Super Bowl 2016 Travel Guide: Popular Santa Clara Hotels, Attractions, and Restaurants for Your Football Weekend

WHAT TO EAT, SEE AND DO BEFORE THE BIG GAME

So you want to go to the Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California but haven’t sorted things out just yet? Don’t fret. We’ve got you covered with this Super Bowl 2016 Travel Guide.

The Super Bowl, which will be hosted on February 7, 2016 at the sophisticated Levi’s Stadium, will be the 50th edition in league history. The Super Bowl squares off the top NFC team against the best of the AFC team. The Pittsburgh Steelers have won the most Super Bowl championships in NFL history with six, while both The Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers are in second place with five victories each.

For those who are attending the big game and plan to hang out leading up to the event, here is our travel guide to the best attractions, hotels, and restaurants in the greater Santa Clara area.

Popular Attractions

1. Walk around in Santa Clara University with its pretty garden. SCU is known as the oldest institution of higher learning in California and also happens to be the oldest Catholic University in the West region.

2. Take in the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asis, which is located on the Santa Clara University campus and is just south of the San Jose airport. Instituted in 1777, it is the eighth oldest of the original 21 California missions.

3. Situated just across Mission Santa Clara de Asis at Santa Clara University, the de Saisset‘s lasting collection incorporates European, African, Oriental and American art.

4. Intel Museum is stationed at the computer giant’s headquarters and provides visitors an opportunity to witness how computer chips are made. There are other headquarters of many private companies such as Applied Materials, Sun Microsystems, and Agilent Technologies that are also worth visiting.

5. Make a car rental reservation in California with VroomVroomVroom, drive a few hours and savor in the natural wonders of Lake Tahoe, Big Sur Coastline, Mt. Whitney, Yosemite Valley/El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, and Mono Lake. Book with us so you don’t have to worry about a thing before the big game.

6. San Francisco 49ers HQ is the headquarters of one of the National Football League’s San Francisco 49ers. The practice area of the team is also located in the same complex and is quite famous witht the football fans and the general public.

7. California’s Great America is one of the four major amusement parks operating around the San Francisco Bay area with exciting rides and arcades. It won’t be open for the 2016 at the time of the Super Bowl, as the season doesn’t begin until March 25, but if you are in Santa Clara later in the year, it is one of the city’s premier attractions. Get ready to drop, twist and curl on Psycho Mouse or experience the thrill of hang gliding and skydiving. Other attractions in the park include roller coasters, flight decker, firefall, tiki twirl, orbit, star tower, loggers run, rip roaring rapids, whitewater falls, and boomerang bay. Of course, it’s not just the rides that provide the excitement, their live entertainment is great too!

Popular Hotels

1. Hilton Santa Clara is just a five-minute walk to Levi’s Stadium and also an ideal spot near California’s Great America theme park and right across the Santa Clara Convention Center. Treat yourself and enjoy this stylish hotel, which is designed in a sophisticated resort-style building – from best dining to spacious rooms and suites, the hotel provides a state-of-the-art touch and favorable venue.

2. Hyatt House Santa Clara  features modern studio and one-bedroom suites, as well as stylish lifestyle amenities. Conveniently stationed mere minutes from Levi’s Stadium, you can also check other famous attractions, including Great America and the Santa Clara Convention Center, plus other major offices in Silicon Valley.

3. Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Jose – Silicon Valley is a first class hotel that offers a free airport shuttle and puts you within a 15-minute drive of Great Mall of the Bay Area and California’s Great America. Levi stadium is a 10-minute drive from this hotel. It features soothing and functional lifestyle amenities such as a restaurant, a fitness center, a bar/lounge, spa tub, a seasonal outdoor pool, and there’s free Wi-Fi.

4. Embassy Suites Hotel in Santa Clara – Silicon Valley is 1.8 miles from Santa Clara Convention Center and 2.1 miles from football games at Levi’s Stadium. It features 24-hour amenities such as fitness center, indoor pool with a whirlpool, and eight meeting rooms.

5. Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in Santa Clara – Silicon Valley features a modern business center with enjoyable amenities and is just minutes away from the Levi’s Stadium. It also has easy access to a lot of business and leisure attractions like the Santa Clara University.

Popular Restaurants

1. Try some seafood at The Fish Market.
2. Eat the best barbecue in Silicon Valley at Andy’s BBQ.
3. Order favorites such as Truffle Mac & cheese, 20 oz. bone-in Rib Eye, and Maine Lobster Pot Pie at Bourbon Steak.
4. Known for their burgers, get a taste of their first finest chicken burger at Red Robin. Have your cake, too.
5. Line up at Fractured Prune Dougnuts and create a doughnut the way you want it, and taste your own unique creation after.
6. Treat yourself and experience some Mexican food at El Torito.
7. Go for delicious Japanese cuisine at Kobe.

There’s no denying that Super Bowl 50 is going to be epic. Will you be rooting for anyone in particular to win the NFL championship, or are you just excited as I am to see Coldplay alongside Beyonce in the massive halftime show? Let us know what your plans are and we hope our Super Bowl 2016 Travel Guide has been helpful to you!