6 Famous Attractions With Secret Rooms

There is something infinitely intriguing about a secret room. Built with security and privacy in mind, elusive hidden chambers have been used throughout the centuries, making them more common than you’d think. Take the following famous attractions, which contain hidden retreats, abandoned bunkers, and old train stations, all concealed from the public eye.

Brooklyn Bridge – New York, New York

Even though millions of people cross the Brooklyn Bridge every year, few know what lies beneath it. When it was first conceptualized in 1867, the suspension bridge was meant to be more than an artery connecting the borough of Brooklyn to Manhattan. The bridge’s engineer, John A. Roebling, originally envisioned the spaces beneath the large stone anchorages to be used for commercial purposes. Alas, Roebling’s full vision was never realized due to his health issues during construction, and the commercial spaces were built but never finalized.

It wasn’t until almost a century later, during the Cold War, that a bomb shelter was installed inside one of the empty anchorages. Filled with hidden bunkers and plenty of supplies, including emergency provisions, blankets, and water drums, the bomb shelter was top-secret at the time. The Cold War relic was forgotten about for decades until it was rediscovered by maintenance workers in 2006, but sadly it is closed to the public.

Medici Chapels – Florence, Italy

Situated inside the Basilica of San Lorenzo, one of the oldest churches in Florence, the Medici Chapels contain a secret room where Michelangelo once hid. The 16th-century sculptor and painter — who was aligned with the powerful Medici family during the Renaissance — found himself in hot water with the pope during a revolt in the 1500s. Instead of fleeing the city, he hid in a concealed room within the Medicis’ private chapel for two months. 

While he was down there, Michelangelo passed the time doing what he did best — creating works of art. Using charcoal and chalk as his only mediums, he covered the walls of the secret room in exquisite hand-drawn murals. After being rediscovered in 1975, these hidden chambers are now open to visitors who want to see Michelangelo’s former haunt.

Cinderella’s Castle – Disney World, Florida

The secret apartment inside Cinderella’s Castle is perhaps the most exclusive spot at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. While it was meant to be the private quarters of Walt Disney, the animation mogul never got to enjoy his private space — he died before it was completed. After his death, the 650-square-foot suite was abandoned, though it was later used for storage and telephone operators.

In 2006, the apartment was revamped and reopened, but to a very select few. With guests allowed on an invitation-only basis, the coveted space requires celebrity status for overnight bookings. Tom Cruise and Mariah Carey are among the big names who have received this illustrious invitation, while the rest of us can enter contests for a chance to stay the night.

Mount Rushmore – South Dakota

With around 2 million visitors a year, Mount Rushmore is one of the most-visited tourist sites in the United States. Despite its popularity, the monument — which bears the likenesses of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln — has a secret of its own. It contains a hidden room known as the Hall of Records that is not open to the public. 

The brainchild of Rushmore’s original sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, the hidden space beneath Lincoln was created to store the national archive. Unfortunately, the Hall of Records was never completed due to workforce shortages after the sculptor’s death. In 1998, the unfinished room was outfitted with porcelain panels that tell the story of the room, serving as a time capsule for the historic space. 

Eiffel Tower – Paris, France

Since it opened in 1889 for the world’s fair, the Eiffel Tower has long been an architectural marvel and a cultural icon of Paris. But when Gustave Eiffel designed his namesake tower in 1884, he included an additional space not intended for the public. Located just above the observation deck, at 1,000 feet up, is Eiffel’s private apartment.

At the time, the Eiffel Tower was meant to be a temporary structure, and its secret apartment was hidden from the public eye. Used strictly by the engineer and his prestigious guests, the roughly 1,000-square-foot private retreat didn’t include a bedroom, but it was outfitted with wallpaper, a grand piano, a bathroom, and a kitchen. Since it’s no longer a secret, visitors to the Eiffel Tower can now view the apartment and all its original furnishing through glass windows.

Waldorf Astoria – New York, New York

Not many guests of the Waldorf Astoria know that the high-end New York hotel also happens to be home to a secret train station along the now-defunct Track 61, which was built in the early 1900s during the construction of midtown’s Grand Central Terminal. To service its high-profile clientele, the Waldorf Astoria had a private station off Track 61, allowing famous guests to arrive at the hotel undercover. Andy Warhol frequently used Track 61, as did Franklin D. Roosevelt, who wished to arrive in secret to hide his disability. Connected to a private elevator in the hotel, the hidden train platform was active for several decades, although it now sits in disuse.