Music, movies, books, and anything else that can be broadly classified as “pop culture” inevitably build a following of fans, some of whom identify as superfans. A superfan is a person with a deep and abiding (some might be so crude as to say obsessive) love of a particular fandom. While many superfans are content to (not-so) secretly obsess over their particular fandom, some create a way to share their love with others, with tours, cafés, museums, and more catering to superfans and the merely curious alike. Here are some of the most fun superfan destinations in the USA.

The Walking Dead

If I had to live through a zombie apocalypse, I’d rather kill those zombies like the brave cast of The Walking Dead that stumble around like someone who was kicked out of the bar at 2 a.m. and can’t find their car keys. (Why do zombies always do that?) The series, which debuted in 2010, still garners three million viewers per episode in its final season. Each March, superfans descend on Atlanta, Georgia, for The Fandemic Dead Tour that features actors from and cosplayers of the series. The nearby city of Senoia, Georgia, which stands in for the town of Woodbury, offers numerous tours. There is also a scavenger hunt, where you and your loved ones can try to survive the apocalypse, and a food tour.

Superhero Destinations

There’s a vocal contingent of cinephiles who wished Thanos made the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) disappear, but there are millions of MCU superfans who love every single minute of every single movie. (Having grown up on Stan Lee, I still count myself as a fan of the comic book adaptations.) For the Marvel superfan in your life, the small town of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, has a toy and action figure museum that is sure to please. Billed as the first museum devoted to the art and sculpting of action figures, the nonprofit has fielded over 50,000 visitors since opening in 2020. Added bonus: it’s only about a two-hour drive from Fort Worth!

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton is a saint. The legendary singer-songwriter has given over 10 million books to children across the world to promote literacy. She partly funded the Moderna vaccine. To promote the inoculation, she sang “Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine” to the chorus of her hit tune “Jolene.” Nestled in the Smokey Mountains, Dolly’s Tennessee Mountain Home at Dollywood is a two-room replica of her childhood home that contains recreations of some of her favorite childhood mementos. Dollywood itself is a sprawling amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

The SPAM Museum

SPAM evokes strong emotions. SPAM superfans sing its praises while the spiced pork product’s detractors tend to question why canned meat still exists. For superfans, Austin, Minnesota, is home to the SPAM Museum, which tells the history of the Hormel company and its most divisive creation. Tours led by SPAMbassadors (yes, SPAMbassadors) highlight everything from early cookbooks to photos of World War II GIs enjoying the famous meat.

Selena Quintanilla Pérez

Twenty-seven years after her death, Selena is still the Queen of Tejano music, and her music and fashion sense still resonate with people today. Corpus Christi, where Selena spent her teen years, is home to the Selena Museum, where superfans can view hundreds of Selena photographs, her awards, and, of course, her iconic outfits. Also in the coastal city is Mirador de la Flor, the sculpture by H.W. Tatum that depicts the Tejano singer looking toward the sea.

Rancho Obi-Wan

When Walt Disney Studios bought LucasFilm in 2012, Star Wars superfans were brokenhearted. What would The Mouse do to their beloved space epic? Fortunately for the most hardcore of superfans, Disney doesn’t have a monopoly on Star Wars destinations. Rancho Obi-Wan is the world’s largest privately-owned collection of Star Wars memorabilia — a boastful claim that was certified by Guinness World Records in 2014. The Petaluma, California-based museum holds more than 400,000 Star Wars pieces. From bobbleheads to costumes, stage props to unopened action figures, Rancho Obi-Wan is the place for every Leia, Han, and Luke.

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Best Maid Pickle Emporium recently opened in Fort Worth’s Near Southside. The iconic pickle brand, with its lovable mascot Smiley, is now a destination for fans of the local business and all things pickled. The space is part retail store and part museum. Long rows of encased shelves hold historic relics and merchandise – some of which are several decades old. The Best Maid Pickle staff did a wonderful job of telling the story of the popular food brand through the decades. The retail space has hard-to-find pickle options (like the oh-so-zesty Bloody Mary Pickles) and even pickle-themed custom jewelry. Make this store your first stop on your superfan road trip and see what the “big dill” is. 

Capes, wands, and magic brooms are welcome at Coffee Mugg(le) in Corpus Christi. Medieval banners hang from the roof of the newish coffee shop, and color-coded chairs allow visitors to display your allegiance to the house of Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw. Caffeinated drink options include the Raven Coco (cold brew with coconut, cream, and white chocolate), Malfoy (white mocha latte), and El Hedwig Latte (white mocha with caramel, espresso, and cream), among others. Sit back and watch as the barista conjures up a spell-bindingly delicious hot beverage. “Latte Patronum!” There’s even a Golden Snitch Treat, which may be the only time I catch one of those dastardly Quidditch balls. 

If your summer road trip includes Houston, plan an evening at Hobbit Café. While the Lord of the Ring movies popularized J. R. R. Tolkien’s popular book series 20 years ago, the Hobbit Café has served customers since 1972. There are several guilt-free food options like the Shire (avocado, fresh tabouli, tomato, alfalfa sprouts, and mayo) and Smaug’s Delight (smoked turkey, avocado, tomato, and melted jack cheese). Indoors, you’ll find vintage posters of characters from The Hobbit alongside more recent props from the popular movie series. Grab a mug of mead and chow down Hobbit-style – if you don’t mind a bug-eyed Gollum staring you down while you feast.   

Millions of Americans fell in love with the American epic Western miniseries Lonesome Dove when it first aired in the late 1980s. Reruns of the ground-breaking miniseries remain popular, but fans of Larry McMurtry, the author of Lonesome Dove, Terms of Endearment, and The Last Picture Show, can enjoy a more tangible connection to the iconic television series that was set in South Texas by visiting McMurtry’s Booked Up bookstore, located in Archer City (about a two-hour drive from Fort Worth). According to a 2009 article in D Magazine, the bookstore, which launched in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C. in 1971, grew from the author’s love of “book ranching.” McMurtry, who died in March of this year, built his early career both as a novelist and book scout. Speaking of his bookstore, McMurtry said, “Few books are rare; we have handled only a handful in 44 years in the trade. But many books are attractive. Customers come to us from wherever the four winds blow.” 

Allied bombing runs over Europe are credited with crippling the Nazi war machine and paving the way for the Allied land invasion that freed Western Europe. Many of the ace bombardiers and pilots who led that effort began their training in West Texas. Beginning in 1941, Midland was home to the world’s largest bombardier training facility. West Texas offered mild weather, nondescript terrain, and a temperate climate to train cadets on the basics of formation flying and target practice. More than 1,000,000 practice bombs were dropped over an area the size of New Jersey over the course of the war. The Midland Army Air Field Museum dutifully protects vintage planes and WWII artifacts, educational exhibits (including one that recounts the submarine rescue of George Bush after his plane was shot down), and aircraft ride opportunities for the WWII and air war buffs out there.  

As you plan your trips across Texas, don’t forget the superfan in your family. Wherever you go, there’s bound to be a place to delight a hardcore fan’s heart.  

Edward Brown is a writing tutor and piano teacher. He is also an award-winning writer for the Fort Worth Weekly and volunteers for numerous Fort Worth nonprofits. He has spent the last two weeks walking and talking with the protesters in Fort Worth.

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