Stay in a Yurt!
Love the Outdoors? Try a Camping Yurt!
Yurts were invented thousands of years ago by nomadic Mongols, but the circular homes are seeing a modern resurgence with campers. You can now live like a Mongol and stay in a yurt at private and state parks throughout the country.
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What is a Yurt?
Camping yurts are a new variation on a traditional structure
Merriam-Webster describes yurts as, "a circular domed tent of skins or felt stretched over a collapsible lattice framework and used by pastoral peoples of inner Asia; also : a structure that resembles a yurt usually in size and design."
Traditional yurts are homes built by nomadic herders of Mongolia. They have a lattice-wall framework with a covering of felted wool.
The modern canvas yurt is an adaptation of the traditional structure that incorporates nontraditional elements, but keeps the traditional flavor.
Rent a Yurt!
You don't have to visit the steppes of Mongolia to sleep in a yurt.
Yurts are becoming popular as alternative camping structures. Here are a few places you can spend a night in a yurt:
Kachemak Bay State Park in Alaska
Books About Yurts
If you're thinking about buying a yurt for a vacation home or regular home, here are some books that can help you decide whether the circular life is for you.
More Unusual Hotel Options
If a yurt isn't quite exotic enough for your sleeping pleasure, you might want to consider one of these places.
Out 'n About Treehouses in Oregon will let you spend the night in one of several (pretty fancy) treehouses.
At Jules Undersea Lodge in Florida, you can sleep in an underwater hotel - if you're a certified scuba diver who can dive 21 feet underwater to reach it.
In Idaho, you can bed down in a beagle. Yes, a beagle. Dog Bark Park Inn is a hotel shaped and painted to look like a giant beagle. Just don't tell your cat where you spent the night.
