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2 0 1 7 T R A V E L G U I D E T O C A L I F O R N I A 89 SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY, below; taking a tour of the Intel Museum, boXom. SANTA CLARA CVB. OPPOSITE: BRANDON ZEMAN/CREATIVE COMMONS/FLICKR ; SANTA CLARA CVB Great America at Santa Clara Square: Il Fornaio, Opa, Puesto and Fleming's Steakhouse. Elsewhere in the city, sports fans will find plenty to cheer outside Levi's Stadium. The city hosts major swim meets at the George F. Haines International Swim Center, and Santa Clara University holds NCAA Division 1 athletic competitions year-round. A visit to Santa Clara wouldn't be com- plete without a look into the innovative high tech giants of Silicon Valley. At the Intel Museum at corporate headquarters, visitors see how computer chips are made in an automated chip factory and how the valley's engineers shaped and changed society. Some of Silicon Valley's best shopping is found at Santa Clara's Westfield Valley Fair mall, which is across the street from the high-end Santana Row shopping district. Santa Clara also draws visitors to its Triton Museum of Art with an emphasis on Bay Area artists and popular events, including an annual Art and Wine Festival in September, Pacific International Quilt Festival and spine- tingling Halloween Haunt in October, and holiday favorite WinterFest in December. Mission Santa Clara de Asis & Santa Clara University Santa Clara has a long history that's closely tied with that of California. The fertile valley that became known as Santa Clara Valley and more recently, Silicon Valley, was inhabited by the Ohlone when Spain began colonizing California. Franciscan missionaries chose a spot in the valley in 1777 for their eighth California mission. They named it Mission Santa Clara de Asis after Saint Clare. Visitors are welcome to visit the Mission Church and adjacent Mission Gardens on the beautiful campus of Santa Clara Univer- sity. Founded in 1851, the university is the oldest college in California. The current Mission Church was built in 1925 after a fire destroyed the previous 19 th -century building. Statues, paintings, liturgical objects, one bell and the flavor of the Spanish-style architecture remain. Also on the Santa Clara University campus is the de Saisset Art Museum, whose most significant feature is a Cali- fornia history collection. Artifacts that trace Santa Clara history include a cornerstone uncovered in an archaeological excavation. The museum also houses European art from the Renaissance to the 19 th century, including prints by Durer and Piranesi; modern works by Chagall, Matisse and Picasso; and prints by San Francisco Bay Area artists Arneson, Diebenkorn, Neri, Thiebaud and others. There are several other historic sites in Santa Clara that have been transformed into museums, including the South Bay Histor- ical Society in an 1863 train station, the Santa Clara Historic Museum in the Headen-Inman House and the Harris-Lass House Museum, an 1860s home that was the city's last farm. For trip planning, see santaclara.org.