Roberto Adobe & Sunol House

"We were lucky enough to be in town and have time to stop by this historical home! The docents (who are volunteers) are passionate about preserving a piece of important San Jose history, and they taught us so much. Everyone should stop by - and a bonus, it’s free and there is free parking in the back! There are no specific tour times - if they aren’t with anyone else, they will provide you with a tour or you can wander on your own."

"Love this hidden gem of Willow Glen! The docents were amazingly knowledgeable and gave us the VIP treatment showing us everything! As a San Jose native, I loved taking a deep dive into our local history!"

"Adobe is an amazing building material. How many earthquakes has this building weathered without a serious problem?"

"Open only two hours on Saturdays (closed major holidays) and very worth it! The two docents on this Saturday were very nice and welcoming, and had a ton of information on the history of the Roberto-Suñol Adobe and the neighborhood. The interior is nicely restored and impressive for such an old building. The adobe itself is set up as an exhibit of how people lived back then. There are plenty of informative exhibit signs on the native Tamien population, Roberto Balermino, The Anza expedition, government, commerce, etc.. that will bring you up to date through history into today. The garden outside contains a large fig tree that provides cooling shade and a delicious fig smell right now. I was told it was the oldest fig tree in California, very impressive. You can wander around outside and see the outhouse and old farm machinery, and you can also sit on benches under the shade of a large pepper tree. It is very pleasant sitting here and relaxing in the garden. The house has air conditioning, and bathrooms. They have exhibits that the kids can touch as well as a stamp of Roberto Balermino's brand that kids (or adults) can "brand" themselves with. This is a great place for for kids and adults. The docents were awesome, it can't be said enough. The fact that the adjacent 280 freeway was supposed to go through the property, but was moved over to save it, means that is available to us to see how life was lived in the past. History could have been wiped away by that freeway, but we got to see it today. You should go too, it is worth it."

"First class interpretive visitor experience. I was genuinely suprise with the quality of the exhibits, the restoration and the docent tour. It is great to be able to connect the dots on the Tamien people though to the spanish missions and then the Americans. I'll be going back again to take a bit more time to read everything myself. Parking at the rear for 5-8 cars. Take the side drive next to the highway. Free."