Santa Clara, San Jose and the San Francisco Bay area are modern centers of arts and culture. With some of the most well-appointed museums and art collections, a visit to Santa Clara is not complete without a visit to the San Jose Historical Museum, Sunnyvale Historical Museum, and the Lace museum. These three institutions are just a sampling of the inexpensive places in Santa Clara where you can enjoy some of the most impressive collections of art and artifacts anywhere in the area.

Santa Clara and the San Francisco Bay area in particular are both well-known for being cultural hubs with an active and vibrant arts and culture scene. The Santa Clara Valley with cities such as San Jose has a host of museums for the art lover and those who have a strong curiosity about the world and different cultures. 

Ancient cultures are still accessible through art and the monuments they left. One outstanding example is the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum which has one of the best private collections of ancient Egyptian art and relics in the world.

Showcasing a more recent time, the Mission Santa Clara takes you back to the early days of California when it was dominated by the Spanish Empire and the Native Americans they had converted to Christianity. The city was named after the Mission. Other beautiful places to visit include the Triton Museum of Art, the San Jose Theater, the San Jose Repertory Theatre, the Lace Museum, and the Sunnyvale Museum. The San Jose History Museum contains information on sites such as the California Mission Santa Clara.