ROAD TRIP! Big Idaho Potato Hotel.
_ Grab your significant other and road trip-it to the Big Idaho , a six-ton steel, plaster, and concrete structure on farmland 20 minutes outside of Boise. From its realistic, brownish-gray, lumpy exterior to its white-plaster interior — complete with AC — the Big Idaho Potato Hotel provides cozy digs to curious couples.
It all started with a clever marketing ploy. While Idaho supplies almost a third of the United States’ potatoes, in 2012 the state’s Potato Commission commissioned the construction of a giant, hollow, fake tuber as the centerpiece of its 75th anniversary celebration.
The 28-by-12-foot tater that was supposed to have a year-long tour ended up traveling the country for seven years, finally retiring in 2019. Upon the spud’s retirement, Kristie Wolfe knew that its best days were yet to come. A tiny home builder and Potato Commission employee who had accompanied the potato on its grand tour, Wolfe sensed its inner potential. Armed with the giant replica tuber, a 400-acre farm, home renovation skills, and the blessings of the Potato Commission, Wolfe transformed the castoff carb into a cozy getaway. Check it out on Airbnb.