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Photo: Oleg Alexandrov, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Learn a bit of local and technological history, and see what it takes to enter a cleanroom. Allow 1–2 hours.
The Intel Museum, located at Intel's headquarters in Santa Clara, California, United States, has exhibits of Intel's products and history as well as semiconductor technology in general. The museum is open weekdays except holidays. It is open to the public with free admission.The museum was started in the early 1980s as an internal project at Intel to record its history. It opened to the public in February 13, 1992, later being expanded in 1999 to triple its size and add a store. It has exhibits about how semiconductor chip technology works, both as self-paced exhibits and by reservation as grade-school educational programs.
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Nestled among the office buildings is one of the Bay Area's largest amusement parks. Open seasonally. Yes, from their cubicles they can hear you screaming on the roller coasters.
The Agnews Historic Park preserves three buildings from the old California Hospital for the Chronic Insane. Founded in 1889, the facility's original buildings collapsed in the "San Francisco Earthquake" of 1906, killing 117 people. The new buildings, including the still-standing auditorium, clock tower and superintendent's residence, are good examples of early twentieth century Mediterranean Revival architecture, heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts style. The new buildings represented a more modern attitude toward the mentally ill. The smaller buildings with larger windows were designed to comfort and stimulate the mentally ill, rather than imprison them. The state of California moved the last few hundred residents out in the mid 1990s, and sold the campus to Sun Microsystems, who promised to preserve the grounds and buildings, and make the auditorium and executive mansion available for public events. Unfortunately, you cannot get inside to see the very impressive interiors of the buildings, unless you've got a Sun employee badge or are lucky enough to slip in during a meeting or public event. Neither tours nor docents seem to be available. You can visit a small shelter that has public restrooms, as well as historic photographs and information about the hospital. As of July 2020, the property is owned by Oracle, that bought Sun Microsystems.
The museum offers a variety of rotating exhibits. Classes and special events may require a fee.
The grounds surrounding City Hall include a statue of Santa Clara, fountains, "Stroll Into the Past" plaques, other public artwork, and a set of flagpoles featuring all the flags that have flown over Santa Clara. Inside City Hall hangs a collection of historical photographs. City Hall is across the street from the Triton Museum and worth a stroll around the grounds if you are visiting the museum.
The museum combines rotating exhibitions with a permanent collection of works by Ernest de Saisset, a 19th-century Santa Clara student who studied painting in Paris. The museum is often closed between exhibitions, so call ahead or check the website for open dates.