I paid $40 for a 'ghost mall' tour in Ohio and it was just a guy walking me past a boarded JCPenney

Emery Walker · 2026-10-08T20:10:03.165389+00:00

So about two months ago I saw a listing online for a guided explore of a dead mall outside Akron, $40 a head, and the photos looked amazing with the escalators and the old fountain. I drove 90 minutes to get there and the guy just walked six of us around the outside for 45 minutes, pointing at a boarded up JCPenney and telling stories he clearly got off Wikipedia. He promised we would get inside the food court but kept saying the owner changed the locks, which I'm pretty sure was never going to happen anyway. Me and another guy on the tour both dropped $40 and got zero interior shots, just parking lot pics of a Sears sign. If you see paid tours pop up in your area, ask for proof they actually go inside before you pay, or better yet just get permission from the property owner yourself. Did anyone else get burned by one of these paid explore groups, and did you ever get your money back?

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I paid $40 for a 'ghost mall' tour in Ohio and it was just a guy walking me past a boarded JCPenney | Dead Mall Explorers - Librear