For a while now I've read threads about fright, oh shit moments, happy times, weird finds, etc, but not one about regrets. So here it goes, tell a story about a door you never got to open, a building that you had to pass up, and so on.

I'll start: my first explore was of my old middle school as they were demolishing it. My friends had been sneaking in since it shutdown, but they didn't invite me till later. There were tons of rumors that someone had died in the basement years ago and it was haunted. Whether that's true or not, I really wanted to see the basement because there was probably cool stuff in it, but they demo'ed the section that had the big part of the basement before my second trip in. (We never actually thought to check it out on my first time.) All that was left to see was the sprinkler room.

For as long as I have been exploring places, and for as long as I will be exploring places, I will always kick myself that I missed Cane Hill Asylum, arguably the greatest example of an abandoned asylum the UK ever had. It was the first abandoned place I ever saw photos of on the internet, on the Derelict London website about a decade ago, and I was an armchair explorer when people were actively exploring it up until demolition began in 2008. My first explore was June 2009, and on that first ever explore weekender me and my mate popped into Cane Hill and walked around the then formidable perimeter fence, looking at the half demolished site, looking straight through the stripped out wards from one end to another.

If I had got off my backside and started just two years earlier I would have been able to set foot in it's legendary hallways.

I always regret missing any building that has been demolished, remodeled, etc because I was using the "I'll hit it next week" excuse....

The liberty theater in Bloomfield, Nj. I found it by accident, as I lived a few blocks away, but kept putting it off. One day I drove by and saw the Masonic stained glass windows were removed. As I went around the block, 90% of the building was gone. I was very pissed I didn't make it.

Also, Marlboro psych. I was on my way up the former train tracks with my girlfriend in tow. We made it about 50 yards before turning back, as we were losing daylight fast. Demolition was complete by the end of the month.

I don't regret any of the places I've explored, only those which I did not.

Fortunately no MAJOR regrets - just a few cool industrial spots that were close to home but I couldnt be bothered to explore because of on-site security. In fact, being afraid to explore buildings with security guards inside is the main source of most of my regrets. I've done it plenty of times, but I often get super paranoid about being caught and will often steer clear, despite the awesomeness that's most surely inside. I've also wimped out of a few massive tunnelling projects in my area because they were either a) drinking water related or b) monitored by cameras. I've got pretty solid relationships with a few city Councillors and I'd hate to blow that by getting apprehended in a major project they'd have been willing to get me legit access to.

Posted by terapr0 In fact, being afraid to explore buildings with security guards inside is the main source of most of my regrets. I've done it plenty of times, but I often get super paranoid about being caught and will often steer clear, despite the awesomeness that's most surely inside..

For this reason I can almost never explore alone. Whether true or to scare people, my paranoia starts rolling when I see signs posted about security patrols. I almost passed up my best location so far because of such signs.

I had made all arrangements with a local friend to hit up Danvers, Met State, Northampton, and possibly the Worcester Admin. all in one weekend. I just needed to get a plane ticket and fly up there.

At the time I thought the ticket was too expensive. In hindsight I could have afforded it and in a very very short time most of those places were gone (now all gone).

Posted by Turd Furgusen I had made all arrangements with a local friend to hit up Danvers, Met State, Northampton, and possibly the Worcester Admin. all in one weekend. I just needed to get a plane ticket and fly up there. At the time I thought the ticket was too expensive. In hindsight I could have afforded it and in a very very short time most of those places were gone (now all gone).

That's actually one of the sadder stories. And makes me rethink being stingey about travel expenses.

Posted by Turd Furgusen I had made all arrangements with a local friend to hit up Danvers, Met State, Northampton, and possibly the Worcester Admin. all in one weekend. I just needed to get a plane ticket and fly up there. At the time I thought the ticket was too expensive. In hindsight I could have afforded it and in a very very short time most of those places were gone (now all gone).

If it's any consolation, I live less than an hour from almost all of those, but I was not deep enough into UE at the time to put in the effort. I still regret not going to those places all the time, so I have tried to force the memory - but not the lesson learned - from my head.

1) Not exploring more before I became an adult

2) Not exploring more before I became a parent

Less of an exploring regret and more of a life regret that relates to exploring...

I lived in Toronto from 2001 to 2006, the first three years I lived in the heart of downtown and could have hit every rooftop and every construction site imaginable, so many nights I sat in my dumb bachelor apartment wondering what the hell I could do. Had I only discovered this shit sooner the possibilities would have been endless.

My last 3 years in the city I lived literally a stones throw away from a massive abandoned power plant, which at that time is was still full of machines and equipment - right in the prime time to hit that location.

not going back here when it was still standing.


Molson Golden by z0th, on Flickr

-missing most of niagara falls explorations
-spending just a day in Pyestock and never comin back before demo
-even goddamn toronto malt
-iconic places in hamilton
... there is more and more
basically missing that whole time period (around 2005) when there still was grandness in locations around toronto that will never come back

Posted by Benched_it I always regret missing any building that has been demolished, remodeled, etc because I was using the "I'll hit it next week" excuse....

Amen to that.

Sometimes when I come across a large facility (there aren't many here) I'll feel overwhelmed and rush.

Posted by catdog23 Amen to that. Sometimes when I come across a large facility (there aren't many here) I'll feel overwhelmed and rush.

I totally understand that panicked rush to get into a building. Even if I know it's not going anywhere, I still rush my first trip. my second trips are always a little better, after I have the satisfaction of seeing the whole place I feel more relaxed and less pressure.

so far I see a lot about missed places, but extending on my original question, has anyone ever had to leave early, been rushed and missed a part of a building, never got to see a certain section of a building, etc? I am not discouraging missed building stories by any means, I am just wondering if others have had half-explore regrets too.

I've had several of those and all were due to trains. I like trains as much as I do urbex so no regrets really...

Posted by Leopard18I am just wondering if others have had half-explore regrets too.

Not getting to see whats beyond the Texas Door.

Maybe its the beer talking, but no regrets (yet)

Elwha Dam, Olympic Peninsula, WA

Demolished in 2011, before I properly understood what I was trying to photograph.

Realizing that there was an abandoned building that was demolished before you found it. There was an abandoned duplex house behind the local high school, but I never went that way and didn't hear about it until it had been demolished.

That's a story that has happened more than once to me.