SPRINGDALE, Ark. — A planetarium treehouse Airbnb in Springdale is now open and offering guests an out-of-this-world stargazing experience.
Located at 22457 E War Eagle Rd, the treehouse opened to bookings on Nov. 27. It promises to "awaken your inner astronomer with serene lake views and vibrant starry night skies," according to its listing.
The Airbnb website currently lists the price as $243 a night. The rental is two bedrooms, one bathroom and can fit up to five guests.
Mark and Natalie Jones, the planetarium's owners, are Bentonville residents who took on the project themselves.
"We put a lot of work into renovating and building our properties ourselves and making it as beautiful as possible for us and our guests," the couple's website said.
Natalie told 5NEWS that the couple employed the services of multiple contractors, but that the pair managed the project themselves.
"We had help from several contractors, with our main one being Natural State Treehouses. They did the structural and carpentry work. But we project managed it ourselves in between our day jobs," Natalie said. "On the weekends and after work, we laid conduit, painted/stained, installed flooring, did all the tiling and bathroom waterproofing, and furnished/designed it all ourselves. The process was extremely difficult and took over a year of planning and construction, but ultimately it was worth it."
The treehouse is part of their brand Mystic Ozark Adventures. The two have also listed an A-frame cabin, a Springdale-based rental dubbed Lakeview Haven, on Airbnb.
Mystic Ozark Adventures entered a global contest hosted by Airbnb called the OMG! Fund in 2022. Out of thousands of entries, the planetarium treehouse was named one of 100 winners. The couple used the $100,000 prize money to fund the construction of the rental.
“You basically submit like an idea for some crazy unique structure that would be a really cool unique property to vacation at” said Natalie. The first round was you describe your idea. And we managed to get past that round. The second round was to submit renderings and design sketches and like photos of your idea. And so we submitted this planetarium treehouse idea. And then last round was submit a video," said Natalie.
Natalie says that the couple's shared love of treehouses inspired the winning project design.
"We love treehouses, sci-fi, and we happened to own a piece of land that is great for stargazing. Mark drew up the initial sketch to combine a planetarium and observatory dome with a treehouse, and I expanded further on the design," Natalie said.
“I knew with having an Airbnb I wanted to have something that would attract people and have an experience rather than just staying at a house overnight. I figured stargazing would be the best attraction," said Mark.
Natalie says they want to make their properties a space for people to enjoy all that Arkansas has to offer.
“We really enjoy being able to offer those unique experiences that you wouldn't be able to find elsewhere. I don't know where else you can be inside but literally sleep under the stars and look at a projector inside of a dome structure,” said Natalie.
The couple says that there are no new projects planned for Mystic Ozark Adventures and that the pair wants to focus on hosting.
"For Mystic Ozark Adventures, we’re going to take a break from construction and just focus on being good hosts for our Planetarium Treehouse and our A-Frame Lakeview Haven. We don’t have any plans for more unique properties yet but we’re open to it in the future," Natalie said.
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