Spent 4 hours trying to get inside an old nursing home only to find the door was unlocked the whole time

Went out to this abandoned nursing home in rural Ohio last Saturday. I was ready with my crowbar and a flashlight, spent a good 45 minutes trying to jimmy open a back door. Then I walked around the front and the main door was just hanging open with a breeze blowing through it. I laughed so hard I almost dropped my camera. Total time wasted: about 3 hours of circling the building checking windows and trying to pry shit open. Has anyone else had a moment where you overcomplicated getting into a place?

3 comments

3 Comments

willow73226d ago

You ever have one of those moments where you realize you've been playing life on hard mode for no reason? I used to think the whole "check the front door first" advice was for beginners or people who didn't know how to properly explore a spot. Thought real explorers always found the creative way in. But last month I spent a solid hour trying to climb through a busted window at an old school, scraping my arm and getting covered in dust, only to find out the janitor's door was propped open with a brick the whole time. That nursing home story made me rethink my whole approach, honestly.

noahcampbell26d ago

Oh boy, that's a classic. I had almost the same thing happen at an old textile mill in Pennsylvania. Walked around the whole place in the rain, trying to find a way in through a basement window that was blocked by dirt. After about two hours I gave up and leaned against the front door to catch my breath, and it swung right open. Now I always check the simple stuff first, even if it feels obvious. Saves a lot of back strain and embarrassment.

the_anna26d ago

Saves a lot of back strain and embarrassment" - ha, that's the truth right there. I had a friend who spent a whole afternoon trying to break into an abandoned church through a boarded up basement window. He was out there with a crowbar, working up a sweat, getting all frustrated. After like an hour and a half, a maintenance guy just walked over from the next building and unlocked the side door for him (apparently they kept it open for storage). My friend felt so dumb, but honestly it happens to the best of us. Makes me think a lot of these "cool entry stories" are just people not looking for the obvious way in first.