• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Chilling reason why hotel resort has a secret bunker which could house 1,000 people

Home> News> US News

Published 08:30 12 Apr 2024 GMT+1

Chilling reason why hotel resort has a secret bunker which could house 1,000 people

The Greenbrier in West Virginia isn't just your average hotel

Olivia Burke

Olivia Burke

When you check into a hotel knowing there is a secret underground bunker which can fit up to 1,000 people underneath it, you might sleep a bit sounder - although you better hope you don't need to use it.

Nowadays, the sprawling shelter is regarded as a nice perk that comes with staying at the super swanky resort situated near White Sulphur Springs in West Virginia, which could come in quite handy during a crisis.

But it's also a very interesting tourist attraction which welcomes visitors from all over the world, thanks to its extraordinary past and riveting origin story.

With 1,000 beds to sleep in, a cafe to dine at, a hospital and a broadcast centre all crammed behind a 25-ton blast door, the bunker underneath The Greenbrier has everything you might need if things go sideways.

Advert

The Greenbrier is a lot more than just a luxury hotel (Getty Images)
The Greenbrier is a lot more than just a luxury hotel (Getty Images)

But this secret hideout below the surface of the luxury hotel wasn't built for any ordinary Joe to hunker down in, but rather all of the US' lawmakers - and a personal assistant for each of them.

The existence of it only came to light 32 years ago when The Washington Post reporter Ted Gup wrote an article about it, so locals were left pretty shocked when they found out there had been a nuclear bunker on their doorsteps all this time.

Covertly constructed from 1959 to 1962 with a 'cut-and-cover' style method, the fortress beneath The Greenbrier was built to house all the members of the United States Congress in the event of an emergency at the height of the Cold War.

The government got in touch with the high-end hotel for assistance in creating the bunker, which had the code name 'Project Greek Island', through fear that officials might need to shelter if a nuclear holocaust unfolded.

Advert

The bunker was built to house up to 1,000 people (The Greenbrier Resort)
The bunker was built to house up to 1,000 people (The Greenbrier Resort)

The building work was cleverly disguised by the erection of the West Virginia Wing, an above-ground addition to the hotel, meaning no one had a clue about its presence.

Upon completion, the 112,544 square-foot bolthole made out of reinforced concrete was stocked up with loads of supplies, although thankfully none of the 535 members of Congress ever had to use them.

The bunker boasts decontamination chambers, an intensive care unit, auditoriums as well as a communications briefing room, so that officials could at least try and run the country from there if they needed.

The Greenbrier bunker's broadcast centre was also equipped with large changeable seasonal backdrops so members of Congress could pretend they were broadcasting from Washington and that everything was under control.

Advert

Thankfully, members of Congress haven't had to use it (The Greenbrier Resort)
Thankfully, members of Congress haven't had to use it (The Greenbrier Resort)

Now a National Historic Landmark, it's existence only came to light in 1992 and the government immediately decommissioned the bunker as soon as it became public knowledge.

These days, the sprawling hidey-hole is used as a data storage facility for the private sector, but us ordinary folks can finally step foot in there too.

As it's no longer veiled in secrecy, The Greenbrier allows visitors to tour the declassified facilities, known as The Bunker, to enjoy an 'unforgettable' journey through the corridors and chambers of one of America’s most closely guarded Cold War secrets.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images / Alex Wong/Getty Images

Topics: History, US News, Politics, World News, Weird

Olivia Burke
Olivia Burke

Olivia is a journalist at LADbible Group with more than five years of experience and has worked for a number of top publishers, including News UK. She also enjoys writing food reviews (as well as the eating part). She is a stereotypical reality TV addict, but still finds time for a serious documentary.

X

@livburke_

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

2 hours ago
3 hours ago
  • 2 hours ago

    Doctor reveals patient's brain turned blue after taking 'limitless pill' that's gone viral on TikTok

    People on social media have hailed the substance a ‘game changer for mental clarity and longevity’

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Doctor shares the nine warning signs of heart failure and how to spot them

    Dr Jen Caudle has revealed the nine 'most common' symptoms of the condition

    News
  • 3 hours ago

    Director of shocking horror banned across world was murdered in unsolved crime just weeks before film's release

    The 17-year-old boy initially sentenced for the death of horror director Pier Paolo Pasolini retracted their confession in 2005

    News
  • 3 hours ago

    Final wish of British grandmother revealed after she has spent 12 years on death row with fresh ‘hope of being released’

    Lindsay Sandiford has spent more than a decade on death row in Bali

    News
  • Expert reveals how Iran could 'use secret agents to sabotage UK' following chilling threat
  • Why two people are buried in graves under runway at airport
  • Former CIA agent claims they know where Ark of the Covenant is after release of secret file
  • Google Maps shows two people buried in graves under airport runway as bizarre reason is explained