c/abandoned-mall-stories

PSA: I was wearing the wrong boots for mall exploring for like 2 years

I kept wondering why my feet hurt so bad after walking through the old Franklin Mall for an hour. Turns out my hiking boots had zero grip on wet tile floors from the broken ceiling leaks. I slipped near the old food court fountain last month and landed right on my backpack full of camera gear. Anybody else learn the hard way that cheap boots aren't worth it for these places?

Kept stepping on loose floor tiles for months, finally realized they were hiding a trap door

I was exploring the old Willow Creek Mall in Ohio and kept nearly tripping on these loose tiles near the food court. After the third time, I kicked one aside and saw a metal handle underneath that led to a basement I never knew existed. Anyone else find secret spots that were hiding in plain sight?

Found out the hard way how long it takes to clear a dead escalator

Went to an old mall outside Cleveland last month. Huge three level place, completely abandoned. Escalator was jammed solid with debris and old ceiling tiles. Thought I could just kick stuff out of the way and walk up. Nope. Took me 45 minutes just to clear a path wide enough to get through. Had to pull out rotted carpet strips and broken glass one piece at a time. Then a metal panel fell off and wedged the steps tighter. Another 20 minutes of prying with a tire iron. Next time I'm bringing a crowbar and a flashlight with good batteries. Anybody else ever get stuck on a broken escalator longer than they expected?

Just realized I was wrong about the old lady at the food court fountain

I used to roll my eyes every time I passed this one senior citizen who was always sitting by the dried up fountain in the middle of our local dead mall, the Crystal Run Galleria in Ohio. She'd be there for hours with a little notebook, and I figured she was just napping or people watching. One day I was taking photos of some collapsed ceiling tiles and she waved me over. She told me she'd been a cashier at the JCPenney that used to anchor the mall, back in '87 when it first opened. She said she comes back because the echo in the empty food court sounds exactly like the crowd noise she remembers from Black Fridays. I sat with her for maybe 20 minutes and she just wanted someone to know that the mall wasn't always like this, that it had a life. That totally changed how I look at these places now, not just as ruins but as spaces that still hold people's actual memories. Has anyone else met someone who used to work at a mall you've explored?

That trick of taking photos with a flash first to map out dark hallways in malls actually saved me from stepping into a collapsed floor in an old Ohio plaza.

I was walking through the lower level of the dead Lincoln Mall near Cincinnati when my flashlight beam just disappeared into a big black void ahead, so I pulled out my phone, hit flash and snapped a quick pic, and the image showed a jagged hole where the tile floor just dropped into nothing below. Anyone else use camera flash as a cheap way to spot hazards before moving forward?

Pro tip: check the food court vents for old menus

Found a 1994 Sbarro menu wedged behind a vent grate at the Tri-County Mall near Cincinnati. The guy I was with said his dad used to manage that exact location. He pointed out the $3.95 pepperoni slice price and laughed. Anyone else find weird time capsule stuff in the food court areas?

I spent $20 on a mall food court map from 1992

Found it at a flea market in Akron, Ohio, and it paid off huge. The map showed me the exact layout of the dead mall I was exploring, including a hidden service corridor behind the old Orange Julius. That corridor led to the original arcade room with all the neon signs still hanging. Has anyone else found old mall memorabilia that actually helped on a trip?

I tried to get into the old Galleria near Lebanon and the floor gave way

Went exploring last weekend at the Galleria that's been closed since 2018. Found a side door that was already open. Made it about 20 feet into the food court before a chunk of tile cracked and I dropped into a drainage pit up to my hip. Scraped my leg up pretty bad. Learned that just because a place looks dry doesn't mean the subfloor is solid. Anyone else almost get hurt by something you didn't see coming?

Hot take: escalator pits in dead malls are actually kinda creepy, not cool

Tbh I used to think the rusted escalator pits at abandoned malls were the best photo spots. Then a security guard I ran into at Westland Mall in Columbus told me about a guy who fell into one 6 months ago and broke his leg. That changed my mind real quick. Anyone else ever get spooked by something that seemed harmless at first?

Before and after at Forest Mall in Fond du Lac hit me hard

Went back to Forest Mall in Fond du Lac after 5 years away. Last time I was there, the old Sears was still boarded up but the rest had some life, still had a pet store and a few shops open. Now the whole place is gutted, carpet ripped up, and you can see straight through to the food court where rats are just running around by the old Orange Julius counter. How long did it take for your local mall to go from half alive to completely dead?

That one Tuesday when the food court fountain still had water in it

I was exploring the old Meadowbrook Mall outside of Portland a couple months ago and walked past the food court. There was still like an inch of murky water sitting in the fountain with a few dead leaves floating around. It was kinda eerie seeing it like that, almost like someone just turned off the power and walked away mid afternoon. Has anyone else come across something that felt strangely alive like that in a dead mall?

Had a perfect weekend at the old Galleria in Dayton last month

I hit three levels of that place on a Saturday and found zero vandalism. The anchor store still had mannequins dressed in 90s clothes, like someone just walked off shift. Made it through the whole food court without hearing glass crunch under my boots. Has anyone else stumbled on a mall that felt frozen in time like that?

Lost my footing on a rotting escalator in an old mall in Ohio

I was exploring this abandoned mall outside Dayton last weekend. Walked onto this escalator that looked solid from the top. Stepped on it and the metal tread just gave way under my right foot. Fell forward and scraped my knee on the broken edge. Turns out the rust had eaten through the whole frame underneath. Got lucky I didn't drop through to the basement level. Anyone else ever trust a floor that looked fine and regretted it?

Used to think abandoned malls were boring until I explored the old mall in Akron last month

I walked through that empty place near downtown Akron three weeks ago and saw the old arcade machines still plugged in with all the neon signs flickering. Has anyone else found a spot that totally flipped your opinion on these places?

Couple weeks ago found a map of the mall inside the old food court and almost fell through the floor

Hit 47 abandoned malls in 18 months and finally realized something

That's 47 malls across 6 states and every single one had a food court with at least one fake potted plant still standing. Anyone else notice those weird plastic trees are basically indestructible?

Called that abandoned mall in Ohio a money pit until I walked in and saw the original 80s food court still intact

was ready to tear down the whole thing but some old tiles and neon signs convinced me to stop gutting it.

Tried night exploring at an old mall in Akron and got busted by cops in under 20 minutes

I thought hitting the Rolling Acres mall after dark would make it less risky. Wrong. My buddy and I went in through a busted side door around 2 AM. We barely made it to the old food court before flashlights hit us from across the corridor. Cops showed up in 17 minutes I checked my phone on the way out. Ticket for trespassing and a stern warning plus we got nothing good on camera. Anyone else have a night trip go sideways fast?

Debate: Should you call the cops or handle it yourself when you find squatters?

I was exploring the old Galleria in Tulsa (the one with the huge broken skylight) and walked into a former Foot Locker to find a full camping setup with a propane stove still warm. I hightailed it out of there, but now I'm torn between calling the police and potentially killing the vibe for the rest of us explorers. What would you do in that spot?

I finally stopped using my phone flashlight in abandoned malls

Used to just walk around with my phone light til I got spooked in this old mall in Dayton and nearly fell through a rotted escalator gap now I carry a proper headlamp and an extra handheld light every time.

The fountain at Willowbrook Mall finally gave up after 20 years

Went back to my favorite old spot last Saturday and the big fountain in the center court was bone dry with a giant crack running through the tile. Anyone else find a mall where the water features just stopped working overnight?

Unpopular opinion: hitting 50 explored malls was way less meaningful than hitting 10

I crossed 50 abandoned malls last month out near Cleveland, and honestly it felt hollow. The first 10 though? Those hit different. My third mall had a frozen yogurt machine still plugged in with a half-empty cup next to it. Number 7 had a food court map that listed a place called 'Hot Dog Heaven' and I found a receipt from 2012 in a register drawer. After about 20 malls they all start blending together. Same broken escalators, same collapsed ceiling tiles, same graffiti. But those first few were raw discoveries where every corner had something personal left behind. Now I'm chasing that same feeling and it's just not there. Has anyone else found a specific number where the novelty wore off for them or am I just burned out?

That $80 "security camera" I bought off Facebook Marketplace was just a broken phone with a camera app

That dead mall in Albany had an arcade that people keep calling a Fun Factory

Every time someone posts pics of that abandoned mall on Central Ave, they call it a Fun Factory. It was actually a Time Out arcade, I know because I went there as a kid in 1994 and still have a token with the name on it. Fun Factory didn't come to Albany until like 2001. It bugs me because there's actual history getting erased every time someone throws the wrong name on it. Anyone else got a local mall detail that everyone misremembers?

Overheard a teenager call food courts 'disgusting' and I felt 100 years old

I was poking around an old mall near Cleveland last weekend, the one that shut down in 2019. This kid walked past with his mom and said 'why would anyone eat here? it smells like a dusty sock.' I remember getting a Sbarro slice at that exact spot every Friday after school. Made me realize that abandoned malls hit different for each generation. Anyone else find old food court stuff especially creepy or is that just me?