9 of the quirkiest places for rent on Airbnb
Total area rentals are skyrocketing
Milwaukee is getting a lot more visitors.
Already, Milwaukee rentals on Airbnb are up 729% for 2020 from last year, according to a report from the company last fall. With the Democratic National Convention taking over Brew City in July, bookings are sure to spike.
Around 50,000 out-of-towners will come for the political convention, so some of those guests will likely consider some of the site’s more unique listings. Milwaukee’s weirder Airbnbs are above bars, on farms or parked in a driveway.
‘Glamping’ on a yacht
One listing will appeal to those who love boats — even though you can’t take it out for a spin.
Jim Wachowiak bought two Carver yachts a few years ago. The corporate pilot wanted a boat. But boats are expensive, well beyond the initial price tag.
Wachowiak’s plan: rent them out on Airbnb. Wachowiak has listed his boats docked at McKinley Marina on Airbnb for the last two years. Even after paying for his dock fees, insurance, storage and everything, he’s still making money.
But these boats stay at the dock. The multi-engine yachts require training to operate, and Wachowiak doesn’t trust just anyone driving them around. He rents the boats from Memorial Day to mid-October, depending on the weather.
One boat sleeps four with two beds for around $85 a night. He bills staying
on his 33-foot 1977 Carver Mariner Yacht as “glamping.” Guests use the dock restrooms — the on-board bathroom is for “#1 emergencies only.”
“We’re not trying to give people false hope that it’s going to be some awesome thing,” he said. “It’s camping on the water. Bugs, water, rain — it’s all a possibility.”
Wachowiak uses the boats when he wants — cruising around to yacht clubs or tailgating before Brewers games. He lists the two boats and a two-bedroom apartment in Bay View on the site. He has plans to add two more properties, possibly more boats, to his portfolio.
Wachowiak’s boats are just a couple of the nontraditional places you can rent off the short-term rental site Airbnb.
The tiniest camper
Leave the suitcase in the car when staying in this tiny camper in Milwaukee’s Brewers Hill neighborhood. The trailer is just big enough to sleep two but comes with access to the host’s backyard with a hot tub and fire pit. The camper is around $50 a night.
Milwaukee’s famous boat house
This is a boat house, not a houseboat. The home has been a fixture on Milwaukee’s upper east side for decades.
The Edmund B. Gustdorf Milwaukee Boathouse & Lighthouse dates back to 1925. The landlocked vessel is advertised as a “museum-quality vintage boat.” To be sure, this is no ordinary stay. Be ready for stairs.
The two-bedroom home sleeps six guests for around $175 a night.
Take the tiki bar home
Don’t let the fun stop at bar close. This rental is above arguably Milwaukee’s best tiki bar, Foundation in Riverwest.
The two-bedroom unit above the bar is decorated in the same decor with a private tiki lounge. Authentic wood carvings, pufferfish lights and rattan furniture complete the oceanic decor.
The “Captain’s Quarters” sleeps four guests for around $115 a night.
Go out to pasture
It wouldn’t be Wisconsin without a farm. The Stone Ridge Farm guesthouse is surrounded by 7 acres of land with grazing horses and chickens. Work up an appetite on the grounds’ walking trails and then make a home-cooked meal in the house’s “Amish crafted kitchen.”
The two-bedroom guesthouse sleeps four for around $185 a night.
Frank Lloyd Wright model home
Frank Lloyd Wright called this style “housing for the common man.” This model for Wright’s American SystemBuilt Homes project is well over 100 years old. Clean lines and windows abound. The famed architect was born in Wisconsin, FYI.
The two-bedroom home in Shorewood is around $50 a night.
Tyson’s driveway
Tyson parks a 22-foot camper in his Milwaukee driveway for rental. He calls it “The Happy Camper.” It has running water, a refrigerator and a stove. And even a full bathroom. Guests can hang out in Tyson’s backyard, too, with a patio and fire pit. There’s one bedroom with a queen bed and then another two single beds and a sofa in the main space.
It’s around $70 a night.
The ’Stallis experience
Kegel’s Inn is about as quintessential West Allis as it gets. This studio apartment is just above the classic German restaurant with “old-world character.” Think original hardwood floors, heavy wood ceiling beams and 1930s tile work. And, as with basically anywhere in West Allis, you’re not far from a bar. Booking for three nights or more gets you a $20 voucher to Kegel’s Inn.
The studio goes for around $65 a night.
Urban oasis
Within the hundreds of different plant varieties at the 1872-built Sanger House, is the carriage house that’s rented out for stays and special events. Steps away from the Victorian home, the carriage house is restored to “keep the space as authentic and natural as its chocolate box surrounding.”
The one-bedroom carriage house for two guests is around $70 a night.
“We’re not trying to give people false hope that it’s going to be some awesome thing.” Jim Wachowiak