Inside billion-dollar ghost town that sheriff is urging people to avoid

A Missouri ghost town has become a hot destination for TikTok fans, who are flooding the app with videos from the deserted billion-dollar resort.

The 900-acre Indian Ridge resort near Branson was created in 2006 and valued at $1.6 billion. It was supposed to include luxury mansions, a marina, condos, the country’s second-largest indoor water park, vacation homes, and a Native American history museum.

But in 2008, the developers went bankrupt and with the financial crash and allegations of real estate fraud, and in 2015, four people were arrested on charges of bank fraud.

As evidenced by the resort’s appearance, some of the luxurious buildings were almost finished while others still in construction have deteriorated.

Whether or not there are ghosts present at all, it’s best to avoid taking a trip to the abandoned resort - the local sheriff recently warned people that trespass was a jailable offence.

Instead, take a virtual journey in pictures and video. It’s easier, and you don’t have to risk arrest in Missouri.

Exposed brick can be seen on the sides of the crumbling mansions.

There are fragments of wood and other materials littering the grass outside.

Once inside, explorers are greeted by yellowing, cracked walls...

And graffiti featuring the words: “Pleasure awaits you.”

Continuing up the wooden stairs, other phrases are daubed on walls on the way to rooms covered in debris and the occasional broken window.

Intrigued? Check out more from the ghost town in the TikTok video below.