When it comes to finding a place to stay the night, you don’t have to settle for a standard hotel room. Opportunities abound for those seeking something truly different.
Here are nine of the most unusual accommodations in the United States, from a WWII submarine to a cave carved into a sandstone cliff.
1. A Hotel Built for Fantasy: Adventure Suites, New Hampshire
In the Deserted Island suite at Adventure Suites in North Conway, New Hampshire, guests sleep in a giant oyster-shaped bed that opens and closes, surrounded by island decor. That’s just one of the themed rooms at this one-of-a-kind property, which has been named one of the top ten theme hotels in the world.
Other options include the Dragon’s Lair, where a round “floating” bed takes center stage, and The Jungle, complete with a thatch roof and waterfall.
Learn more about Adventure Suites here.
2. Sleep in a Train Car: The Hotel Chalet at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, Tennessee
Train enthusiasts who check into the Hotel Chalet at the Chattanooga Choo Choo in Tennessee will think they’ve arrived at railroad heaven. Of the 127 guest rooms, 25 are located in lovingly restored Victorian and Pullman train carriages from the 1920s and 1960s.
The property, which anchors the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo entertainment complex, earned a Michelin Guide One Key Hotel designation and sits at the center of the city’s lively Southside district.
Learn more about Hotel Chalet here.
3. Bunk With History: USS Cobia Submarine, Wisconsin
The accommodations are tight but unforgettable aboard the USS Cobia, a WWII-era submarine moored along the Manitowoc River in Wisconsin. Launched in 1943, the Cobia completed six war patrols in the Pacific, sinking 13 Japanese vessels. Today, she’s a National Historic Landmark and the centerpiece of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.
Guests can book an overnight stay through the museum’s “Sub Bnb” Airbnb listing, sleeping in the same sailors’ bunk beds used during wartime, with after-hours access to the full museum. In 2025, the Cobia returned from a major dry-dock restoration in Sturgeon Bay, her first in nearly 30 years.
For more information, visit wisconsinmaritime.org.
4. Life in the Canopy: TreeHouse Point, Washington
Those who prefer to rise above it all can relive childhood memories of playing in a treehouse at TreeHouse Point, located in a lush old-growth forest 30 minutes east of Seattle.
Seven handcrafted treehouses are perched above the Raging River in Washington’s Snoqualmie Valley, designed by Pete Nelson of the TV series Treehouse Masters.
Cabins range from the temple-like Temple of the Blue Moon to the cozy Nest, tucked in cedar and spruce trees. The property was voted Best NW Romantic Getaway in 2025. Reservations book up quickly and require advance planning.
Learn more about Treehouse Point here.
5. A Room with a Very High View: Jersey Jim Fire Lookout Tower, Colorado
The Jersey Jim Fire Lookout Tower was built for a more serious purpose than enjoying the view. It’s one of the hundreds of structures once used by forest rangers to watch for wildfires across the country.
Located in the San Juan National Forest in Colorado, the cabin sits 55 feet (and 70 steps) above a meadow at an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet.
Inside are the original furniture and ranger logbook, along with propane-powered heating, lighting, a refrigerator and an oven. The tower is available from late May to mid-October.
For more information, visit Jersey Jim Foundation’s Lodgify listing.
6. Become a Lighthouse Keeper: Rose Island, Rhode Island
Although it stands 20 feet shorter than the fire tower, the Rose Island Lighthouse offers an equally dramatic, if different, view. It sits on an 18-acre island in Narragansett Bay, off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island.
The base of the lighthouse is a museum occupying rooms restored to look as though the keepers still lived there. In fact, it’s possible to become a keeper for a night or longer.
Short-term guests take on a few light chores: raising and lowering the flag, turning on the generator. Weekly keeper-guests take on additional responsibilities, including checking the weather and managing the wind-powered electric and rainwater systems.
Learn more about Rose Island Lighthouse here.
7. Underground Luxury: Kokopelli’s Cave B&B, New Mexico
Kokopelli’s Cave Bed & Breakfast in Farmington, New Mexico, is no mere hole in the ground. Carved into a 60-million-year-old sandstone cliff face and stretching nearly 1,700 square feet, the carpeted grotto includes a full kitchen, a waterfall-style shower and jacuzzi tub, and views of the La Plata River Valley 280 feet below.
The cave can accommodate up to eight guests and stays between 68 and 73 degrees year-round. It’s open March 1 through November 30, with rates starting at $380 per night for two.
Learn more about Kokopelli’s Cave Bed & Breakfast here.
8. The Deepest Sleep: Jules’ Undersea Lodge, Florida
Another low-down experience awaits guests at Jules’ Undersea Lodge. Originally built as an underwater research laboratory in the 1970s, the lodge sits on the floor of a mangrove lagoon off Key Largo, Florida, accessible only by scuba diving 21 feet beneath the surface.
The living area includes two bedrooms and a common space, with 42-inch round windows looking out onto a gathering place for angelfish, barracuda, snapper and other reef fish.
Non-divers receive a brief introductory scuba course to access the lodge. Rates start from $675 per person, depending on the package.
For more information, visit jul.com.
9. Back to Basics: The Shady Dell, Arizona
The Shady Dell in Bisbee, Arizona, about 90 miles southeast of Tucson, puts a stylish spin on the great American road trip. Since 1927, it has occupied a spot along what was once U.S. Route 80, the first all-weather coast-to-coast highway.
Today, guests stay in nine fully-furnished vintage trailers from the 1940s and 1950s, each restored and fitted out with period-appropriate decor, including black-and-white TVs playing classic shows.
The Shady Dell was named to USA Today’s Ten Best Vintage Trailer Hotels list in 2025.
Learn more about The Shady Dell here.
10. Delta Blues Immersion: The Shack Up Inn, Mississippi
The word “basic” applies to the home-away-from-home at the Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale, Mississippi, though it wears that label like a badge of honor.
Set on the historic Hopson Plantation in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, the inn offers refurbished sharecroppers’ shacks and tenant houses furnished in what it describes as “a flea market lover’s dream.”
The motto is “The Ritz we ain’t,” and the property lives up to it. Behind the ramshackle facades, rooms have been renovated with electricity, plumbing, heat and air conditioning. Mismatched furniture and walls adorned with old photographs complete the mood. Live blues music plays on weekends.
Learn more about the Shack Up Inn here.
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Author Bio: After gallivanting throughout the United States and to more than 75 other countries around the world, and writing about what he sees, does and learns, Victor Block retains the travel bug. He firmly believes that travel is the best possible education, and claims he still has a lot to learn. He loves to explore new destinations and cultures, and his stories about them have won a number of writing awards. Read his travel blog on Go World Travel.
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