There is no Lonely Planet or Frommer’s Guide to these places. They are simply off limits to anyone who plans to visit because they are known as classified places that shouldn’t even have been known by the public. But, if you are curious about them nevertheless, here are 12 places you will never be able to see personally in your lifetime.
Area 51
Area 51 is quite famous or “infamous” around the world as the US top secret base. The military base is said to be for developing and testing experimental aircraft and weapons. Signs on Area 51’s borders are placed to warn people. The sign reads, “Restricted area. No trespassing beyond this point. Photography is prohibited.” And, in smaller print it says that “deadly force can be used”, if you trespass the area’s territory.
The place is famed for UFO occurrences that make the place a magnet for conspiracy theories. The place is so top secret that in the past, the government had to deny its existence. Luckily for tourists, who want to view Area 51 and will definitely be greeted with arm toting military personnel, they can always head on to Las Vegas, which is just 83 miles away.
Club 33
Club 33 is an exclusive club that admits both men and women provided that you can pay $40,000 for corporate memberships and $27,000 for individual memberships, plus the $11,000 annual dues. Club 33 is located at 33 Royal Street at the heart of New Orleans Square section of Disneyland. But, even if you are rich enough to afford these exorbitant fees, there is a 14-year waiting list. So, chances are you’ll never see the inside of Club 33 ever.
Ilha da Queimada Grande (Snake Island)
Located just off the coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil is a 43-hectare island, closely guarded by the Brazilian Navy. The pristine island is off limits to people because it is the home to at least 5,000 Golden Lancehead Vipers (Bothrops insularis), one of the most venomous snake species in the world. Only a handful of researchers are permitted to visit the island to study the endangered species.
Ise Grand Shrine
Ise Grand Shrine in Ise, Japan’s Mie prefecture is the holiest of shrines of the Shinto religion. The shrine is dedicated to Amaterasu-ōmikami, Shinto’s sun goddess and said to be the ancestor of Japan’s imperial family. The sacred temple that was built in the 4th-century BCE is a complex of 123 shrines. The shrines are located in natural formations like rocks, waterfalls, caves, forests, and mountains. The shrines are torn down and rebuilt every twenty years to symbolize Shinto’s belief in death and rebirth.
For followers of the religion, the farthest they can get is up to the gates where they pray and admire the temples. But, they can only do this after washing their hands and mouth from the ritual pool. Only a priest or priestess that is a member of the imperial family can go inside the temple.
Mezhgorye (Mount Yamantaw)
Mezhgorye is a secret Russian military town in Mount Yamantaw. The base was founded in 1979 and is off limits to visitors just like Area 51. It is believed that the military town is a nuclear bunker or facility. The base was built in the highest mountain in the southern Urals, Mt. Yamantaw, which stands at 1,640 meters.
During Boris Yeltsin‘s reign, American spy satellites spotted large excavation projects in the area. To answer American questions about the base, the Russian government released a slew of answers. They said that it is a mining site, then it became a repository for Russian treasures, or a food storage area, and even a bunker for their leaders in case of nuclear war.
Moscow Metro-2
Metro-2 in Moscow is a secret metro system that parallels the public Moscow Metro. It is larger and built deeper than the Moscow Metro. Metro-2 is built at 50 to 200 meters with only 4 lines. The Metro-2 was codenamed D-6 by the KGB and was built during the Stalin regime. It is said that the secret subway connects key government buildings including the Kremlin, FSB headquarters, government airport at Vnukovo-2, underground town at Ramenki and many more. The Metro-2 is also said to feature living space for politicians and their families.
To answer the speculations about the existence of Metro-2, Russian journalists, government officials, metro authorities and even the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation did not confirm the existence of the Metro-2. But, they did not also deny it, making it a hot topic for conspiracy theorists.
Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center
The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center was basically unknown to the public until the fatal plane crash of TWA Flight 514 that killed all 92 of its passengers and crew. The center is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. It is a major relocation site for the highest level civilian and military officials in case of natural disaster. The center will serve a major role in US continuity of government.
RAF Menwith Hill
The British military base is the largest electronic monitoring station in the world. Built near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, the facility was originally intended to monitor communications going in or out of the now defunct Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries.
After the Cold War, the facilities were used for different purposes although its mission to provide intelligence support for the US, UK, and their allied interests remain intact. Evidence point out the base is involved in drone attacks, industrial espionage, and wide-scale espionage on the general worldwide population. The most recent case of high-profile espionage that the base did was when it intercepted then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s encrypted telephone calls during the 2009 G-20 London Summit.
Room 39
North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has a scheme to plan for his retirement. It is called the ultra-secret Room 39. The room was built in the late 1970s by Kim Jong-un’s father, Kim Jong-il. It was created to secure the Kim’s a hefty personal income. According to reports, Room 39 serves as the North Korea’s “court economy” that is centered to provide a slush fund for their dear leader’s family.
The organization is said to reap profits by using 10 to 20 different bank accounts in China and Switzerland for counterfeiting, money laundering, drug smuggling, and arms trade. Room 39 has at least 120 foreign trade companies that is under direct control of Kim Jong-un.
The Coca Cola Recipe Vault
The recipe of Coca-Cola is locked away in an out of sight and heavily guarded vault in Atlanta, Georgia. The original recipe was withdrawn from SunTrust Bank in December 2011 and was transferred to its new home under heavy guards. The recipe is stored in a metal box that is housed in a two-meter high steel vault.
The vault is never opened and features a barrier that protects the vault from the viewing public. The area is under heavy surveillance and is guarded by armed guards 24/7. The door is shut that can be opened by a keypad and a hand-print scanner.
The Vatican Secret Archives
One of the most inaccessible places in the world is the Vatican’s Secret Archives. The Archives houses documents that was made in the 8th century. Its shelves are said to be 85 km long and holds treasures such as England’s Henry VIII’s petitions for divorce fromCatherine of Aragon, documents about Galileo‘s trial in 1633 on heresy charges,Michelangelo‘s letters of late payments for his work, the 1521 bull of excommunication of Martin Luther, and a letter from Mary, Queen of Scots, written while she waited for her execution.
Researchers can access these documents, but they can never set foot in the Archives. Also, documents that are not yet 75 years old are not accessible to protect diplomatic and government information. To know if a document exists in the Archives, indexes will be made available to you as the inquirer, but your presence will not be wanted.
White’s Gentlemen’s Club
The oldest and most exclusive gentlemen’s club in London is the White’s Gentlemen’s Club. The club is located at 37 St. James Street in London.
The club began as a tea house that served the newly discovered chocolate in 1693. It became a private and exclusive place for British aristocracy and the political class. Among its old members are the Duke of Wellington, the Regency dandy Beau Brummell, George IV, William IV, Edward VII, and Winston Churchill’s son, Randolph. Prince Charles is also a member of the club and he held his stag night at the club before he wed Lady Diana Spencer.
According to rumors, Britain’s most powerful men made bets and deals that affected the kingdom’s fate in the club. T
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