This beautiful and abandoned site isn’t as historic as most places mentioned here, as its construction only began in 2011.
It was meant to be an uber-luxurious project with a fairytale-like atmosphere inspired by European castles. However, due to numerous challenges, both legal and financial, it fell through, leaving behind a lovely ghost town of empty castles. So pretty, it hurts.
The Bodie Ghost Town in California
The Bodie Ghost Town in California, which is in fact a state historic park, used to be a gold-mining town with a population of almost 10,000 people. The town was named after William Bodey, who found some gold near Mono Lake.
Presently, it's nothing but a tourist attraction, but a pretty decent one! In the image, you can see the general store of Bodie, preserved in tip-top shape.
The Bannerman Castle in New York State
This abandoned and ruined castle has a unique back story: it used to be a storage facility for weapons. Located on Pollepel Island in the Hudson River, New York, the Scottish-styled building is now owned by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
Most of it has been utterly ruined and neglected, except for the bits seen in the picture.
An Abandoned Spa in Romania
The historic Neptune Baths is a spa complex that was part of the Băile Herculane resort in Romania. The complex dates back to as early as 153 BC, and its current structure was built in the 1880s.
Many have enjoyed its facilities over the years, but it was abandoned in 1989, after the fall of communism in Romania, and it has been degrading further ever since. Although continuously decaying, remnants still indicate how majestic it once was.
The Ghost Town of Rhyolite in Nevada
Rhyolite, located not too far away from Las Vegas, was founded in 1905 as a gold mining camp and attracted numerous miners and gold seekers. But soon enough came the 1907 financial panic which damaged the biggest mine in the area, making many of Rhyolite's residents leave town.
It then became an attraction for tourists, as well as a popular place to shoot films. Just outside the ghost town lies the Goldwell Open Air Museum.