Have you ever wished you could step into the pages of a “Harry Potter” book and live in the wizarding world? If so, we’ve got the perfect vacation destination for you!
Introducing one of Airbnb’s newest rentals, an unassuming tent nestled amid the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, North Carolina. When you first approach it, it looks like a plain old tent, but step inside and you’ll find that it’s anything but ordinary.
For starters, there’s a massive 12-foot purple slide that brings you to an underground living space that’s truly stranger than fiction.
Fans of Harry Potter may recall that the characters in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” stay in tents while attending the Quidditch World Cup. Wizard’s tents appear small on the outside, but inside they’re as big as a house. Thanks to Mike and Caroline Parrish and their vacation rental business Treehouses of Serenity, now you can sleep inside a wizard’s tent, too.
“Alchemy” is the newest in Treehouses of Serenity’s treehouse community. They’ve been building creative, custom treehouses and other whimsical rentals since 2016, after they were inspired by an episode of “Treehouse Masters.”
They’ve built seven properties so far, including “The Perch,” an elevated treehouse, and “Wizard’s Hollow.” All of these structures are incredibly popular rentals on Airbnb. In 2021 the couple was browsing Pinterest when they saw pictures of an underground bunker, inspiring their next idea for a tent that leads to an underground home fit for a wizard.
“We thought, how cool would it be to have a tent sitting there and people pull up and think, what in the world is going on here?” said Mike. “And then they come into the tent and find the slide.”
“Alchemy” is built into the side of a hill, so there’s plenty of light and views of the mountains even though it’s technically underground.
The property took six months to build and cost about $300,000. It’s fully equipped with all of the comforts of home, including a full kitchen and bath and room for four people to sleep comfortably. It’s also got heat, air conditioning, and a side entrance for anyone who doesn’t want to enter using the slide.
As for decor, Caroline prides herself on creating whimsical spaces using largely thrifted materials. In order to keep the tent-like feeling, she draped the walls with colorful canvas reminiscent of a circus tent.
“Keeping in mind that the inside should appear to be a tent,” Caroline said. “We surely didn’t want to use Sheetrock walls. I bought yards and yards of fabric to put on the walls.”
Outside, guests can step into “Enchantment,” a separate tent designed to be an outdoor living space for roasting marshmallows and admiring the stunning mountain views.
“Alchemy” opened on Airbnb in February 2022 for a nightly rate of $396. So far it’s been a huge hit with guests.
“If you’re looking for a memorable experience this is perfect,” wrote a recent guest named Courtney. “Our kids will be talking about the tent house with the slide for years to come.”
Okay, who else is packing their bags for Asheville right now? We would stay in this unique and creative tent in a heartbeat!
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