The Strangest Home in Every State

How’s a house shaped like a mushroom sound? What about a home with no corners, or a humble abode tucked into a cave? While it might seem like the United States is stuffed with cookie-cutter dwellings, some homes break the mold in a big way. These unique places might be a tough sell, but they represent the blood, sweat, and tears of builders who dared to think outside the box (and brick). Here are some of the most, er, unique homes from coast to coast, including Indiana's contribution — the so-called "ugliest home in America" — which finally just sold for a fraction of its original listing price. 

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Inland Alabama doesn’t seem like a great place for a lighthouse, but the improbable location didn’t faze the sea-obsessed builder of this six-bedroom, 18,000-square-foot home on Lake Guntersville. The lighthouse itself is six stories high, made of marble and concrete, and topped with a catwalk so the owners can survey their kingdom.

Related: Spectacular Lighthouses Across America

This 17,000-square-foot mansion on majestic Kachemak Bay may not look strange on the outside, but inside, you’ll find a massive Neverland-themed play area, complete with a pirate ship. You can rent it on Vrbo (it sleeps up to 30 people) and includes some a ton of other amenities, including a home theater, a Turkish bath, and an indoor pool.

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If 185 feet is too tall for you, how about a modest 124 feet? Falcon’s Nest is a futuristic three-bedroom, 10-story home in Prescott that we’re guessing the pizza guy will have no trouble finding. Aside from the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, other highlights include passive solar technology and a hydraulic elevator that we hope is very, very reliable. 

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“Castle” might be a bit of a stretch for most observers, but this family home in the Ozarks nonetheless represents the singular vision of its builder, Elise Quigley. The exterior is covered with fossils, stones, and other relics from Quigley’s rock collection, and inside are real gardens where trees and tropical specimens planted in the ‘40s still flourish.

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Yabba dabba … whoa. The Bay Area has plenty of unique architecture, including this bulbous orange home built in 1976 and given its cartoony nickname by local residents. The three-bedroom was actually built with concrete that was sprayed over elaborate steel and wire frames given their shape by enormous balloons, according to Atlas Obscura.

No, a UFO didn’t land alongside Interstate 70 outside Denver, but we can see why you might think otherwise. This five-bedroom home, built in the swinging ’60s, has appeared in Woody Allen’s dystopian satire “Sleeper,” and it’s easy to see why. When it appeared in the film, it was actually unoccupied: The original owner ran out of funds and it sat empty for three decades.  

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We find another ’60s gem in the Nutmeg State, certainly better known for classic colonial architecture than whimsical, spinning homes. But that’s exactly what you’ll find in Wilton. Built in 1968, this three-bedroom home suspended about 12 feet above the ground can make a full rotation every 45 minutes. It also has a gunite lap pool.

What was it with the ’60s and flying-saucer homes? This little gem in Milton, Delaware, has no right angles to speak of and was built from plastic, fiberglass, and a rigid foam core. 

Unlike the other homes on our list, this D.C. home is nothing special on the outside. But the three-story brick residence across from the Russian Embassy was widely known in years past as a camera-filled FBI spy house, and the bureau was even listed as the owner on public records, according to Atlas Obscura. So much for secrecy. 

When it was built in 1980, this six-dome home sat firmly on solid ground. But Mother Nature had other ideas for the unique structure, and “waterfront” quickly took on an entirely different meaning. The home was deemed uninhabitable in 2007, according to the Naples Daily News, and two of the domes are now submerged.

An Iranian-born developer built this six-bedroom replica of the White House in 2002. Roughly a third the size of the real thing, it has 1600 Pennsylvania’s signature columns and even its own Oval Office and Lincoln bedroom, according to CNN. Unsurprisingly, it turned out to be a bit of a tough sell for the owner, who tried to unload it for $10 million in 2009.

Related: Crazy Facts About the White House

In a state full of beachy, Polynesian-inspired architecture, this boxy, all-concrete two-bedroom definitely has a different vibe. Rising tall on a lava cliff that overlooks the Pacific, it has enough windows to satisfy the most avid whale-watcher and even affords occasional views of active lava flows. It’s also available to rent on Airbnb. 

Related: Amazing Airbnbs and Vrbos Across America

Described on Zillow as “the love child of Grizzly Adams, Dr. Seuss, and Van Gogh,” this off-grid three-bedroom in northern Idaho spills down a wooded hillside and boasts plenty of unique features. Among them: Hidden rooms and staircases, a hand-carved bird sanctuary, an “eagle’s nest” with river views, a wood-carved spiral staircase, and a mosaic tub carved out of rock. 

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The George Stickney House, built around the Civil War northwest of Chicago, looks reasonable enough, but a closer examination reveals gentle curves in place of what would typically be right angles. The reason: Stickney was convinced that evil spirits would get stuck in corners. Today, the home is said to be haunted, and legend has it that the structure did, indeed, include one real corner, and that’s where Stickney was found dead. 

Related: The Most Terrifying Places in America

This hulking residence in suburban Indianapolis has gained infamy as an eyesore unmatched from sea to shining sea, but we’ll let you be the judge of that. The 11-bedroom is a dizzying mashup of stone, marble, ornate molding, statues, and gargoyles galore (why not?) The home has not-so-shockingly been on the market several times in recent years. In 2012, the asking price was $2.2 million. Ten years later, it finally sold for $660,000, according to Zillow — that's about $22 a square foot.

Rising like a mirage along the shores of north-central Iowa’s Clear Lake, the six-bedroom Pyramid House is certainly a local landmark. You can even gather 29 of your closest friends to rent it on Vrbo, but be forewarned: There is a distinct lack of tombs and hieroglyphs. There is, however, a theater room, a wet bar, and a skylight at the pyramid’s peak that allows for stargazing.  

To say this house stands out in the tiny central Kansas town of Lucas is an understatement. Built by a Civil War veteran starting in the 1890s, the Garden of Eden includes a cabin-like dwelling made of limestone “logs” and a concrete garden that aims to tell the story of the world’s creation. It’s filled with more than 150 figures, including 40-foot “trees” that ensure you won’t miss the place. Another curiosity: A pagoda with a glass-lidded coffin holding the builder and his wife.

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Here’s a house that takes the idea of nesting to an extreme level. Built starting in 1935, this egg-shaped eastern Kentucky dwelling is topped by a green-shingled goose that even has headlights for eyes (undoubtedly an unsettling sight at night). In years past, it has been a market, a diner, and even a gas station. Today, it operates as a small inn, and tours are available. 

What better way to save a 100-year-old gas station than by moving in? That’s what one New Orleans artist did, converting a 1918 Sinclair station into his “best work of art.” The two-bedroom has steel trusses, concrete floors, and even cabinet knobs made from car emblems. 

Related: Creative Conversions of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Fittingly located on a drive deemed “My Way,” this three-bedroom built in 2016 has unmistakable storybook vibes and was built by a local inventor, engineer, and artist. The interior is equally whimsical, with stained glass, colorful tile, wood beams, and more. The property was auctioned in 2019 after the builder ultimately decided against moving in.

Who wouldn’t want a home described as “a wizard’s polyurethane castle”? Whatever your opinion on the whimsical exterior, this six-bedroom outside Washington sold for a cool $1.5 million in 2018. According to The Lighter Side of Real Estate, a three-year renovation involving a ton of spray foam gave it its distinctive appearance back in the late ’60s. Inside are 30-foot ceilings and plenty of funky niches and alcoves.  

Paper doesn’t exactly spring to mind as a practical building material, but that didn’t faze the engineer and Swedish immigrant who built a Rockport home out of 100,000 newspapers. Yes, there is a wood frame and a real roof, but the walls? All paper, as is the furniture — and there’s even a newspaper grandfather clock. 

This adorable one-bedroom pickle barrel on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was built as a summer house in 1926. Its occupant: A cartoonist who had a side gig drawing ads for a pickle company. After it outlived its summer-cottage days, it found a second life as a tourist information center, ice cream stand, and gift shop. Today, it’s a museum that’s open to visitors.

This close cousin of Maryland’s Mushroom House is also made of polyurethane foam, with the addition of burlap. Outside, it looks like a low-slung circus tent; inside, the undulating walls look like they’re covered in whipped cream. Built in 1969 by an architect and his students, it has two bedrooms and sprawls over 4,000 decidedly “nonsquare” feet. 

With its lavender facade and swooping, pointed roof, the Gryder House in Ocean Springs is one of the most distinctive legacies of architect Bruce Goff. The orchid-inspired home has cone-shaped balconies, tear-drop windows, a water garden, and a swanky mid-century perch on a pool.

Honestly, why not live in a converted water tank? This uniquely repurposed home has more than 3,500 square feet of living space and an equally spacious garage, plus a view of the Mississippi River. And the address couldn't be more perfect, either: You'll find it on Water Street. 

Calling all “Lord of the Rings” fans: The hobbit house of your dreams is available for weekend getaways in northwest Montana. The guest home is partially underground and is set on grounds that include fairy houses, a waterfall, a wishing well, a troll bridge, and tons of other whimsical touches.

Related: Hobbit Holes, Missile Silos, and Other Cool Underground Homes You Can Rent for the Night

When’s the last time you mowed your roof? This Omaha home built over the course of  10 years could make it a regular occurrence. The natural insulation means energy-efficiency galore — it’s nearly always between 64 and 74 inside with no HVAC needed. If you want to experience it for yourself, you can rent out a room on Airbnb.

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There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to this nondescript Vegas abode. At street level, it’s just any other 2,300-square-foot home. Underneath, however, is a 15,000-square-foot “luxury bunker” with a home, yard, guesthouse, pool, spa, waterfall, and even artificial trees. While you wait for the end of the world, you can even use specially designed lighting to simulate dawn, day, dusk, and night.

Related: This Crazy Underground House in Las Vegas Is for Sale

Frank Lloyd Wright designed only a handful of what he called “Usonian Automatic” homes, this one among them. You can’t miss it, because it looks like a modest pile of concrete blocks (though with an unmistakable midcentury vibe). That’s by design: Wright wanted the home to look like the owner actually helped stack the blocks themselves. 

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Artist Ricky Boscarino has slowly transformed his home in northwestern New Jersey from a modest cottage to a kaleidoscopic mashup of colors, textures, and whimsy over the course of three decades. The interior is even more dazzling; occasional open houses give the public a chance to peek inside.  

New Mexico boasts not just one funky home, but an entire community of them. Outside of Taos, nearly 80 homes make up the Greater World Earthship Community, made up of structures built directly into the land, often with the aid of materials such as tires and bottles. The aim: sustainability, which is why the homes are built to thrive off-grid, with solar panels, rainwater collection systems, and more.

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Our second “mushroom house” was actually designed to look like stems of Queen Anne’s Lace. Built in the early ’70s, the home is made of five “pods” perched on 20-foot stems built from steel and concrete. The interior is just as unique, with mosaics, tunnels, and twisting limbs.

It all started innocently enough, when a North Carolina couple decided they would use some of their mug collection as decor. About 15 years and 20,000 mugs later, their cabin has become a full-fledged roadside spectacle. (According to Roadside America, you’re even welcome to leave your own cup in tribute.)

Back in 2012, the owner of a modest century-old rental home in Grand Forks decided to spice things up a bit. A former painter, he decided polka dots were the way to go. Though a city planner was none too pleased with the result, the home has become a minor local sensation and even boasts a smiley-face chimney. 

Who knew mushrooms were so popular? This one-bedroom Cincinnati landmark, the brainchild of architect Terry Brown, started out as a small bungalow and took 14 years to finish. If features cedar shingles, a bright orange staircase, and porthole windows outside; inside, there are copper ceilings. One of the most distinctive features: A glass room jutting out of the “mushroom” top

Tulsa’s cave house isn’t actually in a cave, but its rock-like walls still give it a prehistoric feel. Built in the 1920s, it was originally a restaurant by day — and a speakeasy at night, with a tunnel that took customers into a hidden hillside room where they could kick back with their libations. 

Related: Secret Restaurants and Speakeasies Across America

Even if it didn’t float, this futuristic-looking residence in Portland would be an eye-catcher. Perched on the Willamette River, the three-bedroom built in the 1980s isn’t exactly a modest houseboat. It sprawls over 3,000 square feet and has a domed roof, stainless-steel ceilings, a suspended fireplace, and a wraparound deck with a dock.

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Naturally, this 25-foot, three-bedroom shoe house was built by an enterprising shoe salesman who realized it could double as an advertisement for his business. He even used weeklong stays in the shoe as a prize for customers, complete with a maid, cook, and chauffeur, according to Roadside America. Today, it houses an ice cream and sweets shop, and tours are available. 

“Clingstone” is a fitting name for this mansion crammed onto a rock in the middle of Narragansett Bay. Built in 1905 by a Philadelphia financier who wanted a home “where no one can bother me,” it even withstood a hurricane in 1938. Starting in the ’60s, a new owner restored the home after it sat vacant for two decades. Today, it’s outfitted with solar panels, a wind turbine, and a seawater filtration system, according to Atlas Obscura. 

This egg-like three-bedroom home in Charleston is a far cry from the city’s historic homes, but the eccentric design is purposeful: It’s meant to help the home withstand hurricanes. The concrete-and-steel structure weighs 650 tons, according to CNBC. There is no separate roof to fly off the home, which also has a bank vault, wet bar, and elevator.

If homes can look like mushrooms and UFOs, why not a turtle? With its distinctively shell-like roof, this geodesic western South Dakota home definitely nails the reptilian vibe. And if you’ve ever wanted to stay in a turtle, good news: The owners rent out the lower level as an Airbnb, and it’s close to skiing, Deadwood, and the Black Hills. 

Chattanooga may be better known for its choo choo, but it also lays claim to one of the nation’s most distinctive homes: this three-bedroom “flying saucer” in suburban Signal Mountain. Built starting in 1970 as a futuristic bachelor pad, it rests about 6 feet off the ground. The steps into the home were once retractable.

Outside Lubbock, there’s a house that defies attempts at categorization. Maybe it’s a UFO? Maybe it’s an animal, ready to pounce? Whatever it is, this is certain: It’s made of a whopping 110 tons of steel and was built by an architect, Robert Bruno, over three decades. The home remains unfinished after Bruno’s death, with holes between levels, according to Atlas Obscura. And if you're feeling adventurous, get out your checkbook. The home is now on the market for $1.75 million.

The adorable pastel-painted house from the Pixar classic “Up” doesn’t just exist in the movies. A Utah builder recreated it in 2011 for the Salt Lake Parade of Homes, nailing every detail from the weathervane to retro blue appliances. A family lives there today, but sometimes opens up their one-of-a-kind home for photo shoots.

This pointy abode is just one of the unconventional residences on Vermont’s Prickly Mountain, a collection of homes built in the mid-’60s by Yale architecture students who were eager to experiment. The Tack House, the first of the bunch, was built sans blueprint and is a hodgepodge of extreme angles, curved windows, and nooks and crannies. You can come explore yourself: Part of the home can be rented on Airbnb.

Alexandria’s historic Old Town is home to plenty of curiosities, including this 7-foot-wide home built back in 1830. The owner of an adjacent home was tired of people and wagons clogging his alley, so he built the oh-so-narrow home to fill it instead. According to The New York Times, there are even still visible gouges from wagon wheel wells on the living-room walls. 

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Anyone familiar with home prices in the Seattle area may not be surprised that a former Navy ship once destined for the scrap pile has become a $2 million home. To be fair, the three-bedroom features high-end finishes such as polished wood paneling, mahogany countertops, and a copper backsplash. It also has 60 feet of waterfront and a view of Mount Rainier. 

It’s only natural that West Virginia boasts at least one house made out of its most famous export. This modest abode in White Sulphur Springs took 30 tons of coal to construct and has served various functions, including as a visitor center and a lounge, according to Roadside America. There’s a second coal house behind it, plus a chamber of commerce in Williamson that is constructed out of 65 tons of the stuff.

A wacky, Vegas-level home that has become a noted tourist attraction, The House on the Rock in southwestern Wisconsin has a commanding view of the hills and valleys below. But, frankly, that’s the least interesting part. Built originally in the ‘40s, the home grew (and grew) to house an endless array of collections, including everything from dollhouses to suits of armor. Don’t miss the Infinity Room, which juts out over the valley in a dramatically pointy fashion.

The rickety-looking Smith Mansion rises on a hill in northwestern Wyoming, between Cody and Yellowstone National Park. An architectural engineer built single-handedly the home starting in 1971 and continuing until 1992, when he died in a fall from the structure. At one point, the home had an indoor basketball court, but it was not luxurious: A lone “hot room” with a wood stove was where occupants slept in the winter.