Jules' Undersea Lodge
Photo: Courtesy of Jules' Undersea Lodge

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to sleep underwater or inside a prison—there’s a hotel for that.

Offering more than just a bed near the sights, theme hotels are quickly becoming destinations for adventurous travelers.

Consider Wigwam Village in Arizona, where guests stay in tepees, a preferred sleeping arrangement of road-trippers in the 1940s. At Jules' Undersea Lodge in Florida, scuba training is required for check in.

Here, 10 reasons to skip the standard room and check into a cave, a giant wooden beagle or a simulated golf course.

Jules' Undersea Lodge

Key Largo, FL

Guests need scuba training—offered on site—to check into this hotel's underwater suites. Incredibly, there's room service: Staff divers will deliver well-wrapped pizzas from local restaurants ($500 per person per night).

Dog Bark Park Inn
Photo: Courtesy of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B

Dog Bark Park Inn

Cottonwood, ID

Originally a roadside attraction, this massive wooden beagle is now a B&B. Alongside, there's a port-a-potty hidden in a 12-foot-tall fire hydrant (doubles with breakfast from $92).

Wigwam Village
Photo: © David A Eastley/Alamy

Wigwam Village

Holbrook, AZ

1940s road-trippers witnessed the country's brief profusion of "wigwam hotels." A few remain, like this Arizona property where guests sleep in freestanding concrete tepees (doubles from $54 per night).

Beckham Creek Cave Lodge
Photo: Courtesy of Beckham Creek Cave Lodge

Beckham Creek Cave Lodge

Parthenon, AR

It took four years to turn this Ozarks cave into a hotel. Dehumidifiers keep dampness at bay, and natural sunlight penetrates the space through large windows (from $450 per night).

The Liberty Hotel
Photo: Courtesy of The Liberty Hotel

The Liberty Hotel

Boston, MA

For more than 100 years, this riverside property was a prison with a view. Today, it's a luxe hotel that retains the cell doors and catwalks from its past life. Visit Clink restaurant for crisp-seared Berkshire pork belly from Eleven Madison Park escapee Joseph Margate (doubles from $295).

Winvian
Photo: Courtesy of Winvian

Winvian

Litchfield Hills, CT

The Winvian's helicopter cottage houses a 17,000 lb chopper that's been turned into a private lounge. Want something cozier? Choose from the woodland compound's 18 other quirky rooms, like one modeled after the inside of a beaver's den (doubles from $650).

Kate's Lazy Meadow Motel
Photo: © BUTTER

Kate's Lazy Meadow Motel

Mt. Tremper, NY

True to form for flamboyantly retro B-52s singer Kate Pierson, her Catskills retreat is awash in vintage kitsch. Multihued appliances complement Midcentury-Modern sofas and easy chairs (cabins from $17).

Aurora Express Bed & Breakfast
Photo: Courtesy of Aurora Express Bed & Breakfast

Aurora Express Bed & Breakfast

Fairbanks, AK

Owners Mike and Sue Wilson pieced together their B&B from retired railroad cars, hauling them one by one to this ridge overlooking Fairbanks. The newest is an 85-foot-long dining car (double cars from $145).