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13 of the quirkiest Airbnb listings you can rent in Texas

Unique Airbnb rental options across the Lone Star State

Enjoy a gorgeous Texas sunset while you sit around the camp fire during your stay. (Airbnb)

You can find one-of-a-kind Airbnb listings across Texas, from a clothing-optional yacht to a German-inspired castle, and even a couple of converted train cars.

This Airbnb listing has a water-park-like pool, perfect for families

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Private paradise (Airbnb)

Capacity: 7 bedrooms, 16 beds, 5 baths, 16+ guests

Price per night: Rates from $3,925

Location: Dallas

15 miles south of Downtown Dallas, this 10-acre Airbnb rental is the perfect place for a family reunion: It’s got 7 bedrooms, 5 baths and some amazing amenities.

The water-park-like pool on site features a 25-foot slide, 10-foot slide, grotto, and a mushroom spray fountain. Other features include a couple of sports courts, a game room and a gazebo.

Rent a medieval fortress in Livingston

Castle “Schloss Sheppard” (Airbnb)

Capacity: 2 bedrooms, 3 beds, 1 bath, 5 guests

Price per night: Rates from $101

Location: Livingston, Texas

This Airbnb located in Livingston is a German-inspired medieval fortress dubbed the Schloss Sheppard Castle. Admirers of Old World opulence will appreciate the rental’s Medieval-Gothic styled canopy king bed, throne-style chairs and the trusty armored knight standing watch over the premises.

Rent this Airbnb and you not only get a castle, you also get a guesthouse.

This quaint and kitschy kingdom nestled among the woods near Lake Livingston offers several amenities including a boat ramp, pavilion, playground, grill and a community pool.

Totally tubular: This Dallas Airbnb is a haven for ’80s nostalgia

The McFly (Airbnb)

Capacity: 2 bedrooms, 4 beds, 1 bath, 4 guests

Price per night: Rates from $132

Location: Dallas

Got a hankering for all the trappings of your childhood? Get your fix with a stay at an Airbnb inspired by ’80s nostalgia.

The creation of owners Jeremy and Kelsey, the pad dubbed “The McFly” (The name is a nod to 1980s sci-fi classic “Back to the Future”) is an eighties kid’s dream home.

The home sports wicked aesthetics, like a pastel color palette and tons of nostalgic knickknacks including an original, working NES nintendo, a phone box, and, a vintage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle arcade game. Cowabunga, dudes! And in the kitchen, lodgers will find a stash of sugary sweets, including a stockpile of pop tarts and a cereal bar.

The listing is located in Dallas’s Lower Greenville area.

This Airbnb is a poolside tree house in the Texas Hill Country

Redwood Tree Haus - Cloud Lane (Airbnb)

Capacity: 2 bedrooms, 4 beds, 1 bath, 8 guests

Price per night: Rates from $525

Location: New Braunfels

Planning a family trip to New Braunfels? Forget traditional lodging. Book a stay at this massive tree house listed on Airbnb. Your children will thank you.

The two-bedroom, one-bathroom listing is one of four tree houses located at Cloud Lane in the Texas Hill Country.

The tree houses surround a shared saltwater pool equipped with a swim up bar, hot tub and child’s splash area. There’s also a cabana and play area nearby. And just short walk away, access to Lake Dunlap and the Guadalupe River.

The listing is just a short drive from Schlitterbahn Waterpark, Gruene and Gruene Hall and other New Braunfels-area tourist destinations.

All aboard, y’all! This Fredericksburg Airbnb rental is a turn-of-the-century train car

Capacity: 1 bedroom, 1 bed, 2 baths, 2 guests

Price per night: Rates from $250

Location: Fredericksburg

Planning a weekend getaway in Fredericksburg? Why stay in a run-of-the-mill motel when you can bunk in this old-timey train car turned Airbnb? Whether you’re a train buff or a unique Airbnb aficionado, you’ll love this unusual small town retreat sporting a vintage feel, modern amenities and a price tag that won’t break the bank ($250 per night).

Binge your favorite train flicks (e.g. ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, ‘Strangers on a Train’, ‘Back to the Future Part III’) and live it up in this one-bedroom, two-bathroom train car walking distance from Main Street in Fredericksburg.

Back in its days as an active train car, distinguished passengers of this 1895 Pullman palace car included President Theodore Roosevelt and Comanche leader Quanah Parker.

Shiver me timbers: This West Texas Airbnb listing is a clothing-optional yacht docked in the desert

West Texas Airbnb listing (Airbnb)

Capacity: 1 bedroom, 1 bed, 1 bath, 2 guests

Price per night: Rates from $85

Location: Terlingua

Ahoy, adventurers! We’ve got quite a quirky listing for you: It’s a clothing-optional yacht docked in the desert.

Ok, so here’s the skinny on the listing: This Big Bend adjacent yacht boasts one bedroom, a kitchen, an upper deck perfect for stargazing, and loads of privacy (thank goodness). There’s a compostable toilet at the campsite and a shower house offering more contemporary commodes nearby.

Glamp it up Texas-style in this covered wagon

Enjoy a gorgeous Texas sunset while you sit around the camp fire during your stay. (Airbnb)

Capacity: 3 beds, 1 bath, 4 guests

Price per night: Rates from $192

Location: Fredericksburg

Do you harbor a deep-seated desire to sleep the night away in a covered wagon? Well, what kind of Texan would you be if you didn’t? Fulfill a Texas rite of passage and glamp it up in style at a Texas Airbnb so Texas it can actually contain your overbrimming love for the Lone Star State.

Ok, so here’s the skinny on the listing: The 220-square-foot wagon is a replica of a Conestoga wagon that made its way to Fredericksburg about 150 years ago.

As if by magic, this wagon contains a King-size bed, a bunk bed, chairs and a small table. Just steps from the wagon sits a small cabin boasting a private shower and commode. And outside, you’ll find a fire pit.

Book a room in Galveston’s Grand Manor Mansion

Grand Manor Mansion (Airbnb)

Capacity: 1 bedroom, 2 beds, 1.5 baths, 4 guests

Price per night: Rates from $90

Location: Galveston

Old home aficionados will love this Aribnb rental. The Grand Manor Mansion is a turn-of-the-century, Victorian-style home built in Galveston in 1905. The mansion was converted into a bed and breakfast, offering visitors a well-appointed lodging options a short walk away from Galveston’s Historic Strand District.

This ‘Fixer Upper’ barndominium listed on Airbnb is the perfect family vacation rental

Barndominium (Airbnb)

Capacity: 5 bedrooms, 10 beds, 2 baths, 16+ guests

Price per night: Rates from $885

Location: Lacy Lakeview

You and your family hankering for a small-town escape but don’t want to drive too far? Is HGTV hands-down your favorite channel? Do you consider yourself a connoisseur of the modern farmhouse aesthetic? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we’ve found you the perfect weekend getaway.

For you, we have cozy digs designed by Waco’s very own Chip and Joanna Gaines. The Barndominium, a horse barn turned 5-bedroom home featured on the couple’s HGTV hit show, “Fixer Upper,” is up for grabs on Airbnb.

Binge your favorite HGTV show while you live it up at this Insta-worthy Airbnb sitting on 16 acres in Lacy Lakeview, Texas.

This Airbnb is a converted rail car decked out in train memorabilia

The Santa Fe Railroad Car (Airbnb)

Capacity: 1 bedroom, 4 beds, 1 baths, 4 guests

Price per night: Rates from $175

Location: Glen Rose

One of many boarding options at the Country Woods Inn in Glen Rose, the Santa Fe Rail Car is a converted rail car decked out in train memorabilia.

It sleeps four and offers a full kitchen, a sitting area, and an old-fashioned bathroom with claw-foot tub. Want to stretch your legs and expand your horizons beyond the cozy quarters of your converted box car? Take a hike. Literally. Country Woods Inn is nestled on 40 wooded acres along the banks of the Paluxy River and it’s all ripe for exploration.

Hey, hey, hey: This rad pad is all that and a bag of chips

The Slater (Airbnb)

Capacity: 2 bedrooms, 4 beds, 1 bath, 2 guests

Price per night: Rates from $175

Location: Dallas

The creation of owners Jeremy and Kelsey, this Airbnb listing dubbed “The Slater” (a name inspired by hit sitcom “Saved by the Bell”) is a nineties kid’s dream home.

The home sports unreal aesthetics, including a dining room inspired by the Max (the diner in “Saved by the Bell”), a stash of ’90s films and sitcoms featuring seven VHS tapes-worth of “Saved By the Bell” episodes, with commercials, a Nintendo 64 and more nineties throwbacks. In one bedroom, “New Kid on the Block” posters plaster the walls. Out in the hall, a Blockbuster sign reminds visitors that there was an age before Netflix, and outside, stands a Big Mac jail from an old McDonald’s playground.

This Texas Airbnb rental is a dreamy tree house-cabin hybrid

Capacity: 1 bedroom, 1 bed, 1 bath, 2 guests

Price per night: Rates from $192

Location: Glen Rose

Do you and your significant other bond over a mutual love of bird watching? Ok, not relatable enough? How about this: Need a weekend getaway far, far from the hustle and bustle of city living? If so, we’ve got the perfect Texas Airbnb for you: It’s known as ‘The Nest’ and its part-tree house, part-cabin.

Whether you’re a bird watching enthusiast, a unique Airbnb aficionado, or just an overworked urbanite desperate for wide-open spaces and a weekend free from work emails, you’ll love this unusual retreat sporting a bohemian feel and beautiful views of the Texas countryside.

If you’re in need of digital detox, you’re in luck. This Airbnb doesn’t have Wi-Fi or a TV. You’ve been warned: Prepare to return to a pre-Internet existence (Trust us, it’s good for you!)

Snuggle up with a good book and glamp away in this 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom bungalow in Glen Rose,Texas. If you get cabin fever, try taking a walk around the property. Splash around in Possum Hollow Creek or head to the Paluxy River nearby.

Stay the night in a renovated train depot or converted caboose

1890s Missouri-Pacific Train Depot & Cabooses, New Braunfels (Airbnb)

Capacity: 1 bedroom, 1 bed, 1 bath, 2 guests

Price per night: Rates from $99

Location: New Braunfels

Planning a weekend getaway in New Braunfels? Why stay in a run-of-the-mill hotel when you can bunk in a train caboose turned Airbnb?

Planning a large family gathering? Skip the caboose and opt to rent an1890s Missouri-Pacific train depot converted into a three-bedroom Airbnb instead. Whether you’re a train buff or a unique Airbnb aficionado, you’ll love the unusual lodgings, three cabooses and a train depot, available on a wooded, 18-acre property in the heart of the Texas Hill Country.

The train depot and cabooses all rent separately. Bonus: There’s a pool, deck and a couple of grills on site for added fun.

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Don’t get caught off guard. Before setting off on your adventure, familiarize yourself with adjusted hours and follow guidelines around social distancing and other COVID-19 safety measures required by the destinations you visit.


About the Author
Briana Zamora-Nipper headshot

Briana Zamora-Nipper joined the KPRC 2 digital team in 2019. When she’s not hard at work in the KPRC 2 newsroom, you can find Bri drinking away her hard earned wages at JuiceLand, running around Hermann Park, listening to crime podcasts or ransacking the magazine stand at Barnes & Noble.

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