Mendocino Farms (Santana Row)

A Victorian mansion of stairs to nowhere and doors that open onto walls. The house tour suits ages 6 and up who like spooky; the garden tour works with a stroller.

Park with a playground for ages 5 to 12.

An eight-page kids' activity menu with crayons, stamps and temporary tattoos, so the wait for food goes by.

Three floors of Italian everything: fresh pasta counters, gelato, pizza, and kids' cooking classes, in a food hall where everyone picks their own dinner.

Kids watch soup dumplings being folded through the kitchen window, then demolish them.

A San Jose icon since 1966: order at the window, eat at picnic tables under a giant San Jose mural. The banana shakes get even falafel skeptics through the meal.