No Entry or Exceptions
There's something oddly magnetic about places you can’t visit. They’re not hidden, but they’re not open either. Governments, traditions, and ecological rules keep them sealed up tight, and their secrecy only adds to the intrigue. Well, that's not going to stop us from talking about 20 of the most exciting examples!
Wendelin Jacober from Luzern, Schweiz on Wikimedia
1. Area 51
It began as a Cold War testing site, but Area 51’s secrecy only grew as the years went by. Located in Nevada, this U.S. Air Force facility remains inaccessible to the public. Its true purpose lies in military aircraft development, though that hasn’t stopped decades of speculation about extraterrestrial research.
2. North Sentinel Island
On India’s Andaman chain sits North Sentinel Island, where outside contact has been violently rejected. The Sentinelese are protected by Indian law, which bans any approach within five kilometers. The island’s isolation is meant to preserve culture and prevent the transmission of diseases to the tribe.
3. Svalbard Global Seed Vault
If Earth faced a global food catastrophe, the Svalbard Vault would be a critical fallback. Located in a mountain on Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, this facility stores over a million seed samples. Access is strictly limited to select scientific personnel. It’s built to survive natural disasters and time.
Cierra Martin for Crop Trust on Wikimedia
4. Lascaux Cave Complex
Discovered in 1940 by French teenagers, the Lascaux caves offer a window into Paleolithic art. But since 1963, the original chambers have been closed to preserve their fragile prehistoric paintings. Fungal outbreaks caused by human breath and light exposure triggered the ban.
5. Snake Island
Ilha da Queimada Grande (nicknamed Snake Island) sits off Brazil’s coast. Access is forbidden, not by military decree, but by necessity. It's overrun with golden lancehead vipers, some of the world’s most dangerous snakes. Even biologists require special government permits to land.
Marinha do Brasil on Wikimedia
6. Surtsey Island
Formed during a volcanic eruption in 1963, Surtsey is one of Earth’s youngest islands. Located south of Iceland, it’s an untouched laboratory for studying ecological succession. Since its birth, only scientists have been allowed ashore, and all other visitors are banned to prevent contamination.
7. Mezhgorye Military Town
Deep in the Ural Mountains lies Mezhgorye, a closed Russian town believed to support operations around Mount Yamantau. Established during the Soviet era, it’s heavily guarded, and entry is restricted to government personnel.
Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii on Wikimedia
8. Fort Knox
Located in Fort Knox, the United States Bullion Depository keeps a large portion of the country's gold reserves. Though the vault is real and heavily secured, public entry is forbidden. With reinforced steel doors and security layered in secrecy, its interior remains one of America’s most protected mysteries.
Photo by and (c)2014 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man) on Wikimedia
9. Room 39
Operating from a high-security building in Pyongyang, Room 39 is tied to North Korea’s clandestine economic operations. It's suspected of managing foreign currency through legal and illicit means. Access is limited to the regime’s elite inner circle, though western intelligence agencies have monitored it for decades.
10. Poveglia Island
Once used to quarantine plague victims, and later as a psychiatric facility, Poveglia lies abandoned between Venice and Lido. Italian authorities have banned access due to safety concerns and its grim legacy. Archaeological interest exists, but entry requires special clearance.
11. RAF Menwith Hill
Say hello to the Royal Air Force station in England, giant golf-ball structures included. It's an NSA and UK intelligence site tied to global surveillance programs like ECHELON. Its role in intercepting military and diplomatic communications keeps it entirely off-limits, and the base is sovereign U.S. territory.
12. Bohemian Grove
In California, the Bohemian Grove is a restricted campground privately owned by the Bohemian Club, and outsiders are strictly barred. Each July, an exclusive group of political and business leaders gathers here. The rituals are secret, and journalists attempting infiltration have faced lawsuits or permanent blacklisting.
13. Diego Garcia Military Base
Once home to the Chagossian people, Diego Garcia is now a joint UK-U.S. military base in the Indian Ocean. Civilians were forcibly removed decades ago. Today, it serves as a strategic air and naval station. Commercial flights aren’t even permitted to approach.
14. Niihau Island
Often called the “Forbidden Island,” Niihau has been privately owned by the same family since 1864. It’s off-limits to outsiders unless invited by a resident or granted rare government clearance. Roughly 100 Native Hawaiians live there.
Christopher P. Becker (Polihale), on Wikimedia
15. Tomb Of Qin Shi Huang
The Terracotta Army guards it, but the emperor’s tomb itself has never been opened; Chinese authorities prohibit excavation, citing preservation concerns and technological limitations. Buried near Xi’an, the site may hold ancient texts and rivers of mercury, but those theories remain untested.
16. Pine Gap Facility
Located near Alice Springs in Australia, Pine Gap is a joint U.S.-Australian surveillance facility. Satellite control and signal interception are all suspected missions. Protected by national secrecy laws, the compound is monitored and restricted by both countries, and civilian access is nonexistent.
Andy Mitchell from Glasgow, UK on Wikimedia
17. Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center
Situated in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Mount Weather is a high-security FEMA facility designed for continuity of government during national crises. It’s equipped with underground bunkers and its own power grid. Even aerial photography is restricted, which makes the site both functional and shrouded in mystery.
Mount Weather: America's Secretive Emergency Operations Center by Always helpful
18. The Coca-Cola Vault
Behind reinforced doors in Atlanta sits a corporate secret: Coca-Cola’s original formula. Only a few executives know the full recipe, and the vault is strictly off-limits. The company treats it as intellectual property of immense value, so while tourists can view the vault’s exterior, entry is completely barred.
Nicolas Chadeville on Wikimedia
19. North Brother Island
Located in New York’s East River, this island once quarantined typhoid patients, including “Typhoid Mary.” Today, it’s a protected bird sanctuary, closed to preserve the nesting grounds of black-crowned night herons. The crumbling buildings are unsafe, and city laws prohibit access without special research permits.
20. Morgan Island
Off South Carolina’s coast, Morgan Island is home to over 3,000 rhesus monkeys used for medical research. Under the control of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, it’s sealed off to prevent human-monkey disease transmission. Boating nearby is allowed, but landing is illegal.
Tattooed Monkeys Inhabit This Secret Island by Mason Obscura
