This is the fifth in our 'Adjusting to a New World' series of articles for beginners - although some intermediate and advanced Second Lifers are also finding little tidbits that they didn't know in them. We've talked about movement, communication and clothing. We're going to divert a little and talk about places to go when you're new.

For a new resident (and even for people who have been around for some while), the sheer size of Second Life can be daunting. Where should one go, what should one do, when one is not familiar with what is available? Below I present (in no particular order) a small selection of useful and interesting places to visit.

NCI - New Citizens Incorporated

Kuula sim - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kuula/45/144/124
Hamnida sim - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hamnida/128/128/0
Fishermans Cove sim - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Fishermans%20Cove/78/177/124
Dream City sim - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dream%20City/231/193/401

NCI is a fabulous place to start out as a new resident. There are all sorts of tutorials available to help you get oriented in Second Life, there's lots of free stuff to pick up, classes are run that cover the full gamut of topics from basic appearance settings to advanced building and scripting. Social events are run regularly. On top of this, there's often a group of friendly people hanging around to socialize with and to ask questions of.

The Shelter
Isabel sim - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Isabel/50/229/81
Swinside sim - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Swinside/221/104/42

Much like NCI, The Shelter has a long standing history of being welcoming to new residents. The Shelter also has freebies, classes, and social events. Both NCI and The Shelter have their advantages; it's worth checking out both to make sure that you're not missing out. If nothing else, the crowd tends to be different.

Svarga

Svarga sim - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Svarga/128/128/0

Svarga is a wonderful land of spirituality and serenity; Svarga means Heaven in several different religions. It has its own functioning ecosystem: flowers grow only under the right conditions, when there has been rain and sunshine; bees pollinate the flowers, then the bees are eaten by birds.

Nexus Prime
Gibson and Bonifacio sims - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gibson/192/233/106

"Cyberpunk City of the Future." However hackneyed the phrase describing it, the city itself is decidedly worth a visit or two. You will find that it consists of several levels, each quite different from the others. If you are able to get into the sewers under the city, you may be able to find some of the secret rooms tucked away down there. If you go for no other reason, at least go to admire the craftsmanship, and the planning that must have gone into this city's manufacture.

Independent State of Caledon

Caledon sim - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon/128/128/0

Once a single sim, Caledon has vastly expanded to cover sixteen sims at this time. Here you will meet some of the most well-spoken people in all of Second Life; it's not a place you can just nip into and out of, you will find that due to excessive politeness on the part of the residents here it may take you quite some time to say farewell. The overriding theme of the Caledon sims is "steam-punk", so you can expect to see all manner of amazing gadgetry and folks kitted out in long dresses and fine suits.

Abbotts Aerodrome - Cubey Terra Aeronautics
Abbotts sim - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Abbotts/128/128/0

Cubey Terra has been a part of Second Life since the middle of 2003, and since then he has developed all sorts of fabulous flying vehicles. It's well worth stopping in and trying out your skills as a test pilot; it things don't go so well, you can always bail out and try your luck at sky diving with one of Cubey's parachutes!

International Spaceflight Museum
Spaceport Alpha - http://slurl.com/secondlife/SpacePort%20Alpha/23/51/22/

Stop in here to see the replica space rockets - all made to scale. This sim is also part of a large complex of sims, all devoted to science and education.

Info Island

Info Island sim - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Info%20Island/89/122/33

Info Island and its neighbor, Info Island II, are packed full of learning experiences. Each features art galleries, libraries, and a host of other repositories of knowledge.

Ivory Tower of Primitives
Natoma sim - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Natoma/210/164/27

The Ivory Tower contains an entirely "self-paced, self-guided, comprehensive building tutorial." It won't tell you everything you need to know about prim torture, but it will give you a solid background to work from.

Particle Laboratory
Teal sim - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Teal/180/74/21

Like the Ivory Tower, the Particle Laboratory has a vast collection of information, this time about working with particles. New scripts and tutorials are added at regular intervals.

The Lost Gardens Of Apollo
Apollo sim - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Apollo/128/128/0

A romantic garden sim in which to roam, or to spend time chatting with your nearest and dearest, significant others and friends alike.

If you visit these places, you'll have definitely gotten a good grounding in Second Life, save only that you keep your eyes and ears open, and that you are willing to explore and discover.

Gallery: Newbie Tourist