Ever look at a place and wonder, what will it look like in 20, 50, 100, years from now? Will people still be here or will they have left it behind to be abandoned? How will it transform once it has been forgotten? These are questions I think about a lot, and I imagine everyday places being consumed by nature, like the abandoned places I visit that used to stand tall and proud, but are now caved in and decrepit. After all, nature finds a way.
Me and my boyfriend have been urban exploring for the past 2 years throughout NJ, Upstate NY, Long Island, and PA. We have discovered an entire online community of urban explorers who have offered their knowledge and experiences that has helped guide us along the way. This site serves as my contribution to the online community of urban explorers, including my photography, experiences at each place, and any tips and tricks I can think of. Enjoy and keep adventuring!
While driving to Nevele through the Catskills mountains, we came across a billboard that read “planned opening for 2020.” Unsure if the abandoned resort was under construction, we decided to check it out anyways since we had come all this way. When we got there, there was luckily no activity or sign of reopening. Next to Nevele is an open resort so we knew we wanted to steer clear of that. We parked down the road on a residential street and walked over.
We got in through an opening in the fence and walked through the woods to a bridge. The bridge looked like it had seen better days but we decide to trust it anyways since it was the only way to cross the river. Once over the bridge, we were no longer in the woods. Next to us was a pond and on the other side of pond is the property. We walked around the pond until we got to a ditch with an industrial halfpipe sticking out. We climb over the ditch and find remnants of a road that used to exist and leads to the property. Down the road on the left was a small outdoor swimming pool and tennis courts and on the right was a children’s day care. This is the first building we entered. The daycare was pretty bad shape – colorful paint was pealing off the walls, the ground was wet and in some areas the floor was completely caved in. We continued down the road to the main area where the tower was. The next building we visited was where the old reception hall used to be. We entered through what looked to be the old lobby. The glass door had been shattered and only the door frame remained. We walked from the lobby into the grand reception hall, lined with ceiling to floor glass windows, half of which were shattered, the carpet was wet and degraded but sturdy enough for us to make our way through, The room was practically empty other than a couple of tables left over and tattered curtains. Then we went upstairs to a hallway lined with hotel rooms. Something that really freaked me out was the posters on the walls. The posters were of different men pointing guns and we found 3 or 4 of them in all. The gaze and directness of the photographs seemed so real and felt like a warning sign. We explored one more building before leaving. This we like to refer to as the porn house, since it is full of old porn magazines and heroin needles. It had high ceilings, a big fire place in the center of the room and spiral staircases on either side of the fire place that led to the 2nd floor. There was a painting left behind of a sun and a tree, but it was too big to take it with us so we left it in the fireplace to pick it up next time. Unfortunately it was gone by then.
The second time that we explored Nevele we went into the tower. We took the stairs all the way up to the rooftop and looked out at the view. It was circular and we could see the entire complex and mountains all around us. While every floor layout followed the same format of a long hallway lined with identical bedrooms, the top floor was special. We entered what seemed to be the presidential suit which was partly decayed but strangely pristine at the same time. There were two chairs and a table set with glasses and plates. Above the table was an ornate chandelier with candles and beads and behind that was a window looking out on the mountainous view with thick decorative curtains. In the corner was an end table with flowers and on the other side was a cabinet with glass doors and plates and glasses still inside. It looked grand and of another time. We figured that previous visitors had kept the dining area intact and appeared to be just as it was before it became abandoned. When we returned the 3rd time, someone had spray painted, “Leave this room untouched,” confirming our theory that it had been left alone intentionally.
That day Nevele looked like a winter wonderland with snow on the ground and icicles on the tree branches. In addition to exploring the tower, we also went back to the main building with the old reception hall. Last time we didn’t go downstairs because it was too flooded but since it was the middle of winter, all the water froze over and we were able to cross the previously unreachable area. There we found an indoor swimming pool and a gym with old stationary bikes and yoga equipment. Next we walked behind the tower to what looked like a big pavilion and discovered that it was an abandoned iceskating rink. The floor appeared to have been stripped away and in the center was a giant hole where the floor caved in. The last building we explored was next to the children’s day care we saw on our first visit. The building was filled with gigantic turquoise machines and on the lefthand wall was a clipboard with some papers. We figured the machines were boiler systems and the room contained 3 or 4 of them. At that point, we felt satisfied that we had seen all there was to see at Nevele and made our way back home. Seems unlikely it will opening in 2020, or any time soon for that matter.
The collapse of Pennsylvania’s once prosperous industries has transformed the landscape into a desolate wasteland. On the drive to Birchwood, we saw town after town filled with abandoned storefronts and houses as a result of economic decline. Some of these sites may be heavily patrolled and guarded by cops and veterans, especially in Pennsylvania. Our time at Birchwood was cut short for this reason, so while there is a lot to explore in Pennsylvania, we prefer upstate NY and NJ sites more since they tend to be more chill. Birchwood had been a couples resort and a popular site for honeymooners. In the late 90s the resort struggled to stay open and began hosting fetish parties and events called spanking parties. A few years later Birchwood went out of business and has been abandoned ever since.
When we arrived at Birchwood, we noticed that the resort was on both sides of the road and there were no gates. We started on the left side of the road and entered the first building. It was easy to get inside because all of the doors were open. We found ourselves in the old bar/restaurant where there was graffiti all over the walls and the structural integrity had fallen into decay. Some reminiscence remained such as a grand piano, bar stools and tables. One thing we saw that was particularly creepy was a satanic star symbol made of salt on the floor of the bar. I was careful not to disturb it in order to avoid being cursed or haunted. Outside behind the building was an outdoor swimming pool filled with lawn chairs and umbrellas. We even saw little tadpoles swimming around. Past the swimming pool we crossed the tall grass towards the cabins surrounding a pond.
The cabins appeared to be couple suits, some of which were dilapidated while others were in decent condition. In one of the cabin’s bedrooms we found written inside of the dresser drawers names and messages that were left behind by past lovers who were once guests at the resort. In the last cabin we entered we saw in the bathroom what appeared to be a jacuzzi covered with blood. To say I was freaked out to see this is an understatement. We left the cabin and although we were creeped out by the bloody jacuzzi we decided to keep exploring. We entered a partially dilapidated house and found sprawled out on the floor lots of papers and books. At closer examination we discovered that they were Chinese to English learning materials and we figured that the resort had hired their workers from China.
The last building we explored was the Gymnasium. As I mentioned earlier, the resort extends to both sides of the road and the gym was across the way. Here we found an indoor pool, exercise equipment and a big indoor basketball court. At this point we were approached by guards and asked to leave. Although our adventure was interrupted, we got a good sense of Birchwood and what it was once like. I still wonder about the salt pentagram and bloody jacuzzi we found and wonder if they are related occurrences. What is the story behind what we saw at Birchwood? We may never know.
On a fresh summer day, me and my boyfriend went with his brother and his brother’s girlfriend to explore the Sanatorium for Tuberculosis. The Sanatorium is one of the rare abandoned sites without graffiti on the walls or traces left behind by other explorers. I was instantly transported into another time.
At first we tried entering from the back of the building, on the side closest to the road, but only came to dead ends. Then we started to go around the building and found a hole in the fence where we could easily enter the property. From the front and side of the building, we found plenty of open doors and windows that lead inside. We stayed on the first floor for a while, exploring the layout. Some rooms were completely taken over by nature while others appeared to be untouched for a while. Around the corner was an indoor porch with a wooden rocking chair in surprisingly good condition. I had the feeling that this chair held a lot of history and I wondered about those who had rocked in this chair long ago.
We found a staircase which lead us up to the second floor. Here we discovered balconies looking out onto the lush green courtyard. Green ivy filled many of the bedrooms and thick vegetation grew out of the flooring. We encountered a large room with dusty books and old papers. The staircase to the third floor had a giant hole where many of the steps were missing. Despite the risk, we jumped over the hole. There we found lots of medical equipment that looked like from another era. It made me think about the patients that once occupied this facility and perhaps spent their final days here.
The Sanatorium for Tuberculosis is special because the degradation and decay of the building appears to be solely caused by nature. Inside the rooms, many plants grow out of the concrete and ivy wraps around the walls. Soon enough nature will completely take over and little trace will remain of what once stood here.
Stretching over hundreds of acres, Pilgrim Psychiatric State Hospital is a vast and ominous site. Today, only one small section of the institution is still operating and many of the buildings have been leveled. What remains has become abandoned.
Me and my boyfriend parked next door at a facility with construction workers and walked through the woods to the back side of the property. When we arrived through the woods we scoped the outside perimeter in hopes of finding a way to enter from the back, but it was impossible to get in this way due to the thick vegetation. In hindsight, we would have had no problem parking in front and just walking in.
After failing to get in from the back, we decided to try another way. While scoping the perimeter, we noticed on the side of the property an old aqueduct looking structure with rails on top. Next to the aqueduct structure was a huge brick building with no windows and an enormous archway. We walked over and found two or three little rooms on the side of the huge building, but no stairway into the facility. We also found various relics under the aqueduct that were from inside the buildings such as a couch, old cassette tapes and photographs damaged by the rain. Realizing that we could not feasibly enter through the back or side of the property, we decided to go to the front of the building through an opening in the gate.
We enter the building through an open door that leads to a big empty room with no windows. At the end of the room is another open door that leads to another empty room with no windows. The deeper we go the darker it becomes. We come to a third room that is pitch black. We stand by the door way and hear a strange rustling sound coming from inside, like a creature of some sort. Creeped out by the spooky noises coming from the darkness, we retreat back the way we came.
All of a sudden we hear loud music coming from nearby. We look out from the front of the building and see two modified race cars with amplifiers coming out of the trunk. People were gathered around the cars just hanging out. We walk over to the other buildings nearby the party of people, we casually say hello and go exploring inside.
Unlike the first building, these buildings have many windows, easily accessible staircases, and roof access, but the floors and ceiling are caved in at some parts and the smell of toxicity lingers. Across the way are identical buildings, stretching about 100 yards. Although there was a lot to explore, the sun was starting to set so we had to head back home before seeing everything.
Pilgrim Psychiatric State Hospital is definitely one of the most haunting abandoned places I’ve ever been. The air feels heavy as though the grounds are occupied by ghosts, tormented by the memories of their unfortunate fates. Still, it retains a special beauty and splendor like a forgotten magic castle.
My boyfriend and I stumbled upon this place by chance – we were initially in Paterson, NJ to see the waterfalls but we noticed that there was an abandoned stadium right next store so we could not resist, we had to go explore it!
We found an entry from the parking lot wedged between a gate and a wall, which led us down a short path through the woods into the stadium. In the distance was a lovely view of green mountains and the bleachers were all overgrown with wild vegetation. The place had a grandeur feeling, especially when you are all the way at the top in this empty, abandoned stadium.
Camp Sussex has been abandoned for about 15 years. It is one of the most green and luscious abandoned sites I’ve been to. The buildings blend into the overgrown forest, transforming this old summer camp into a jungle of ivy and concrete. It wasn’t difficult to get in since theres no fence or barrier preventing people from just walking in.
We started at the kitchen/ cafeteria and made our way through the cabins and recreational spaces. When we got to the gymnasium we realized we weren’t alone. We hid behind the basketball hoop and waited. Two people – a young man and young woman in their early 20s walked into the gym. We both greeted each other hesitantly, turns out they were urban explorers like we were so we decided to explore the rest of the space together.
Something creepy that I only noticed after developing my film was that there was a noose tied to the ceiling in the performance space. The noose was tied too small to be intended for human use, but could probably fit a small animal, or perhaps it was put there to scare people.
It is always interesting seeing the traces left behind by the people who once occupied a space. One of my favorite remnants I found at the summer camp was “Meryl + Dave 58” written on the walls with a heart drawn around it. I wondered what happened to Meryl and Dave. Are they still together? Do they think about eachother? About their memories at Camp Sussex? Or maybe they passed away and this is all that remains of them.
We explored Grossinger a total of 3 days because it is so huge and there is so much there to see. Once a luxurious resort for the Jewish bourgeoisie, Grossinger was equipped with pretty much every amenity you can think of – indoor pool, bowling alley, ballroom, iceskating rink, you name it. Grossinger closed down in 1986 and has remained abandoned ever since.
We parked down the street in the neighboring shops, never had any issues so we kept using it as our go to parking spot. The fence is open in a few places but you can also just enter through the back, theres a path that joggers from the community run on sometimes. The first building we explored at Grossinger was a white cabin, but it was so creepy and had unexplainable bad vibes that we didn’t stay in that building very long or go back to the white cabin any of the other visits to Grossinger. To this day I don’t know what it was that made me feel this way but sometimes you just have to trust your gut.
Grossinger is an erie place with sounds of slamming doors and the howling of the wind. It is dark and wet inside the buildings, lit only where there are windows, and in some areas the ceilings or floors are completely or partially caved-in. After seeing the white cabin we explored the rest of the grounds, we went to the kitchen/big dining area, and from there entered one of the buildings with atleast 6 floors of hotel rooms, we went up to the rooftop of that building and walked to the indoor pool before heading home. This being our initial visit, we were able to map out in our heads the layout of the space so we have a better idea of where to go the next time we went to Grossinger. Ariel views from googlemaps also came in handy with navigating our way around.
On our second visit to Grossinger, we explored the buildings with hotel rooms in greater detail, looking into each room and seeing what may have been left behind. This time around we found the outdoor pool and iceskating rink. We were sometimes restricted by unstable floors and at times we went pretty high up we didn’t want to risk falling through. Some building we didn’t even go into because they looked so caved-in. Every time we went back we saw something new. The third time back at Grossinger we went down to the basement of the pool where we found the showers and sauna. We also found the bar, which had been pretty much destroyed at that point.
To this day Grossinger remains one of my favorite urban exploring destinations. Its huge, theres so much to explore, it is a beautiful forgotten world, left behind by humans and taken back by nature.
The Gingerbread House is an abandoned fairytale theme park in Hamburg, NJ along side Wheatsworth Mill, the abandoned grain mill. As the story goes, F.H. Bennett owned the grain mill and commissioned the fairytale theme park on his property to fulfill his deepest childhood fantasies. Although the Gingerbread house was a popular destination for family fun when it first opened in 1930, the site began to fall into decline by the 1980s and has since become abandoned and decrepit.
The Gingerbread house was the 2nd time me and my boyfriend went urban exploring and his brother + brother’s girlfriend came with us this time. We parked down the road at a public park and walked over, entering through the Wheatsworth Mill. It wasn’t difficult finding an entry into the factory since it was pretty much left wide open. While some areas were bright from the window light, other parts were pitch black and required flashlights. We made our way through the building, avoiding rooms with caved-in floors, and climbed up to the rooftop where we could see the entire property.
After exploring the factory, we made our way behind the building, towards the Gingerbread House. We found a tunnel underneath the building, completely pitch black. Initially we started walking in but quickly turned back since its unclear how deep the tunnel is, or where it leads. Then we hopped the fence into the theme park where we found Humpty Dumpty who fell off the wall, and the Gingerbread House. While we had planned to go in to the Gingerbread House, an alarm went off when we got close to the building so we booked it out of there and left.
Profanity House is the first place that me and my boyfriend went urban exploring. Unfortunately when we got there 2 of the 3 buildings were completely burned down and only one building remained, but it was in such bad shape that we didn’t even go fully in. Never the less, I still managed to take some cool pix of what remained. As you can see, the walls are covered with profanities, thus the name profanity house.
URBAN EXPLORING ABANDONED BUILDINGS 