The town of San Martin (Mar-TEEN), located less than 15 minutes north of Gilroy off the 101, might not be the first place that comes to mind as a vacation destination. But it would be a shame to skip a visit here, with its rural agrarian charm, vineyards, farms and oak-studded hills to explore. On the southern outskirts of Silicon Valley, San Martin feels much further away than mere minutes, and can offer a countryside reset if your nerves are in need of a break. Here are a few of our favorite places to spend some time in San Martin.

Driving into CordeValle, the 1,700-acre golf resort that celebrated 25 years last August, feels like an immediate pause button on the busy day-to-day. It is a high-caliber tennis club, 18-hole golf course and recently updated hotel with three restaurants onsite. CordeValle has hosted several PGA Tour events and the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open and they just added eight pickleball courts. Hotel guests also have the opportunity to venture farther out on the hiking trails that surround the property. Owned by Hasso Plattner, who also owns the San Jose Sharks, it puts a lot of emphasis on championship-level sports facilities.

On the dining front, Chef Nico Cavicchini, who hails from Northern Italy, is inspired by the local farms and seasonal produce that grows nearby, which informs his menus, particularly at the signature Il Vigneto restaurant (open to club members and hotel guests). “I don’t have fixed dishes,” he says, “I just wait to see what inspires me.” His thinking is that a finished plate has to have all the colors you see in the farmers market, a reflection of the season within every dish. So it’s no wonder he has a text message relationship with Terra Amico Farm, just two miles away from the property and conveniently on the way from his house. He goes there at least weekly to personally pick up tomatoes during the season.

Speaking of Terra Amico Farm, owners Lisa and Joe Raineri have created a beautiful organic, regenerative farm in the heart of San Martin, covering five acres that come alive with immersive Activities all season long. They also have events, tours, community harvest days and U-pick opportunities, plus an honor cart for folks to buy goods onsite anytime. “We started the farm in 2018, but it was a lot less production than what is here now,” explains Lisa Raineri. “We now sell more than 50 varieties of organic heirloom tomatoes, herbs, organic strawberries and other seasonal produce. We house flowers sold for Blooms By Joelle, a local flower producer. And we have hives for Swarm Honey on the property.”

Committed to supporting this eat-local philosophy, the Raineris have submitted a proposal for a massive 40,000-square-foot year-round, indoor food hub called the Fattoria Public Market and Food Hub, planned to open in 2026. “It is coming along … we are still in the fundraising stage, but we are super excited about the project,” says Lisa. The name for the marketplace is derived from the Italian word for farm, and is a central tenet to the vision behind it: a permanent place for farmers, ranchers and local food producers to directly sell their goods. It will also serve as a food hub for agricultural startups, an event venue, wine and beer garden and cooperative farm. This will be the first of its kind in the area, and sure to be a huge attraction once open.

A wonderful place to go to get an expansive view of San Martin is Moose Mountain Vineyards. The property was first planted in 2008 by Richard Schmidt, a doctor who decided to dive into grape growing and winemaking after a career in reproductive endocrinology. Dedicated to sustainable growing practices, he started with the six red Bordeaux varietals, then added over a dozen more, including many interesting varieties that we don’t often come across, like his popular Tannat. A lovely sunset tasting experience happens on the second and fourth Saturday of every month, making for a scenic way to learn more about the wines being produced here. A fitting side note for this sustainable winery, Schmidt strongly promotes a plant-based diet and is a Food for Life Instructor.

Childhood memories of playing in the dirt in rural east San Jose left a lasting impression on Stephanie Rocha, who bought an abandoned property in San Martin in 2018 with a vision of bringing it back to life. That property became The Nest Box. “The dream was to make it a biodiverse, polyculture farm for the public to come in and enjoy,” Rocha explains. “Not a factory farm, not a monocrop farm, but one where you can walk and see all types of plants and trees and bushes and all the animals. A little sprinkle of a lot is what we do.”

Her neighbors told her some history of the property, which used to be a goat ranch in the 1970s, and then, unbelievably, became a bison ranch … which was not suitable for the large animals, being just five acres.

Rocha gave the property a “big facelift,” with plans for overnight farm stays, workshops, farm events and food sales through her Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) permit. This concept falls under the agritourism model, a holistic, immersive farm experience that is common in Europe, and something that is appealing to many small farmers, particularly in this part of south county. Unfortunately, despite a Board of Supervisors-approved agriculture plan passed in 2018, there is an outdated ordinance that doesn’t allow for agritourism without a very expensive use permit. So for many small farmers, much of these activities are in limbo as they await the senior planner to return from maternity leave to update the ordinance. “That is why we’ve had to temporarily suspend our agritourism offerings,” Rocha says.

In the meantime, 500 laying hens create the main offerings at The Nest Box. “It’s our farm staple,” she says. “We raise laying hens out on pasture and sell eggs. And also our seasonal produce.” Hopefully soon we can all go visit The Nest Box to really understand Rocha’s vision. “The idea is to keep a healthy ecosystem and to invite people in to experience that.”