You might think you know America’s big landmarks inside and out after seeing them in movies or visiting them. But many of these famous spots hold hidden surprises that are off-limits to regular tourists and even some workers. Exploring these secret spaces would be really neat but most people will never get the chance to step inside them.
Mount Rushmore’s Hall Of Records
Gutzon Borglum actually wanted to build a large room behind the carved faces that would hold America’s history papers forever. He started blasting out a tunnel but it never got finished and now it is sealed off completely so nobody gets to see it.
The Statue Of Liberty’s Torch
For many years people could climb a skinny little ladder inside the Statue of Liberty’s arm to reach the balcony on the very top of her torch. It was sadly shut down after some explosions during World War I damaged the structure and they just never opened it up again.
The Lincoln Memorial Undercroft
Directly underneath the giant statue of Abraham Lincoln lies a huge cavernous room that looks a bit like a basement from a movie. It holds up the massive weight of the memorial and workers have even found some neat old graffiti left by the original construction crews.
Grand Central Terminal’s Track 61
Way below the busy main terminal lies a secret track which was once used by rich travelers staying at the Waldorf Astoria hotel nearby. President Franklin D. Roosevelt also famously used this hidden train platform so his special bulletproof car could lift him right into the hotel lobby.
The Brooklyn Bridge Bomb Shelter
Back in 2006 some construction workers doing maintenance found a fully stocked bomb shelter hidden inside one of the main stone supports near the Manhattan side. It was full of old survival supplies that had just been sitting there undisturbed since they were put in around the nineteen fifties.
The Empire State Building’s 103rd Floor
Above the regular eighty sixth floor observatory there is actually another smaller balcony level which is way higher up than where regular visitors go. It doesn’t have safety glass and is only used by very special guests or workers so most people never even know it is there.
Washington National Mall Steam Tunnels
Beneath the famous National Mall lawns is a sprawling network of concrete tunnels that carry hot steam to warm many of the nearby big government buildings. They are definitely off-limits because it gets incredibly hot inside and you are definitely not allowed to just wander around down there.
Disneyland’s Apartment Above The Fire Station
If you stand right on Main Street in Disneyland you can sometimes see a light burning in the window just above the little firehouse building that sits there. It was Walt Disney’s secret little hideaway apartment where he would stay so he could watch the park visitors and it is now kept exactly as he left it.
