One thing that I firmly believe all human beings share is our inner yearning for adventure. We might try and satisfy this calling with good movies, awesome video games, or top-tier tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons (as a Dungeon Master of several years, I’m guilty of this). However, at the end of the day, there’s no real substitute for going out into the field with your own two feet and starting your very own adventure going into the abandoned and mysterious corners of the Earth.
There’s an awesome community on Reddit that documents gorgeous abandoned things and places. With nearly 1.2 million members, they post high-quality images that evoke all of our inner wanderlust. While we’d love to mention their name, our Social Media Overlords don’t take kindly to one of the words in the subreddit’s title, so a link right to their community will have to do! Go on and have a gander once you’re done with this list, they really are worth your attention.
Remember to upvote your fave pics as you scroll on down, dear Pandas! And be sure to let everyone know if you, just like me, get that burning desire to go on a real-life adventure after looking at these gorgeous photos.
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Found This Beautiful Tree Growing Inside An Abandoned Silo While I Was Exploring
I Lit Up This Spooky Abandoned House With My Drone And A Lume Cube Attached To It
Railroad Tracks In Forest
Taking beautiful photos of abandoned places means exploring abandoned places. That might sound obvious, but it sure isn’t easy.
Urban exploration (aka Urbex or UE) is a fascinating but difficult hobby to get into. While we’d just love to put on a pair of dirty old sneakers and rush off to a dungeon or some Elvish ruins, we really do have to consider our safety first and foremost. Precautions come first and foremost.
Abandoned Castle In Ireland Country
Sintra, Portugal
Not really abandoned, that's the number one tourist attraction in Sintra. It's called Quinta da Regaleira, you just follow the masses and pay a ticket to get in.
Yep. But the right photo only. The left one isn't related to Quinta da Regaleira at all. Maybe BP editors must do a little check before assuming everything people post is real?
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I dont think these two pictures are the same place. I was there, there is no lake around the hollow tower
And that's pretty much the effect they were going for, because it was made in 1904-1910 for a guy named Carvalho Monteiro who was really big into alchemy, the Knights Templar, Masons and the occult...
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I just saw a documentary about it on YouTube, literally yesterday. That's a major tourist attraction so not really abandoned.
Not abandoned but open for visits, the "Iniciatic well" is part of "Quinta da Regaleira" in Sintra, Portugal. Tip: When visiting always take a flashlight with you to visit the tunnels
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p07r1cbm/the-mysterious-inverted-tower-steeped-in-templar-myth
Words to live by, right now, for me... I have been lost and abandonded in a deep dark well, and this beautiful tree, reaching for the sun, shows me that seeds will grow and our lives can regenerate and come out of the dark into the light, green healthy and bright. To the photographer (what is their name?): Gracias for this phenomenal photograph! And they actually climbed down inside the silo to get the picture. Or was there a sidewall door? Dedication!
This is deceiving, the image on the left is something else altogether..
Abandoned French Chapel
Wearing gloves, getting a pair of thick shoes, and bringing a dust mask are all a must. You should also invest in a torch, put on heavy clothing, and consider wearing a helmet. Whether fashionably medieval or something more modern, anything that covers your head is a must. And for you ghost-believing fans of the ‘Supernatural’ TV show, bring a pocketful of salt. Just in case you meet some spooks.
Becoming an urban explorer means doing a bit of research, engaging with local Urbex communities a tad, and maybe even getting some basic gear to get you started before you go delving for doubloons and looking for magical artifacts beneath the rubble.
Norway, The Country Of Fairy Tales
Abandoned Stairway In The Woods: Madame Sherri Forest, Chesterfield, Nh
Found An Old Abandoned Diner While Driving Down Some Back Roads
How does this happen?? Do they just announce "we're closed! Everyone out!" and then just get up and leave?
Unlike a lot of hobbies that have a ‘just do it’ mindset, urban exploration demands that you prepare in advance so you don’t get hurt or, God forbid, get stuck or even killed.
One Urbex community in the UK that calls itself 28 Days Later (yes, just like the 2002 zombie movie) suggests doing research about the place you’re going to visit, then going in and taking some photos, getting your feet wet (metaphorically and maybe even literally). In their opinion, Urbex is all about joining a community.
Abandoned Party Mansion Deep In The Maryland Forest
Japanese WWII Warplane Lies Wrecked In Shallow Water Off Guam
Abandoned Gothic Church In Portugal
Being part of the urban exploration community means engaging with others, going to public Urbex meetings, and even teaming up with strangers from the internet that you learn to trust. Of course, all of this has become even more difficult what with the global pandemic and lockdowns: you have to consider your health and the health of your loved ones before meeting up with anyone outside your social bubble.
The Eerie Yellow Brick Road Of Abandoned "Land Of Oz" Theme Park In North Carolina
This Hotel In Europe
SS City Of Adelaide, Wrecked Off The Coast Of Magnetic Island
On the flip side, having someone by your side while you’re walking about abandoned, ruined places is vital. Sure, you could go it alone, but there’s safety in numbers: if somebody gets hurt, falls down, or if the ceiling caves in, you can help each other out or rush for help.
A Library Inside An Abandoned 19th Century Mansion
I’m genuinely surprised the bookshelves haven’t been looted. There has to be at least one or two worth value.
Turkey's $200 Million Ghost Town Of Castles - Burj Al Babas
Light Rays Making Their Way Into An Abandoned Theater
Abandoned Presidents Heads In A Rural Virginia Field
"here's all the giant presidental heads you ordered" "Yeah... That was actually a joke... But ok, put them out in the back yard"
Abandoned Asylum In Italy That Has Been Touched By Bob Ross
Abandoned Duesenberg
So having someone you trust ‘watching your 6’ is something that you should take very, very seriously (while also staying safe because Covid-19 won’t be going away any time soon). Adventuring is about the friends we make along the way, not just brilliant photos and weird loot that we find in secret chambers.
16 Mile Hike To An Abandoned Train Track Bridge In California
Nature Took Over
Abandoned 50's Restaurant
Something that you should also consider is, well, even if a place is abandoned, it’s still somebody’s property. You might be trespassing. We’re definitely not telling you to trespass and break the law. However, if you feel that the call of adventure is too great to ignore, remember to be considerate and treat any buildings you visit like you would your own home: you’re just a visitor here for some photos and camaraderie.
1930s Era Abandoned Orient Express Train
Not actually anything to do with the Orient Express. Would have been lovely still though. Actually 1930 Belgian Railways type 654 high speed diesel electric train inspired by the German "Fliegender Hamburger" Train."
This Cave Full Of Old Cars
Abandoned Funeral Home
Ms World Discoverer Was A German Expedition Cruise Ship. It Hit A Uncharted Reef In The Sandfly Passage, Solomon Islands 29. April 2000
House Abandoned And Retaken By The Desert In California
Popcorn Left In A Theater
Note: this post originally had 89 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
So, dear Readers, which photos were your favorite ones? Have you ever delved into abandoned buildings before? Do you have any extra safety tips for all of us that you’d like to share? Got any exciting tales about your adventures and exploring abandoned places, whether in real-life or in tabletop games? Drop us a comment or two below and be part of the conversation.
As beautiful as the places and pictures are, the waste of material and craftsmanship drives me crazy - especially when noone emptied the places!
Exactly... What a waste of resources, energy and space.
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I would LOVE to see with my own eyes those abandoned places, especially the houses. We have loads of old castles in my country (Scotland), but more often than not, only the outside walls are still up. It's the inside of abandoned buildings that I'm interested in!
Great photos! I love the eerie beauty of abandoned places :)
So much could be reused and repurposed from these. What a bloody waste.
There was a closed-up mansion on a hill above my grandparents' house in Missouri. My cousin and I used to explore up there when we were kids but never could get inside. I imagine it's gone now. Pity, that.
If I had the money, I would love to fix up some of the houses and public buildings. Some of the the architecture is so interesting.
One of the better BP posts of late; much better than fluff about hairdos or 'artists' riffing on Disney characters. Handsome photography. A bit short on location details--perhaps intentionally, to keep them from being overrun by the selfie crowd. Some of these sites show off what Henry James (I think) called 'theediting of time.' What he meant was that the ruins lookbetter than they did originally. Imagine the Parthenon when bramd new and garishly painted. . .
As beautiful as the places and pictures are, the waste of material and craftsmanship drives me crazy - especially when noone emptied the places!
Exactly... What a waste of resources, energy and space.
Load More Replies... I would LOVE to see with my own eyes those abandoned places, especially the houses. We have loads of old castles in my country (Scotland), but more often than not, only the outside walls are still up. It's the inside of abandoned buildings that I'm interested in!
Great photos! I love the eerie beauty of abandoned places :)
So much could be reused and repurposed from these. What a bloody waste.
There was a closed-up mansion on a hill above my grandparents' house in Missouri. My cousin and I used to explore up there when we were kids but never could get inside. I imagine it's gone now. Pity, that.
If I had the money, I would love to fix up some of the houses and public buildings. Some of the the architecture is so interesting.
One of the better BP posts of late; much better than fluff about hairdos or 'artists' riffing on Disney characters. Handsome photography. A bit short on location details--perhaps intentionally, to keep them from being overrun by the selfie crowd. Some of these sites show off what Henry James (I think) called 'theediting of time.' What he meant was that the ruins lookbetter than they did originally. Imagine the Parthenon when bramd new and garishly painted. . .
