Urban Exploration Thread

[Grathius22]

In my time here at The Escapist, I've never seen and urban exploration thread. So I figured I would go ahead and make one. What is urban exploration, you may ask? Exploring abandoned buildings, areas, factories, etc. Often these places could be in very bad condition or riddled with territorial homeless or even drug addicts. It can be a very dangerous thing to do but I've always enjoyed it quite a bit myself. I just find it interesting how entire structures could end up in these states over the course of a few years.

Anyway, in the this thread... discuss urban exploration, share your stories, tell us of some good exploration spots and so on!

I live in Ohio. It would be cool to see some other urban explorers from around here!

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I went in an old train yard shed thing in my town once, it was really dark and creepy. Lots of peeling walls and shit.

There..

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I went in an old train yard shed thing in my town once, it was really dark and creepy. Lots of peeling walls and shit.

There..

That is an awesome picture. There's something very unreal about the lighting, like it's from a particularly colorful videogame, not real life.

OT: I live out in the sticks, and what's more, it's the sticks of Florida. We've got, like, one city that's old enough to have cool abandoned buildings, and I'd be surprised if even there anything stayed abandoned long before being knocked down or turned into a museum. It's also on the far end of the state from me.

By the way, the city in question is St. Augustine, if anyone is interested. It's the oldest continually inhabited city in the U.S., having been founded by the Spanish in the colonial era.

 

[Kae]

I love exploring everything too, be it just valleys, unfamiliar streets or abandoned buildings, I've talked before about my obsession to get out of the car and inspect the abandoned buildings in the middle of the road before, and how that got me to almost kill myself on an abandoned hotel, but I've also been to abandoned train stations and entered the abandoned cargo train that was there, that was cool but with way too many spiders, I had to shower immediately after because I was completely covered in cobwebs, yuck, there was that time I went inside an abandoned brewery which was supposedly haunted but just had 2 junkies that made really creepy noises, they kinda looked like zombies too, but fortunately they were just too high to react.

Oh! There was that one time I entered a house that I thought was abandoned because the porch thing that was by the beach was completely filled with sand and nobody was there, and one day that I said that I was sleeping in the beach instead I just went and broke in through the bathroom window that was already broken and then realized that it wasn't abandoned, the owners just weren't there and had covered everything with sheaths, and I slept there, that was amazing, OH! And near there was another abandoned hotel in which I used to play by sliding in the sand that had accumulated by it's side, it was kind off like snowboarding, that was great, How did I forget about this? Oh it feels so great to remember that.

OH yeah, and there was that time when I was living in Querétaro that I went to visit an old Hacienda because the company that my father worked on was having as party in the lobby, and it was really cool because the lobby had been modernized and had electricity, but it was HUGE and everything else was abandoned and was filled with dust, and some parts didn't even have floor or ceiling, and even though I wasn't supposed to I went to explore it and it was amazing, so beautiful, I wish I had had my camera with me because it was truly amazing, though it was mostly destroyed, all the wall had elaborate patterns, it was really ornate and you could see that there used to be tiles in some places, it was just awesome.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

This would be quite pointless in the UK... most stuff gets pulled down, rather than abandoned, but I will always check out old WWII pillboxes and structures if I see them! They are great!

Also castles rule! I know they are all preserved, so it's not abandoned, but I love exploring castles!

 

[farscythe]

these things are everywhere in the forests round where i live not sure if that counts as urban exploration tho.

to date i havent found one that was inhabited by leaf people...but i know they're out there....

 

[Pink Gregory]

This would be quite pointless in the UK... most stuff gets pulled down, rather than abandoned, but I will always check out old WWII pillboxes and structures if I see them! They are great!

Is it true that they're notorious dogging sites? If they are that's grim on so many levels...

 

[Bertylicious]

This would be quite pointless in the UK... most stuff gets pulled down, rather than abandoned, but I will always check out old WWII pillboxes and structures if I see them! They are great!

Is it true that they're notorious dogging sites? If they are that's grim on so many levels...

When I was little my family would go to the seaside. My auntie told me to stay out of the old fortifications because "people do their poos in there". In hindsight, she may have been worried about sexual residue of caraveners.

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

This would be quite pointless in the UK... most stuff gets pulled down, rather than abandoned, but I will always check out old WWII pillboxes and structures if I see them! They are great!

Also castles rule! I know they are all preserved, so it's not abandoned, but I love exploring castles!

There are some kickass Metro tunnels that got abandoned. They're being slowly bought up annnnd the response to breaking in is 'unfavourable' shall we say, but there are whole abandoned stations on the tube if you can think of a way in. Tis a little more breaking and entering though, which is why I've held off on it.

Once considered exploring an old prison but found out the top still had barb-wire on it. Obviously, to keep the ghosts in.

Thinking about it, I've made some attempts but it's quite hard to find good Urban Exploration space in the UK.

 

[Fasckira]

I had the pleasure of exploring the old WW2 German underground hospital in Jersey once (the real Jersey, ie, the island south of England, not New Jersey). The tunnels stretched under a large chunk of the island but our explorations took us to a big sealed door that we couldn't shift... when we came out the nearest exit we realised we'd nearly broken into the underground hospital museum.

More info on the German Underground Hospital: http://www.jersey.co.uk/attractions/ughospital/

 

[Rastien]

I had the pleasure of exploring the old WW2 German underground hospital in Jersey once (the real Jersey, ie, the island south of England, not New Jersey). The tunnels stretched under a large chunk of the island but our explorations took us to a big sealed door that we couldn't shift... when we came out the nearest exit we realised we'd nearly broken into the underground hospital museum.

More info on the German Underground Hospital: http://www.jersey.co.uk/attractions/ughospital/

Alot of intresting history in jersey to say the least, i believe, not 100% that they were under nazi control and its the closest the Nazis had got to britain.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

There are some kickass Metro tunnels that got abandoned. They're being slowly bought up annnnd the response to breaking in is 'unfavourable' shall we say, but there are whole abandoned stations on the tube if you can think of a way in. Tis a little more breaking and entering though, which is why I've held off on it.

Once considered exploring an old prison but found out the top still had barb-wire on it. Obviously, to keep the ghosts in.

Thinking about it, I've made some attempts but it's quite hard to find good Urban Exploration space in the UK.

Haha, you obviously haven't seen the film Creep. You'll never step food in one of them again! Old mines and tunnels are great though!

If you are ever up Lincolnshire way there are a lot of abandoned airfields... all apparently haunted. They are great to have a look around! Old Hangars and ATC towers, along with Messes, HQs H Blocks and the like.

It's true though. Our country is so small that towns and villages never had to up and relocate. Also space in towns is limited, so if a site becomes unused it is a matter of time before it's flattened and replaced!

Is it true that they're notorious dogging sites? If they are that's grim on so many levels...

Well... more likely that it's a site where teens go to shag rather than full on dogging site, but I have never encountered that. Usually they are a site where underage drinkers and druggie wasters hang out. They tend to be full of cans and needles and stuff... and yes:

Snip

People actually do deficate in them! :/

 

[Chanel Tompkins]

Utah isn't exactly urban, at least not the part of it I live in. Although, a tip; if you're going to pick up litter on the sides of the road here, wear a helmet. People WILL chuck shit at you, just because you have the gall to...I dunno, actually respect the planet?

 

[Shock and Awe]

I've done a bit in my town, but its less urban and more natural. My town has very large stretches of forest that are really fun to go through and learn ways to get around quicker on foot. Last time we did it though I got like 6 ticks so its not without its own hazards I suppose.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

This would be quite pointless in the UK... most stuff gets pulled down, rather than abandoned, but I will always check out old WWII pillboxes and structures if I see them! They are great!

Also castles rule! I know they are all preserved, so it's not abandoned, but I love exploring castles!

There are some kickass Metro tunnels that got abandoned. They're being slowly bought up annnnd the response to breaking in is 'unfavourable' shall we say, but there are whole abandoned stations on the tube if you can think of a way in. Tis a little more breaking and entering though, which is why I've held off on it.

Once considered exploring an old prison but found out the top still had barb-wire on it. Obviously, to keep the ghosts in.

Thinking about it, I've made some attempts but it's quite hard to find good Urban Exploration space in the UK.

In Wales, we have Denbigh Mental Asylum.

Heh. Quite a cool place.

 

[TheLastSamurai14]

these things are everywhere in the forests round where i live not sure if that counts as urban exploration tho.

to date i havent found one that was inhabited by leaf people...but i know they're out there....

You might have Ewoks living in that area. Watch your damn back, man.

 

[TheLastSamurai14]

Utah isn't exactly urban, at least not the part of it I live in. Although, a tip; if you're going to pick up litter on the sides of the road here, wear a helmet. People WILL chuck shit at you, just because you have the gall to...I dunno, actually respect the planet?

Fucking pathetic, isn't it? My aunt does that, but she gets a bit of shit for even TRYING to clean up after a bunch of slobs.

However, downtown Ogden's got a few really cool abandoned buildings. I don't have any pics, but I've gone through a few just to see what they're like.

 

[subtlefuge]

Abandoned Tire Factory.

That's a daytime picture I found online and it still looks fairly creepy. I went at night with a fairly large group of friends.

The building is 500,000 square feet and it has several outbuildings and towers on the several acres of land it's built on. Probably the coolest place I've ever been.

 

[RatRace123]

My home is suburban, so unless people wouldn't mind me exploring their front lawns I don't have many options.

I am however, greatly intrigued by this activity, wish I lived in a larger city.

 

[GistoftheFist]

Sadly the most i've ever explored are some homes that aren't finish being built. :I There isn't any abandoned buildings and the wilderness is just the mountains.