Let’s face it, we’re not all made for lounging on the beach. When summer vacation rolls around this year, plan a trip you can get excited about. Here are our top 5 destinations where you can truly let your nerd flag fly.
- Comic-Con (San Diego, CA)
This one may seem obvious—but we can’t talk geek and nerd culture without mentioning this comic book paradise. Pack your bags and head to sunny San Diego July 21-24. There, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, Superman, and all their friends will be gathering for their annual celebration of all things comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and so much more.
- Adult Space Camp (Huntsville, AL)
When all you want for Christmas is to go to Space Camp and you get socks instead, you never forget. Make up for your childhood FOMO and head to Adult Space Camp! You’ll train with real life astronaut simulators like the 1/6th gravity chair, and even build and launch a rocket.
Better known as The EMP Museum, this sci-fi mecca is home to the original Light Saber…mic drop. If for some reason you need more convincing, EMP regularly holds exhibitions on fantasy and gaming like “The Art of Video Games”, and hosts an annual summer Sci-Fi and Fantasy short film festival.
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- Akihabara Electric Town (Tokyo, Japan)
Japan may be a longer trek for some us, but if you live and breathe gaming and electronics, this is your home away from home. With store after store filled with video games—including unused copies of classic games from the ‘80s and ‘90s—any gamer, manga or anime fan could spend days exploring the streets of Akihabara.
- The Museum of Western Colorado (Grand Junction, CO)
If that name just made you preemptively yawn, you’re not alone. But if you love dinosaurs, you better not rule it out quite yet. Visit this dino museum and you’ll find yourself rafting through geological areas, participating in actual dinosaur digs, and possibly nerd out over live dinosaur bones discoveries! It’s every Jurassic Park fan’s dream come true.