A Giant Fake Potato Was Turned into an Airbnb and Now I Want To Vacation in Idaho
Depending on what place you choose to call home, your commute may dish up wide open spaces or bumper-to-bumper traffic. Rush hour is a morale killer, and a gridlock of unremarkable vehicles turns the roadway into a sea of black, white, gray and the occasional pop of red or some other bright color.
Every once in a while you’ll spot an interesting or unusual car, and there are a few unique vehicles some people get excited about. The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile is one such shocking feat of engineering.
The Big Idaho Potato Truck is another fantastical sight — less because of its shape, and more because of its cargo: a 6-ton concrete potato. It’s become a roadway icon, and people keep their eyes peeled for a glimpse of the Giant Potato.
According to The Famous Idaho Potato Tour, the truck and its cargo began touring in 2012, commemorating the Idaho Potato Commission’s 75th year of existence by driving the spudly monstrosity cross-country and lending a helping hand to charities as they traveled.
After six years of being lugged around on the truck bed, the 10-foot-wide tuber had earned its retirement. A new fiberglass potato weighing only 4 tons was ready to take its place, according to KTVB, but that posed a problem: What to do with the huge tater.
The cast-off caught the eye of an enterprising woman who thought “That would make a great Airbnb opportunity.” The square footage was workable, so Kristie Wolfe got the gigantic Russet and had it installed in South Boise, Idaho, where it’s surrounded by fields.
Wolfe had a lot of work ahead of her to turn the large potato into living quarters. According to the San Luis Obispo Tribune, she had to spray several inches of foam on the inside of the spud to create insulation and cover the framework.
She added a nice floor, some nooks for lighting, a queen-sized bed, seating, and an antler chandelier. From the outside, you don’t expect much — and she’s certainly turned the unlikely tuber into a charming living area.
The bathroom is in an external building, and the rental is only available to adults, but it’s certainly unique housing that is sure to draw in curious clientele.
At a rate of $200 dollars a night, this rental isn’t exactly dirt-cheap (especially when you factor in the various taxes and fees, which, according to Insider, hike the price to $247 a night). But how many people can boast that they’ve spent the night in a classy potato?
The Airbnb listing is short and sweet — the photos are really all the description this place needs.
“Stay in a 6 ton potato!” the listing reads. “This is the original potato that traveled countless miles across the country for the Idaho Potato Commission on the back of a semi truck!”
“The Potato Hotel is surrounded by 400 acres of farm land,” it continues. “The Union Pacific Railroad runs along the right side of the freeway. The only thing past us is the National Guard trains facility which hosts soldiers from all over the country.”
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