Located in the heart of downtown San Jose next to a gorgeous park, this small museum packs a big punch. 

They rotate the display of their permanent collection fairly often, which is nice, because at any one time they might not have a ton of space to show off the goods.  The upstairs is reserved for a changing exhibition which often highlights contemporary West Coast artists. Wacky stuff abound.

Make sure to take a breather on the upstairs balcony and look out on the beautiful empty lot to the back of the museum, where trash blows by on a cool breeze past walls tagged with colorful graffiti. OK, the view might not be fab- but the weather always is, and the handmade wooden bench swing is a great place to sit with a pal and chat about what you saw inside.

Don’t miss the museum café which sits in an old-fashioned church attached to the contemporary-looking museum.  They’ve got reasonably priced sammies and fresh salads and BOOZE!  You heard it here first: a little buzz is sometimes the key to appreciating art.