Nature finds its way
When nature takes over! 12 abandoned places in America you have to see
Image: Dan Meyers
Many places across America once buzzed with life but have since been left behind: ghost towns, forgotten amusement parks, crumbling factories, you name it. Over time, nature has crept back in, covering concrete with moss, letting trees grow through old buildings, and allowing animals to reclaim quiet spaces. Take a look at 12 of these haunting landscapes. Maybe one is near you!
1
Igloo City, Alaska
Image: Tim Oun
Igloo City in Cantwell, Alaska, is a massive, unfinished hotel built in the 1970s that never opened due to building code issues . Despite multiple owners and redevelopment plans, it remained abandoned and eventually deteriorated too much to renovate.
Now a roadside oddity between Fairbanks and Anchorage, its giant igloo shape continues to draw curious visitors.
2
Spectre Set, Alabama
Image: Dan Meyers
The abandoned film set of Spectre from Big Fish still stands on a private island along the Alabama River. Originally built for the 2003 movie, the town was left behind after filming and has slowly decayed.
Fires and flooding destroyed much of it, but a few buildings, spooky trees, and crumbling columns remain, giving the site a haunting atmosphere.
3
Dogpatch USA, Arkansas
Image: Matt Gross
Dogpatch USA, a hillbilly-themed park in Arkansas based on the Li’l Abner comic strip , opened in 1968 but never met visitor expectations. With low-key attractions and rustic charm, it struggled to draw crowds and ultimately closed in 1993.
Attempts to sell the land largely failed, and parts of the park still stand abandoned. While some parcels have been sold over the years, most of the site remains a curiosity for urban explorers.
4
Gibraltar, Delaware
Image: Johannes Beilharz
Hidden behind a stone wall in Wilmington, Delaware, Gibraltar is a crumbling 1840s mansion surrounded by beautifully restored gardens . While the house itself is abandoned, ivy-covered, and slowly decaying, the gardens remain vibrant and full of life.
5
Atlanta Prison Farm, Georgia
Image: Dan Meyers
The Atlanta Prison Farm has sat abandoned for over 25 years , now covered in graffiti and fast-growing kudzu. Though there's talk of turning it into a regional park, disagreements between counties have stalled any concrete progress.
6
Custer Ghost Town, Idaho
Image: Ruth Durbin
Custer, Idaho, was born from the 1870s gold rush, and later grew after a fire destroyed the nearby town of Bonanza. As mining dried up, the once-busy one-street town was abandoned, leaving behind rusted equipment and relics like a bullet-riddled poker table.
Thanks to its designation as a historic site in 1981, parts of Custer have been restored. Summer visitors can tour cabins, a schoolhouse, and the old saloon.
7
Cairo, Illinois
Image: Steffen Lemmerzahl
At the southern tip of Illinois, Cairo once thrived as a key port town during the steamboat era and later as a railroad hub. But as industry shifted and economic opportunities dwindled, the city entered a long period of decline.
Today, Cairo is eerily quiet. Its historic downtown is filled with crumbling buildings and boarded-up windows , and decay is spreading into nearby neighborhoods.
8
Knightridge Space Observatory, Indiana
Image: Daniel Gregoire
Hidden in the woods near Bloomington, Indiana, the Knightridge Space Observatory was built in the 1930s for early astronomers . Its wooden dome once held a four-ton telescope, but city growth and light pollution made it obsolete.
Abandoned since the 1960s, the building was left to decay, with its dome rusted shut, the floors unstable, and the telescope relocated. It has since been demolished due to safety concerns.
9
Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Kentucky
Image: Dan Meyers
Waverly Hills Sanatorium opened in the early 1900s to treat tuberculosis patients with rest, fresh air, and isolation . As the epidemic grew, the facility expanded to hold hundreds of patients, including children.
After closing in 1961, it became a nursing home but was shut down in 1982. Today, Waverly Hills is famous as a haunted attraction, drawing ghost hunters and tourists from around the world.
10
Jazzland, Louisiana
Image: Dmitry Lakhno
Jazzland was a theme park in New Orleans that opened in 2000. After major investments, it reopened in 2003 as Six Flags New Orleans. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the park was submerged, with murky floodwaters destroying roughly 80% of the property. Rides were wrecked, stands overturned, and only the Batman coaster survived on higher ground .
Deemed too costly to repair, the park was abandoned and now draws curious urban explorers.
11
St. Mary's College, Maryland
Image: Pavel Neznanov
Built in 1868, St. Mary’s College trained young men for the priesthood until declining enrollment forced its closure in 1972. The abandoned campus, soon nicknamed "Hell House," became a hotspot for ghost stories, local legends, and thrill-seekers.
12
Yellow Creek Nuclear Power Plant, Mississippi
Image: Lukáš Lehotský
Yellow Creek was one of 17 nuclear plants planned by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in the late 1970s, but construction was halted before completion. The cooling tower base and nearby processing building were left abandoned .
Originally intended to process nuclear fuel components, the site now stands as a vast, unfinished shell.
