It is our privilege to show you what makes our area special.

Worldcon76 members can buy up to 2 tickets to each tour. Your second ticket can be used for anyone you like; they do not have to be a Worldcon76 member,  because experiences are best shared with friends.
Tour tickets will be advance sale only, via our registration system. To register for tours, follow these instructions to log into your registration account and make payments:
  • Log back into RegOnline with the email address you used to register in the first place.
  • Enter your e-mail address in the Email Address field and press Continue. (Use the address you supplied when you registered.)
  • Select the person for whom you wish to buy tour tickets, and click Edit to the right of the name.
  • Select Upgrades and Add-Ons. Check the boxes for the tour ticket(s) you wish to purchase. Be sure to fill in any required items.
  • Repeat this process for any other members in your group for whom you wish to purchase tour tickets.
  • Press Continue and complete the payment process!
 

The Winchester Mystery House with Meal Stop

-- 2 tours, max 25 people each
Visitors to San Jose possessing peculiar sensibilities all are drawn to our local vortex of strangeness – The Winchester Mystery House. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley at the intersection of Victorian technology and Victorian weird, Sarah Winchester's folly is a mecca for explorers of steampunk and devotees of the fantastic. Two tours are offered: one in the morning when technology reigns, and a dinnertime tour when mystery takes over. The tours will focus on the strange innovative spirit that permeates the house and the sources of Winchester's compulsion to create, ornament, and augment her ever-growing structure. With elements of Lovecraftian chaos and Escherian paradox, the Winchester House is a monument to dark imagination.
To be followed with an exciting local meal stop.
 
Tue, Aug 14 8:30 AM - 12:30PM $70 - Lots of room
Fri, Aug 17 3:30 PM - 7:45PM $70 - This bus is Full - A waitlist is available. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to be added.
 
PARTICULARS:
  • The pickup location for the group tours will be at the VTA Stop in front of the McEnery Convention Center.
  • The $70 fee includes your Mansion Tour Ticket for $27 (Street Price is $39!) and the Bus Ride for $43.
  • The Dinner Stop is on-your-own.
  • Am I saying that you can’t wear your Steampunk or Browncoat Regalia, take a bunch of selfies and turn them sepia in your favorite editor? No, I am not.
  • Yes, there are more treats and surprises that we’re not telling you about.
  • Questions? tours@worldcon76.org
SPECIAL NEEDS:
  • The Winchester House is open to all ages.
  • The Mansion Tour is not ADA Accessible, but that’s the only part on the trip that isn’t. There is still the Garden Tour (Exteriors of the Winchester Mystery House), Gift Shop and Museum to enjoy. We can accommodate you and you’ll get your Mansion Tour Ticket fully refunded ($27 discount)!
  • Questions? tours@worldcon76.org

 SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Alpine Inn Beer Garden 

-- one tour, 25 people max
This Tour is Full - A waitlist is available. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to be added.
Calling all Quantum Mechanics for Bosons, Beer and Burgers!
 
Built in 1962, The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center is our hometown particle accelerator. 
Who builds a 2-mile long must-be-perfectly-straight building in earthquake country? We do.
It’s still the world’s longest particle accelerator, has discovered fundamental building blocks of matter, created the first website in North America and is home to four Nobel Laureates.  
 
And if that wasn’t awesome enough, we’re capping it off with a leisurely lunch stop at the Alpine Inn Beer Garden. One of the oldest businesses on the Peninsula, it’s been a saloon, a gambling house, a stagecoach stop, roadhouse, speakeasy, and (like the Millennium Falcon) has changed ownership in a card game. Today it’s a watering hole for Stanford Students. Hmmm, 17 beers on tap and we’re doing all the driving. Decisions, decisions.
 
Thu, Aug 16 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM $40
 
PARTICULARS:
  • There is no charge for the SLAC Tour but we need $40 for the bus ride.
  • Lunch is on-your-own so, bring your beer money. I mean, lunch money.
  • Please bring a valid government issued photo-ID, such as a driver’s license or a passport.
  • SLAC is a government facility with some restrictions on admission.
    We will need to know your country of citizenship in advance to determine whether there are any restrictions on your admittance.
  • All visitors must wear closed-toed shoes and long pants.
  • Photography is permitted; however, tripods are not allowed on tours.
  • SLAC has no Gift Shop so, if you want a T-shirt to wear on the tour, just buy it ahead of time at their official Cafe Press Store. Buying a T-Shirt is optional and not required.
  • SLAC is an active research laboratory. Please stay with the guide at all times and do not touch any scientific equipment unless you want superpowers.
  • If you live locally and are able to sign up for a Public SLAC Tour, would you please wait until August to sign up for any remaining seats? Let’s give more out-of-towners a chance to take this rare tour. Thanks a lot!
  • Yes, there are more treats and surprises that we’re not telling you about.
  • Questions? tours@worldcon76.org
 
More about the destinations:
SPECIAL NEEDS:
  • The SLAC Tour is open to ages 12 and up. If you’re between 12-17, you must be accompanied by one of your parents also taking the tour. So, get 2 tickets.
  • The Alpine Inn is big on burgers but does have some vegetarian options: Garden Burger, Grilled Cheese, Garden Salad, Greek Salad, Fries, Onion Rings. And Beer. Beer is vegetarian.
  • Tours involve walking and climbing stairs. If you require assistance or have accessibility concerns, please contact us in advance at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and tours@worldcon76.org. Adjustments can be made to the tour to accommodate all.
  • Questions? tours@worldcon76.org

Silicon Valley Tours


What’s better than a tour about computers in Silicon Valley? TWO TOURS about computers in Silicon Valley! We have two non-overlapping tours of the lifestyles of the rich and geeky. The Inner Loop will showcase our computing-related attractions in Santa Clara, San Jose, Cupertino and Sunnyvale. The Outer Loop will take you farther afield to sites in Menlo Park, Stanford, Palo Alto, and Mountain View. Hard Core Computer Geeks will want to take both tours. Your tour guide will be a real Tech Worker who has bought and sold property in Silicon Valley.


Silicon Valley Inner Loop Tour

 

You will see: The Intel MuseumNASA Ames Visitor CenterApple Infinite LoopApple Park Visitor Center and more!


Sat, Aug 18 10:30AM-3:00PM $50 Bus Ticket. All attractions are free. Space for 25 people - Lots of room

 

 


Silicon Valley Outer Loop Tour

You will see: The Computer History MuseumGoogle Android Lawn StatuesFacebook “Thumbs Up” SignHewlett Packard Garage, drive through Stanford University and more!

Wed, Aug 15 10:00AM-3:00PM $50 Bus Ticket plus $17.50 Computer History Museum Ticket = $67.50  Space for 25 people - Lots of room

PARTICULARS:

  • There is no charge for the Inner Loop attractions but we need $50 for the bus ride.
  • There is no lunch stop on these tours so your ticket price includes snacks on board.
  • Yes, there are more treats and surprises that we’re not telling you about.
  • Questions? tours@worldcon76.org

SPECIAL NEEDS:

  • All attractions on both tours are great for all ages.
  • All attractions on both tours are ADA accessible.
  • Questions? tours@worldcon76.org

 


San Jose Brew Bike

We’ve rented out the San Jose Brew Bike for a couple of trips; hopp on! (Get it? Hopp on?) 
There are 10 seats that pedal and 5 seats that don’t. Get a (six-)pack of friends together and join us on The San Jose Brew Bike!

Wed, Aug 15 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM    Ultimate 3-Hour Brew & Pub Tour      $30 (15 people max) - Lots of room
Fri, Aug 17 4:00 PM- 6:30PM Extended 2.5-Hour Brew & Pub Tour $37 (15 people max) - Lots of room


Like the idea of the Brew Bike but none of these tours fit your schedule?
Schedule your own tour and use discount code “Worldcon76”***

PARTICULARS:

  • The pickup location for the group tours will be at the VTA Stop in front of the McEnery Convention Center, the same place that bus tours leave from.
  • *** If you buy an a la carte tour (be sure to use the “Worldcon76” discount code), the pickup location will be just one block away at 132 Park Ave. San Jose, CA 95113 (Across the street from Morton’s The Steakhouse).
  • Beer and snacks are on-your-own so, bring your beer money.
  • There is a weight limit of 285 pounds.
  • We need 6 peddlers to physically move the bike. We may have to cancel a tour if there’s not enough people to pedal.
  • Yes, there are more treats and surprises that we’re not telling you about.
  • Questions? tours@worldcon76.org

SPECIAL NEEDS:

  • You must be 21 for a beer cruise.
  • There are 10 seats that pedal and 5 seats that don’t. There’s something for everybody!
  • Questions? tours@worldcon76.org

Ghosts & History Walking Tour of Downtown San Jose

7:00 p.m., Friday, August 17

Boccardo Gate by Yoshihiro Uchida Hall, 4th Street & San Carlos

One of my favorite things to do when I travel is to take ghost walking tours. Whenever I go to a Worldcon, I make a point of finding a guide to show me the haunted places of the host city. When I mentioned it to other members, I frequently heard, "Gee, I'd like to do that." So in 2008, I started asking people to join me. It's always more fun with companions. (At LoneStarCon 3, around 70 people joined me for the Worldcon charter tour.)

For Worldcon 76, however, I'm at home. How ironic that San Jose—the 10th largest city in the USA and home of the Winchester Mystery House—does not have a professional operator to conduct a ghost tour for paranormal buffs. Well, my Meetup.com group, Bay Area Ghost Hunters, is based in San Jose. Not wanting to disappoint the Worldcon members who have regularly joined me on the tours, Co-Organizer Deb Wible and I have been putting one together.

San Jose was founded in 1777 when the original Mexican pioneers were sent to Santa Clara County to produce food for the presidios of San Francisco and Monterey. Many settled around the Guadalupe River, which is not far from today's convention center, making it the oldest part of town. Since then, the city has seen, among other things, the Bear Flag Revolt, the heartbreak of the redistribution of land after the USA took possession of California, the loss of becoming the state capitol, the burning of Chinatown on Market Street, the Hart Lynching and the transition of the valley from being the Heart's Delight to Silicon centric. The people here have had their share of ups and downs every bit as much as San Francisco, Chicago or New York and strong emotions are generally what leads to ghosts.

For instance, the Sainte Claire has long had reports of Julia, a jilted bride whose partial image allegedly appeared in a photo and people believe they have heard her high-heeled footsteps in the basement corridor. Find out why the haunted Old Spaghetti Factory is a favorite hangout for BAGH. See the "sets" where one of San Jose's darkest chapters, the Hart Lynching case, pivoted.

Deb and I have plotted our route and continue researching our script in developing the tour. The tour covers about 1.5 miles. We start at Boccardo Gate, by Yoshihiro Uchida Hall, on Fourth Street & San Carlos and end at Trials Pub, where those taking the tour have the option to dine and socialize afterward.

Please be advised that even though it can be quite warm during the day in San Jose, the temperature can significantly drop after dusk. It could be worth bringing a sweater and a bottle of water. Please wear comfortable walking shoes.

Cost of the tour is $15.00 in advance, $20.00 "at the door," if space is still available. Please note the rsvp deadline is 11:59 p.m., August 16. To reserve space in advance, please go BAGH's Meetup page. This will require being a member of both Meetup and BAGH to rsvp.

http://www.meetup.com/bay-area-ghost-hunters.com

This is being done as a fundraiser for BAGH, which is not-for-profit. While this is being arranged for the convenience of those attending Worldcon 76, it is open to all BAGH members. There is no requirement to join Worldcon 76 as well.