Gilroy sounds like just another name and maybe another place. By all accounts when you zip past this city situated along Interstate Highway 101 in northern California south of Silicon Valley, it could be that. There's nothing particularly noteworthy from the freeway to compel travelers to stop. There are some chain restaurants, chain hotels and shops. That is primarily what gets people to take note of Gilroy for the first pass.

Gilroy, Calif. could just be another road stop if it weren't for that smell. What is that pungent odor? It's garlic! Garlic grows incredibly well in Gilroy and an annual event and local industry has spun off many products that people simply love. Garlic dusts, oils, sauces, and relishes are but a few of the items that you can purchase-all made in Gilroy.

Each summer in July the Gilroy Garlic Festival is hosted, attracting hundreds of thousands of people to the not-so-large city. The public is invited to attend Gilroy Garlic Festival featuring food, beverages, arts & crafts and live entertainment. Held at Christmas Hill Park, Gilroy, CA, gilroygarlicfestival.com.

Gilroy is home to California's most unique botanic garden called Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park. For tourist information about this wonderful destination, check out Gilroy Visitors Bureau -gilroyvisitor.org