Save on California's Great America Hotel Packages

Save on California’s Great America theme park when you spend a night at one of 10 Santa Clara hotels. The discount packages represent an almost 50% savings over regular room and ticket cost. Hotel/theme park packages include one night’s weekend accommodations and two California’s Great America general admission tickets (extra tickets can be purchased at a discount at participating hotels). In addition, several of the packages include free breakfast. Book online at santaclara.org/hotelpackages. Hotels are Avatar Hotel ($129), Biltmore Hotel & Suites ($129), Embassy Suites ($169), Hilton Santa Clara ($139), Holiday Inn Express & Suites ($149), Hotel Sierra ($149), Hyatt Regency Santa Clara ($139), Mariani’s Inn and Restaurant ($139), Marriott Santa Clara ($134), and the Plaza Suites ($139). Sales tax not included. Deal good through October 30, 2011.
New at California’s Great America in 2011 are a number of exciting shows, including “Don’t Stop the Music, Boot Scootin’ Boogie, and Charlie Brown’s Pirate Adventure.” The Park is Northern California’s best choice for family fun and adventure offering more than 100-acres of world-class entertainment. Open March 27, April 2-3, April 9-10, April 13-17, April 20-24, April 27-May 1, weekends May 7 – May 25, daily May 28 – August 22, and weekends through October 30. For a FREE Weekend Packages brochure, visit santaclara.org.

Plenty of Holiday Events Happening in Santa Clara!

Santa Clara is planning for a festive holiday season in December. Events include the Annual Historic Home Tour (12/3-4), Santa Clara Player’s “Christmas Mouse” (12/3-5; 12/10-12), Santa Clara Chorale’s “Comfort & Joy” (12/10-12); Santa Clara Ballet’s “Nutcracker” (12/11-12); Mission City Opera’s “Truce of Carols & “Amahl and the Night Visitors” (12/18-19), and the Cable Car Classic Holiday Basketball Tournament (12/29-30).
The Santa Clara Historic Home Tour on December 3-4 features an 1889 Stripped Queen Anne Victorian and a 1927 Bungalow. Santa Clara Players present “The Christmas Mouse” two consecutive weekends and the Santa Clara Chorale sings “Comfort & Joy” at the historic Mission Santa Clara. “The Nutcracker,” is performed by Santa Clara Ballet Company on December 11-12 at the Santa Clara Convention Center.
Another holiday classic is Mission City Opera’s presentation of Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors” on December 18-19. Santa Clara University’s “Cable Car Classic” basketball tournament closes a busy month on December 29-30. For detailed information on holiday and other events, visit the Santa Clara Calendar of Events.

Save on California's Great America "Halloween Haunt" Packages!

This October, save on California’s Great America theme park “Halloween Haunt” Packages when you spend a night at one of seven Santa Clara hotels. The spooktacular discount packages include one night weekend accommodations and two admission tickets to the 3rd annual Haunt (extra tickets can be purchased at a discount at participating hotels).

Prices represent almost a 50% savings over regular room and ticket cost. Deal good Friday – Sunday nights October 1-31, 2010. Book online at www.santaclara.org/Haunt. Participating hotels include the Avatar Hotel ($129), Biltmore Hotel & Suites ($129), Embassy Suites ($149), Hilton Santa Clara ($129), Hyatt Regency Santa Clara ($129), Marriott Santa Clara ($139) and The Plaza Suites ($129). Rates are subject to availability.

Northern California’s biggest and scariest Halloween event features six spine-tingling haunted mazes, four themed scare zones, one themed attraction, four head-turning live shows, plus the Park’s world class thrill rides. Event hours are 7:00 p.m. to Midnight Fridays thru Sundays in October. For more information on Halloween Haunt, visit http://haunt.cagreatamerica.com/

New at California's Great America is "Planet Snoopy!"

There's a new top dog in town, and his name is Snoopy. New at California’s Great America in 2010 is “Planet Snoopy.” Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the Peanuts gang will take up residence in the children’s areas of the Park (formerly Nickelodeon Central and Kidzville). There will be photo opportunities daily with Peanut's favorites including Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, and Sally.

America's favorite beagle will also appear in "Snoopy Rocks! On Ice," a professional ice dancing show held in the Park's Great America theatre. California's Great America is Northern California’s best choice for family fun and adventure with over 100-acres of world-class entertainment. It is the state’s only combination theme and water park. In 2010, the Park will open March 28, April 2-4, April 9-11, April 14-18, weekends April 24 – May 30, daily May 31 – August 23, and weekends through October 31.

Convention Center Wins 7th Consecutive Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Award

For the seventh consecutive year, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) California Integrated Waste Management Board has awarded the Santa Clara Convention Center the WRAP Award for its efforts to reduce, re-use, recycle, and buy recycled. The Convention Center’s waste reduction efforts and recycling program reduced waste by 101 tons this past year.

WRAP awards honor businesses for cutting the amount of trash they produce, conserving resources and reducing waste disposal in landfills. This year’s honorees have diverted over two million tons of materials from landfills. This diversion results in a significant reduction in green house gas emissions. “It’s an honor to be awarded for our part in saving the environment,” said Lisa Moreno, Convention Center general manager. “Our Convention Center is an example of what we all can do if we make it a priority,” said Moreno.

Since 2002, the Convention Center’s waste reduction program has recycled paper products, cardboard, glass and aluminum. ARAMARK, the Convention Center’s in-house caterer, adds to the effort by contributing leftover food to the Second Harvest Food Bank. For more information, visit santaclara.org/conventioncenter/greenmeetings.

Santa Clara Busy in December with Holiday Events!

The city of Santa Clara is planning for a festive holiday season this December. Scheduled events include the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting (12/4), Historic Home Tour (12/4-5), Caltrain’s Annual Holiday Train (12/5), Santa Clara Chorale’s “Comfort and Joy – Christmas with the Santa Clara Chorale,” (12/11 & 12/13), and the Santa Clara Ballet’s 36th annual “Nutcracker Ballet (12/12 & 12/13).

The city’s Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 4th includes lights and musical entertainment and the arrival of Santa Claus aboard horse-drawn carriage. Santa Clara’s Annual Historic Home Tour on December 4th & 5th features private homes including a Queen Anne Cottage and a Gothic Revival. Caltrain’s Holiday Train will be lit up with thousands of colorful lights when it stops in Santa Clara on December 5th for a FREE 20-minute show.

Other events include Santa Clara Chorale’s “Comfort and Joy” on December 11th & 13th, featuring traditional carols as well as ones from England, France, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Poland. Also, the Santa Clara Ballet Company performs the holiday season’s favorite ballet, “The Nutcracker” on December 12th & 13th at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

For detailed information on these and other events, visit the Santa Clara Calendar of Events.

2nd Annual "Halloween Haunt" even spookier in 2009!

Your worst nightmares come to life this October, 2009 at California's Great America as hundreds of monsters resurface for the 2nd annual Halloween Haunt! The Park will come alive with six terrifying mazes, four head-spinning live shows, four sinister scare zones, twisted attractions, and all of Great America's world class thrill rides.

With the addition of its sixth haunted maze titled "Toy Factory," Halloween Haunt 2009 activities will be even spookier this year. Returning haunted mazes include: CarnEvil, Club Blood, Cornstalkers, Slaughterhouse, and Werewolf Canyon. There are also four returning scare zones: Dead Man's Cove, Gauntlet, Underworld Alley, and Witch Doctor's Trail.

The Park has also added a new show called "Shocking Sideshow of Freaks." This show will join the two returning shows "Dave Hill's Haunted Hypnotics" and Ed Alonzo's Psycho Circus of Magic and Mayhem." Halloween Haunt will be open Friday and Saturday nights throughout October as well as Sunday, October 25th. Hours are from 7:00 p.m. - 12 a.m. For tickets and more information, visit http://haunt.cagreatamerica.com.