Hollister (California)

Climate

By car

Hollister is located near the intersection of State Routes 25 and 156. From central San Jose, Hollister is a 33-mile drive southeastward on US 101 followed by 14 miles on Route 25. From Salinas, drive 17 miles along northbound US 101, then 10 miles east on Route 156, followed by a clearly-identified cut-off leading 3 miles into Hollister. From Sacramento and Los Angeles, Hollister can be reached from Interstate 5 using State Route 152 (Pacheco Pass) westbound 29 miles, then Route 156 southward 5 miles, and San Felipe Road southward 3 miles.
Alternatively, from Southern California, drivers may follow a slow but scenic course into Hollister: from I-5, take Jayne Avenue (I-5 Exit 325) 11 miles westward to Coalinga, State Route 198 34 miles west to State Route 25, then Route 25 northward 63 miles to Hollister. 33 miles after turning from Route 198 onto Route 25 is a turn-off, State Route 146, leading into Pinnacles National Park, a highly notable and recommended destination in itself. Users of US 101 from the south can also reach this stretch of Route 25 toward Hollister either by following Route 198 from US 101 Exit 273 14 miles to 198's intersection with Route 25 or by leaving US 101 at Exit 281 to follow County Route G15 a mile into King City followed by County Route G13 14 miles to its intersection with Route 25 at Bitterwater.

By rail and bus

Caltrain, during evening rush hour only, offers a train from San Francisco and San Jose to Gilroy, where riders can transfer to the Hollister-bound San Benito County Express.

By plane

Those with access to private, general-aviation aircraft may land at the Hollister Municipal Airport.

• Downtown HollisterOn the National Register of Historic Places. Though many long-standing buildings were damaged beyond repair in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, much of the historic atmosphere still remains, as do several surviving structures.

• City HallA former Carnegie library completed in 1912.

• Veterans' Memorial Building

  address: 649 San Benito St
  Used for community gatherings and features a prominent plaza with memorial displays dedicated to locals lost in World Wars I and II and the Vietnam War.

Monterey StreetAlso on the National Register of Historic Places. The street near Downtown features offices, many operating in converted residences, and a cluster of churches. Farther from Downtown, Monterey Street is more residential, with the exception of the original, ornately painted Hazel Hawkins Hospital at the Hawkins Street intersection. A mix of generally well-maintained architectures of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries are found on Monterey Street.

• San Benito County Historical Society Museum

  address: 498 5th St
  A 1909 house which features many artifacts, photographs, and resources representing Hollister and San Benito County's history.

• Best Western Hollister / San Benito

  phone: +1 831 637-9248
  address: 660 San Felipe Rd

• Ridgemark Golf and Country Club

  phone: +1 831 637-8151
  address: 3800 Airline Highway
  Guest lodging is located within this large, gated golf-course development.

• Pinnacles National Park - Located 35 miles south of Hollister, this park rises out of the chaparral-covered Gabilan Mountains, east of central California's Salinas Valley, are the spectacular remains of an ancient volcano. Massive monoliths, spires, sheer-walled canyons and talus passages define millions of years of erosion, faulting and tectonic plate movement. Hiking through the impressive rock formations is the primary recreational opportunity, although bird watchers will enjoy the possibility of seeing the highly endangered California condor.