7. The Maunsell Sea Forts, England
Although they look like props from an H.G. Wells film adaptation, these giant metal towers in the Thames estuary were actually constructed to protect England from German air raids during WWII. The forts were decommissioned in the 1950s, and the abandoned towers were used by pirate radio operators in the following decades. Today, one nearby fort is managed by micronation Principality of Sealand; the rest can be seen safely from a boat or, on a clear day, the shores of Shoebury East Beach.
8. City Methodist Church, Gary, Indiana
Famous for being the birthplace of Michael Jackson (and setting of The Music Man, obviously), Gary, Indiana also happens to be the site of one of the prettiest, eeriest, most abandoned churches in the country. Originally built in 1926 with money donated by U.S. Steel, the City Methodist Church is a nine-story marvel complete with Gothic architecture, stone pillars, and stained glass windows. Over the next several decades, the steel industry continued to falter and Gary’s population dwindled, and the church was completely shut down in 1975. The structure is crumbling but still beautiful today, and is a popular spot for film directors—you might recognize it from movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street, or, less likely, Transformers: Dark of the Moon (that’s the third one).