The best geek stuff and destinations in Chicago

For graphic novel readers, tabletop gamers or collectible fanatics, comic book stores are the cornerstone of Chicago's geekiest communities. No matter what neighborhood you live in, you're probably near a shop that stocks the latest titles and some intriguing back issues. Dig through trades at Chicago Comics, engage in a discussion at Challengers or browse a selection DIY zines at Quimby's—wherever you go, you're sure to find some new reading material.

Fandom is alive and well in Chicago, and you'll see it in action at some of the city's top conventions. Meet actors from The Walking Dead at Walker Stalker Con, admire the intricate cosplayers at C2E2 or embrace your inner otaku at Anime Central. No matter which convention hall you queue up in, you'll find mountains of merchandise, interesting panels, some free swag and probably a few new friends who share your interests.

You've probably been to a dive bar with a single pinball machine, but some of Chicago's most exciting bars house entire arcades. Since appearing in neighborhoods like Wicker Park and Logan Square, arcade bars have become a citywide phenomenon. Whether you want to set a new Donkey Kong high score or shoot some aliens while drinking craft beer, you can waste quarters on something other than laundry at one of Chicago's top arcade bars.

The Adler Planetarium knows how to convince geeks to visit Museum Campus; on the third Thursday of every month, the museum throws a 21-plus theme party that draws on pop culture. Previous events have featured activities and programming inspired by nerd-approved movies and TV shows such as Star Wars, Star Trek and Firefly. With a beverage in your hand, learn a bit more about the galaxy we call home, as well as the ones far, far away.

Strap on a virtual reality headset and square off against your friends on a digital battlefield at Mass VR, which turns a nondescript warehouse into a sci-fi arena. The 6,000 square-foot arena allows up to eight players to move around a real-world space while shooting virtual lasers, grenades and rockets at each other in a game called VR Champions. Players spend about 30 minutes in the virtual world during each session—we're pretty sure this is the future of video games.

Filled with shelf after shelf of sculpted plastic paraphernalia imported from Japan, this Logan Square shop is a destination for any anime fan, video gamer or manga maniac. Each week brings a new shipment of character statues, capsule toys and Gundam model kits, including merch from popular franchises like Attack on Titan and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Don’t have room for any more collectors’ items? Stock up on sweets from overseas, including Pocky, green tea–flavored Japanese Kit Kats and other sugary treats.

Want to finally realize your dream of being turned into a collectible? This River North print shop can create a bust of your head or help you physically design a custom iPhone case through the magic of 3D printing. This is a technology that you've read about in sci-fi novels for years, so you owe it to yourself to check it out now that it's joined the realm of reality (though we're still waiting on 3D printers that create delicious pizzas).

We're pretty sure that every science fiction geek dreams of building his or her own R2-D2 or WALL-E—this Lakeview shop can help you get started. Robot City Workshop makes the world of robotics accessible to people of all ages, helping kids put together robot kits or teaching more advanced students about microcontrollers. Before you start sorting through servos and optical sensors, take a few classes here to explore the possibilities of modern robotics.

Escape rooms are essentially real-world video games, where you're presented with a set of challenges and given the tools to figure out a solution—this is the kind of stuff geeks live for. This River North complex offers up four different themed rooms where you can blast off of Mars, break out of prison, foil an art heist or locate some precious gold. Working with teams of up to six people, you'll have an hour to cooperate (if you dare!), crack the codes and add another notch to your nerd belt.

If you can't resist collecting vinyl toys housed in blind boxes, long-running designer toy shop Rotofugi might become your new favorite place in the city. The Lakeview shop stocks the latest products from Funko and Kidrobot as well as a wide selection of imported Japanese trinkets, including kaiju and colorful kawaii figurines. The store also hosts an art gallery where you'll often find pop-culture-inspired pieces from a range of artists.

Your chances of gaining the ability to fly from a radioactive experiment are slim to none, but you can easily experience the sensation of floating through the air with an indoor skydiving lesson at iFly. After heroically signing a waiver, you can slip into a flight suit and go for an assisted soar in Rosemont’s only vertical wind tunnel. While you’re not likely to be mistaken for a bird or plane, you’ll certainly feel like Superman.

Mountains of wide-eyed Funko Pop figurines and an honest-to-god DeLorean adorn this geek-friendly Wicker Park coffee shop, which is filled with homages to your favorite film, TV and video game franchises. Get nostalgic while you sip a coffee or explore Wormhole's special menu, which includes drinks like a peanut-butter and dark chocolate latte called the Koopa-Troopa.