'''Hollister''' is a city in San Benito County at the north end of the Central Coast region of California.

Get in

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 Monument, 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

Riders of Amtrak California's '''San Joaquins''' [http://amtrakcalifornia.com/rail/go/amtrak/routes/san-joaquin/index.cfm] passenger rail line can transfer in Merced to a Monterey- and Salinas-bound Thruway bus that stops in Hollister a half-mile north of Downtown on San Felipe Road at Maple Street.

'''Caltrain''' [http://www.caltrain.org/], 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''' [http://www.sanbenitocountyexpress.org/].

By plane

Those with access to private, general-aviation aircraft may land at the '''Hollister Municipal Airport''' [http://www.hollister.ca.gov/Site/html/gov/office/airport.asp].

Get around

See

  • '''Downtown Hollister''' is on 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 Hall''' (375 5th Street, between San Benito and Monterey Streets) is a former Carnegie library [http://www.carnegie-libraries.org/california/hollister.html] completed in 1912.
  • *'''Veterans' Memorial Building''' (649 San Benito Street, at 7th Street) is used for community gatherings and features a prominent plaza with memorial displays dedicated to locals lost in World Wars I and II.
  • '''Monterey Street''' between 5th and B Streets is also 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.
  • *One block west of 5th and Monterey stands a 1909 house containing the '''San Benito County Historical Society Museum''' [http://www.sbchistoricalsociety.org/] (498 5th Street, at West Street) features many artifacts, photographs, and resources representing Hollister and San Benito County's history.
  • Do

    Buy

    Eat

    Drink

    Sleep

  • Best Western Hollister / San Benito. 60 San Felipe Rd. 1 831 637-9248. ttp://www.bestwesternhollister.com. 1 831 637-4584.

  • Ridgemark Golf and Country Club. 800 Airline Highway. 1 831 637-8151. ttp://ridgemark.isoars.com/. Guest lodging is located within this large, gated golf-course development.

    Get out

  • The '''Pinnacles National Monument''' [http://www.nps.gov/pinn/] is located 35 miles south of Hollister via State Routes 25 and 146. The park is famous for its unique rock formations, including the pinnacles that give the park its name.