Guidebook(s) I wish someone would write: industrial tourism
 

I love touring industrial facilities, both those that are working and those that have been turned into museums. I'd be thrilled if someone would write a guidebook to industrial tourism, or maybe one for Europe, and one for the US.

Some of the sites I'd include (some of which I've seen and others that are still on my to-do list):
* Blennerville Windmill (flour grinding) in Tralee, Ireland (roughly between Shannon Airport and Dingle)
* "Big Pit" coal mine museum near Cardiff, Wales
* Wieliczka salt mine outside Krakow, Poland
* Sloss Furnace steel mill in downtown Birmingham, Alabama

Here's a list I found online of tours of working factories in the US and Canada:
http://tinyurl.com/mxyj6c
And a list from Rick Steves on Europe:
http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/a...ctorytours.htm

I'd love to know about resources for finding historical sites for industrial tourism (more things like the "Big Pit," for example).

Use this link
http://tinyurl.com/pv8qp9

Industrial heritage trail in the Ruhr district, Germany: http://www.route-industriekultur.de/...ue.html&lang=2

Just be careful when touring mines-turned-into-museums, though. There are reasons why some of these were abandoned, and can be in danger of collapse.

http://online-tourist.blogspot.com

Hi

I'm doing an article on industrial tourism for a tourist board website in the UK and I'm really interested in your comments. Any chance of letting me know why you get a kick out of industrial tourism, how easy it is to visit working factories and plants and the best places you've visited or would like to visit. It seems to be something that's better served in the US and the rest of Europe, but not the UK.

I hope it's OK to contact you, and apologise of not.

Best regards


Jeremy Barnes