The world is a mysterious place.
How's that for a generic opening line? Don't worry, the genericism stops there, because there's nothing typical about the places explored here. In this article, you'll visit the sensational magic of Disney World, some ominous French caves, the chilling underground of Moscow, the vaults of Vatican City and even one seriously spooky Indian island.
When we say 'visit', we actually mean 'read about', because you've next-to-no chance of actually going to these locations physically. The law forbids it for most and you'd need to be a high and mighty socialite to have a chance of sneaking into others.
That's fine, don't sweat it. Once you read about some of these locales and their history, it's probably for the best that they're not open to the general public...
1.Club 33 In Disney World, United States
Disneyland Club 33 Door
Unless you're willing to fill out the forms and wait on a 14-year waiting list, visiting Disney World's elusive Club 33 will be tough. Oh, you didn't know that there's a secret range of night clubs inside the amusement park? Well, there is, and it used to be one of Disney's biggest secrets.
Anyone who has waited in line for a ride on Splash Mountain will know the agony of endless queuing all too well. It's at these moments adult visitors must crave an alcoholic beverage to cure their ills. Inside Club 33, that's possible, and it remains one of the only places in Disney World that sells booze to this day.
Club 33 opened just 6 months after Walt Disney's death in 1967. Since then, it's become legend amongst park lovers who wonder what's behind those doors. The interior also includes a Disney shop, because apparently even exclusive night spots must be plagued by blatant consumerism...
2.Poveglia, Italy
Poveglia Italy
Chris 73 / Wikimedia Commons
Considered by some to be the most haunted island on the planet, Poveglia in Italy is probably somewhere to strike off the holiday wish list. There's no chance of getting onto the Venetian stretch anyway. Poveglia was sold for around £400,000 in 2014 and has been closed to the tourists ever since.
Start thanking that buyer.
Poveglia has a nightmarish history of illness, both physical and mental. When the Bubonic Plague hit Venice hard in the 1300s, this tiny island was where sufferers were sent to be quarantined. This happened again in 1922, albeit as a quarantine station for those who were mentally ill.
Since then, rumours of ghosts and ghouls have been part of the island's folklore. The mental hospital only closed in 1968, but the past 50 years have been heavy on superstition. Even if Poveglia was open for exploration, millions of Italians wouldn't want to go near it.
3.RAF Menwith Hill, United Kingdom
RAF Menwith Hill
Wikipedia
From the air, Menwith Hill's facilities look like the world's most boring collection of warehouses or some sort of golfing shrine. Those bulbous structures are in fact radomes, and they allow the place to transmit electromagnetic signals that are said to look after the integrity of intelligence support in the UK and United States.
OK, not a golfing holiday wonderland then.
The intrigue only starts when digging deeper into Menwith's history. Dr. Steve Schofield from the British American Security Information Council claimed the facility was involved in drone attacks that were kept private from the general public. These covert missions are top secret and sinister, in Schofield's opinion.
Naturally, just driving through the gates into North Yorkshire's most curious secret isn't possible. Menwith is out in the middle of nowhere for a reason.
4.Coca-Cola Vault, United States
Coca Cola Vault
worldofcoca-cola.com
We move from warfare to soft drinks, and onto something a little more tasty (sorry).
Coca-Cola needs no introduction. It's one of the world's favourite drinks, is responsible for excited faces when that Christmas ad comes on telly each year and has been a long-standing tradition since launching 131 years ago. Somehow, The Coca-Cola Company have been able to keep the drink's recipe secret all that time.
A secret vault in Atlanta houses Coke's formula, and it's possible to visit the place to get a sneak peak. Just kidding, but sugar-hungry tourists can buy tickets to explore the drink's history and (according to the worldofcoca-cola.com website) "get closer than ever before" to the ingredients.
The vault is sealed shut however, meaning a quick tour and glimpse of where the recipe is kept is all visitors get before being ushered out into the gift shop.
5.,Snake Island, Brazil
Otherwise known as Ilha da Queimada Grande, 'Snake Island' is an island (funnily enough) off the coast of Brazil that is covered by an army of venomous reptiles that want to eat your soul, after munching your corpse.
Those suffering from Ophidiophobia should be thankful the Brazilian government decided to shut off all access to Queimada Grande. The dangerous golden lancehead pit viper calls the island home, and it's said the snakes took residence on the land mass when rising sea levels cut off a connection to the mainland.
Much of the island is bare, but there are rainforest areas. Guess where the snakes congregate? If you answered 'in the rain forest, duh', you're wrong. They're everywhere, and have been breeding non-stop since moving in and reclaiming the place from humanity.
Stay. Away.