Not every family vacation has to involve Mickey Mouse, sandy beaches, or overpriced soft drinks. Some families are skipping the usual attractions and opting for the wonderfully weird. We’re talking vacations that make you go, “Wait… is this legal?” or “Who came up with this and why?”
Whether you’re feeling adventurous or just need something to tell your coworkers that isn’t “we went to the lake again,” here are 20 of the strangest, most unforgettable vacation ideas in the USA — starting with a few that will make your kids say, “Seriously?”
1️⃣ Sleep in a Giant Potato – Boise, Idaho
Yes, it’s a real 6-ton potato. No, you can’t eat it. This Airbnb is shaped like a baked potato and comes with a queen bed, cow-themed decor, and more Instagram cred than a trip to Paris.
Why it’s weird:
Because someone said, “Let’s hollow out a potato and rent it,” and the world said, “Heck yes.”
2️⃣ Goat Yoga Retreat – Multiple States
It’s yoga. With goats. On your back. While you try to center your soul and avoid getting headbutted mid–downward dog. This is the kind of wellness people didn’t know they needed.
Why it’s weird:
You’ll spend $40 to stretch in a field while a goat named Kevin judges your flexibility. It’s oddly peaceful.
3️⃣ AlienFest – Roswell, New Mexico
Perfect for families who want to wear tin foil hats unironically. During AlienFest, the whole town goes full intergalactic with costume contests, UFO lectures, and plenty of alien merch.
Why it’s weird:
You can dress your toddler as a grey alien and no one will even blink.
4️⃣ Vacation in a Clown Motel – Tonopah, Nevada
Welcome to nightmare fuel. This motel is fully decked out in clown memorabilia — hundreds of them — and sits next to a cemetery. Because why not?
Why it’s weird:
It’s like staying inside a Stephen King novel. Great for spooky season. Or therapy later.
5️⃣ Drive Through a Giant Redwood Tree – Leggett, California
Pack up the minivan and drive it through a tree. Not around. Not beside. Straight through the middle of a 2,000-year-old redwood that probably didn’t consent to this.
Why it’s weird:
You’ll risk scratching your car for a photo that says, “Look, we endangered nature… for likes.”
6️⃣ Stay in a Dog-Shaped Inn – Cottonwood, Idaho
If your family loves dogs, you’ll lose your mind over this one. It’s a massive beagle-shaped building where you sleep inside the dog. Bonus: There’s a fire hydrant out front, naturally.
Why it’s weird:
Because most hotels don’t come with ears and a tail. Also, this is the only vacation where “we’re staying in the doghouse” is a good thing.
7️⃣ Dig for Diamonds – Murfreesboro, Arkansas
At Crater of Diamonds State Park, you pay a small fee, grab a shovel, and dig around in a hot field all day. If you’re lucky, you might find an actual diamond. If not, you’ll find sunburn and rocks.
Why it’s weird:
It’s like “Gold Rush,” but with more mosquitoes and higher hopes. One kid did find a 7-carat gem. So now your kids will expect one too.
8️⃣ Stay at a Haunted Prison B&B – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Eastern State Penitentiary is now a museum, but nearby? You can sleep in themed rooms inspired by actual cells. Nothing screams “family bonding” like bunking next to a ghost named Warden McSpooky.
Why it’s weird:
You’ll pay money to sleep badly and possibly get possessed. Still better than your last hotel on I-95.
9️⃣ The Corn Palace – Mitchell, South Dakota
Imagine an entire building covered in corn. Now imagine people going out of their way to visit it. That’s the Corn Palace — a fully functioning arena decorated annually with murals made entirely of corn, husks, and other produce.
Why it’s weird:
It’s a shrine to corn. Not pop stars. Not presidents. Just corn. And somehow… it slaps.
🔟 Mermaid Camp – Weeki Wachee, Florida
Ever dreamed of swimming like a mermaid? You can. At a real-life mermaid training camp. For adults and kids. You’ll wear a glittery tail, learn to flip underwater, and try not to cramp mid-flourish.
Why it’s weird:
It’s part vacation, part aquatic cosplay. You leave with a certificate and very confusing photos for your coworkers.
1️⃣1️⃣ Carhenge – Alliance, Nebraska
It’s Stonehenge, but made out of old cars. A perfectly accurate replica using spray-painted junkers stacked upright in a field. Ancient mystery? Not quite. Still wildly awesome? Yes.
Why it’s weird:
It answers the question: “What if aliens preferred Buicks?”
1️⃣2️⃣ Sleep in a Giant Wine Barrel – Paso Robles, California
For parents who need a break: stay in a luxury wine barrel suite in the middle of California wine country. It’s like being inside your favorite beverage. Don’t worry, it doesn’t leak.
Why it’s weird:
It’s the only time being “inside the barrel” is relaxing.
1️⃣3️⃣ World’s Largest Ball of Twine – Cawker City, Kansas
It’s a very big ball of twine. That’s it. People travel from all over to see it, take photos with it, and sometimes add their own twine to keep the legacy alive.
Why it’s weird:
It’s just string. But somehow it has more followers than your family Instagram account.
1️⃣4️⃣ Live Like a Pioneer at Conner Prairie – Fishers, Indiana
Ditch the phones, the snacks, and the air conditioning. At Conner Prairie, you and your family can role-play as 1800s settlers — churning butter, making candles, and not complaining (hopefully).
Why it’s weird:
You’re paying money to live like your great-great-grandma… on purpose.
1️⃣5️⃣ Dinosaur World – Cave City, Kentucky
Hundreds of life-sized dinosaurs hidden in the woods, just waiting for your kids to scream “T-Rex!” 87 times in a row. It’s part museum, part fever dream.
Why it’s weird:
It’s Jurassic Park… if the dinosaurs were made of fiberglass and posed mid-roar with no explanation.
1️⃣6️⃣ Treehouse Resort Stay – Eureka Springs, Arkansas
You can sleep in the trees — like, legit elevated treehouses with beds, balconies, and running water. It’s a rustic fantasy with just enough modern comfort to keep the kids from revolting.
Why it’s weird:
Because you’re staying in a tree like a raccoon — but with wifi.
1️⃣7️⃣ Wigwam Motel – Holbrook, Arizona
Yes, you can sleep in a concrete teepee. These classic roadside motels from the 1930s look like giant wigwams and have retro cars parked outside for the full vintage vibe.
Why it’s weird:
It’s Route 66 nostalgia at its finest — and weirdest. It’s like camping… if the campsite were shaped like a giant ice cream cone.
1️⃣8️⃣ Gnome Countryside – Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
A real couple turned their woodland home into a magical gnome forest complete with tiny doors, miniature bridges, and mystical storytelling tours.
Why it’s weird:
It’s a forest full of gnomes. Your kids will love it. You’ll leave with questions.
1️⃣9️⃣ The International Banana Museum – Mecca, California
This museum holds over 25,000 banana-themed items — banana phones, banana dolls, banana socks. They also sell banana milkshakes that reviewers swear are life-changing.
Why it’s weird:
There are this many banana objects in one place, and not one security guard in a gorilla suit? Missed opportunity.
2️⃣0️⃣ Stay in a UFO – Green Bank, West Virginia
This spaceship-shaped Airbnb glows, hovers (sort of), and looks like it crash-landed in your childhood dreams. Complete with glowing lights, round beds, and alien plush toys.
Why it’s weird:
It’s the only vacation where your kids can truthfully say, “We slept in a UFO and didn’t get probed.”
Vacations don’t have to be cookie-cutter to be unforgettable. Whether you’re into haunted motels, potato Airbnbs, or gnome tours, the U.S. has no shortage of gloriously strange places to explore. These are the trips your kids will still be talking about when they’re 40 — possibly in therapy, but still.
So skip the usual. Go weird. Make memories. And maybe pack an alien costume… just in case.
