Top 5 geeky travel destinations, from rocket launch pads to the world’s biggest games arcade

Video games, rocket launches, and giant beam-colliding science isn’t just for books. There are tourist destinations designed for the inquiring mind.

If geeks are to inherit the Earth, they should start getting acquainted with it.

Thankfully, there are plenty of destinations catering for travellers with a love of science, technology, computers, or games, and they range from the incredibly bold to the remarkably quaint.

Here are our top five picks for tech-filled destinations, from those still providing answers to the questions of the universe to some that will just keep you entertained.

1. LARGE HADRON COLLIDER, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

It’s the world’s largest and most powerful particle collider and has been described as humanity’s best chance of unlocking scientific secrets like the nature of dark matter, and whether there are ways to detect extra dimensions. Even if you don’t appreciate the physics behind it, there’s something amazing about a 27km underground ring lined with superconducting magnets in which two high-energy beams are pitted against one another. The European Organisation for Nuclear Research, better known as CERN, hosts about 90,000 visitors each year and while are most are in groups, individuals can sign up to join a group of up to 24 people to visit one of the facility’s experiment control rooms. You can only book 15 days in advance, however.

Large Hadron Collider, Geneva, Switzerland. Picture: Getty

2. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA, US

Forget Disneyworld. This destination just outside Orlando provides your best chance of seeing a rocket launch into space. The Kennedy Space Center is a working space flight facility, but even on the days it’s not sending something into space, you can see the space shuttle Atlantis, visit historic space launch pads, or try an astronaut training simulator. Tickets, from $US57 for adults, are valid for 120 days.

3. AKIHABARA, TOKYO, JAPAN

This district within central Tokyo is where electronics, gadgetry, anime and manga collide. Don’t be surprised to see people walking down the street dressed as Mario or a wide-eyed cartoon frog, and don’t be alarmed if you end up getting lost within the wonderfully weird electronic accessories in Yodobashi electronics store. The latter is the district’s mega mall and features nine floors of technology you won’t see elsewhere, including games, toys, bikes, alarmingly realistic sushi-shaped USB sticks, and accessories to hang off your phone. There are plenty of independent gadget stores to visit along its streets too, as well as larger outlets like Laox, Yamada Denki, and duty-free store Akky.

4. FUNSPOT, NEW HAMPSHIRE, US

Putting the fun back into geeky travel is this world-beating collection of arcade games. Funspot, in Weirs Beach, New Hampshire, was officially recognised as the largest games arcade in the world after amassing 581 classic and new titles over three floors, as well as 30 pinball tables, ensuring you should be able to find one free. The games parlour, started by Bob Lawton in 1952, also features a section just for classic titles from the 1970s and 80s, ranging from Pong to Computer Space. The destination was featured in a documentary, The King of Kong, in case you want to do your homework before booking flights.

The Dish at Parkes.

5. PARKES OBSERVATORY, NSW

It will be 40 years since man landed on the moon later this year, and the CSIRO radio telescope on the Newell Highway played a role in transmitting footage from the event to the world. As dramatised in The Dish, this giant construction was responsible for broadcasting landing footage worldwide from its spot among the sheep stations of New South Wales. There’s more to see than just a big satellite, however, as the CSIRO operates a visitor centre, a space science exhibition, and a cafe, but visitors are asked to put their smartphones on airplane mode to avoid interfering with the equipment.

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Originally published as Top 5 geeky travel destinations, from rocket launch pads to the world’s biggest games arcade