Using the City Guides

The Steampunk Explorer’s City Guides currently include more than 5000 listings in 12 categories. Few are actually steampunk-themed locations. Instead, these are places likely to be of interest to steampunks, or places where steampunk creators can draw inspiration.

The Arts & Crafts sections include local art museums and galleries, along with places that offer 3D printing and other fabrication services.

In Books & Comics, you'll find information about retailers of books, comics, games, and related items.

In the Emporia sections, you'll find listings of antique malls, flea markets, thrift stores, costume shops, and purveyors of architectural salvage.

Events includes steampunk conventions, science-fiction/fantasy conventions, comic cons, Renaissance Faires, literary festivals, art festivals, antique shows and other happenings. You can browse events by region or metro area.

Food & Drink includes information about tea houses and steampunk-themed restaurants.

Ghosts & Mysteries includes local ghost tours and places that are alleged to be haunted.

Higher Education has information about colleges and universities. The listings include information about academic libraries, which often provide extensive resources for historical research.

The History sections include museums, historic houses and other sites that focus on life in the 19th century and other past eras.

Local Guides are listings of regional entertainment, travel and paranormal guides.

The Science & Technology sections include railroad, aviation, medical and science museums. You'll also find zoos and aquariums as well as history museums with significant exhibits on industry and technology.

In Societies, you'll find information about local organizations, including steampunk, science-fiction and Burning Man groups.

Finally, Steamiest Places is a "best of" section highlighting places likely to be of greatest interest to steampunks. In the other sections, the "steamiest" places are identified by a gear icon (). The Steamiest Places section compiles all of those attractions in a single location.

Tips for Using the Guides

We've made every effort to ensure the accuracy of information here, but before traveling to any attraction, it's always a good idea to check the website to ensure that the place is open and that the address is correct.

Keep in mind that many locations are open seasonally or only on certain days of the week.

Many of these listings include links to Yelp and/or TripAdvisor reviews, and we advise that you read the reviews before visiting an attraction, especially if an admission fee is charged.

Inclusion of a listing (especially the for-profit establishments) does not constitute an endorsement. We've personally visited only a small percentage of these places. Due diligence is always warranted.