You’ve been to a famous landmark, you took the photos, you bought the keychain. You think you’ve done it all and can check it off your bucket list. But chances are, you never even knew there were secrets hiding behind those walls. It turns out quite a few famous locations have secret rooms, tunnels, and, in some cases, full-on secret apartments hiding in plain sight.
Here are 12 of the best.
1. Mount Rushmore Has a Secret Room Behind Lincoln’s Head
You know that massive mountain that has the faces of 4 American presidents carved into it? It’s already quite a bizarre concept to begin with, but it turns out there’s a secret room carved inside Lincoln’s head. It was meant to be a Hall of Records that could store important documents for generations to come. Unfortunately, Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor, died before the project was finished, so instead there’s just a big chamber carved into granite.
2. There’s an Underground “Lake” Beneath the Paris Opera House
You know the lake under the opera in The Phantom of the Opera? Turns out it’s kind of based on a real thing. Beneath the famous Palais Garnier opera house in Paris, there is an actual large water reservoir. It was created because the builders struggled to deal with groundwater that was continually flooding the building site, so in the end, instead of fighting it, they chose to work with it. It’s not exactly the romantic lake depicted in the musical, and more of a practical engineering solution, but it’s probably where Gaston Leroux got the idea for his novel.
3. Gustave Eiffel Had a Private Apartment Inside the Eiffel Tower
Many people come to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower and, if they’re lucky and there isn’t much of a queue, actually get to the top of it. But few of them know that Gustave Eiffel had his own little apartment near the top. It was furnished like a real home, and he even entertained select guests up there. How cool it must’ve been for him to say, “Come over to my place. It’s in the Eiffel Tower.”
4. There’s an Entire Old City Under Seattle
The Great Seattle Fire was horrible. It took out a large section of the city, but it’s only half of the story. What makes it even more fascinating is how the city was rebuilt. The city planners decided that since the old city was built on wet, mushy ground, what they should do was raise the street level. It made sense when replacing the burned-down wooden buildings, but for some buildings that were already built with bricks, this essentially meant that what used to be the ground floor became the underground basement. The street level was raised from 6 to 30 feet in various places. You can even tour portions of the old underground city, complete with old sidewalks, storefronts, and other spaces that used to be at street level before the fire.
5. Grand Central Has a Secret Presidential Train Track
Beneath Grand Central in New York, there’s the famous Track 61. It’s a secret train track that goes from Grand Central to the Waldorf Astoria, a luxury hotel in Manhattan. It was originally created for freight and servicing a nearby powerhouse. But it became famous for allowing prominent guests to arrive at the Waldorf Astoria privately without attracting unwanted attention at the public train station. Famously, this track was used by Franklin D. Roosevelt for security reasons, but also because Roosevelt was very careful about his public image and his partial paralysis due to polio.
6. Grand Central Also Has a Hidden Tennis Court
Because one weird secret apparently wasn’t enough, Grand Central has another one above your head. In the upper levels of the terminal, there is the Vanderbilt Tennis Club, complete with a full-size tennis court. In its place, there used to be an athletic club that at one point even featured an artificial indoor ski slope. Yup, New Yorkers really take the phrase “dream big” literally. No idea is too bizarre. So while you’re running for your train downstairs, someone is probably working on their tennis moves above you.
7. Workers Found a Forgotten Cold War Bunker Inside the Brooklyn Bridge
Imagine being a regular maintenance worker who one day opens a door and discovers a nuclear apocalypse starter pack. That’s exactly what happened in 2006 inside the Brooklyn Bridge. A fully intact Cold War shelter was found, complete with supplies like food, water, blankets, and medical equipment. Just chilling there, inside the Brooklyn Bridge, hiding in plain sight.
8. Michelangelo May Have Hidden in a Tiny Room Covered With His Drawings
There is a hidden chamber beneath Florence’s Medici Chapels. It was discovered in 1975, and its walls are covered in charcoal sketches, several of which are attributed to Michelangelo. Historians believe that Michelangelo might’ve hidden here in the 1530s after he fell out of favour with the Medici family. So basically, this was his secret hideout, and he just casually covered the walls with masterpieces in his spare time.
9. Versailles Had Secret Ways for Royals to Escape Everyone
Living at Versailles sounds glamorous until you think about the fact that the place was crawling with courtiers who were constantly watching you. Even the royals wanted some alone time, which is exactly why Versailles has many private staircases, concealed doors, and various corridors that allowed people to move around without being noticed.
10. The White House Has Underground Tunnels and Emergency Spaces
The White House isn’t officially a maze of secret tunnels straight out of an action movie — but there really are underground security spaces. An emergency shelter was constructed during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency after Pearl Harbor, and a tunnel connected the White House area with the nearby Treasury Building. Other secure routes have been reported over the years, though details are understandably limited. Turns out national-security architecture isn’t big on open-house tours.
11. Big Ben Has a Prison Room Inside It
We all call the big clock tower connected to the Houses of Parliament “Big Ben.” But that’s actually just the name of the big bell inside the tower. The official name of the tower is Elizabeth Tower, and it used to have a prison inside it. It was used to contain members of Parliament who broke parliamentary rules. The last time it was used was in 1880, when MP Charles Bradlaugh had a dispute over taking the traditional religious oath. It hasn’t been used since, but just knowing there’s a former prison in one of the most photographed landmarks in London makes it much more exciting, doesn’t it?
12. Disneyland Has an Ultra-Exclusive Secret Club
We’re always told that Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth, but did you know you’re not seeing all of it? There’s a very exclusive club for VIP guests that’s hidden behind a very plain door with just the number 33 written on it. Thousands of Disneyland-goers walk past it every day and have no idea what they’re missing out on. But chances are, they will never know, because membership in Club 33 is notoriously difficult to obtain, not to mention insanely expensive. There’s a dress code and rules of conduct; it’s all very strict and secretive, and while you’re allowed to try to apply on the website, the chances of you getting in are slim to none.
