Here is a link to kart tracks around the US:
http://www.uskartingnews.com/tracks/links.aspx
I think you need to get a better handle on what you intend to do with the kart. A competition kart is NOT NOT NOT for driving on back roads, cul-de-sacs and parking lots. It’s a serious racing machines and, frankly, if you “can’t figure the steering out,” there’s a significant chance that even the parts you think you’ve “figured out” aren’t put together quite right. This isn’t adding up to a good ending.
You need to pick a track, go to a race as a spectator and ask lots of questions.
Don’t feel bad. I had years of experience working on cars and it still took me 2 years before I could put a kart together right enough to race it.