.us/prns/regionalparks/