Airstreams and other such reflective trailers are glimmering flashback machines.While they look cool in a yard or hitched to the back of a truck, they’re at their best restored to their original glory (and then some) and parked in idyllic settings. That’s where these vintage RV hotels got everything oh-so-perfectly right.
Best for: Drive-In Nostalgia
Shooting Star RV Resort, Escalante, Utah
Each of the references a different movie, such as Viva Las Vegas and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights, the resort transforms into an old-school drive-in theater showing classsics. You can watch from one of the resort’s 1960s convertibles ($20). Other nights? Cook dinner on the propane grill, then watch the sunset over the Grand Staircase from an Adirondack chair on your deck.
RV to Book
is a 31-foot Airstream inspired by the John Wayne flick The Searchers. Think lots of hand-tooled leather furniture. (From $139 per night.)
Out and About
You’re a two-minute drive to , an hour drive to , and a 90-minute ride to .
Best for: Midcentury Minimalists
Autocamp, Santa Barbara, California
The are bright, airy, and filled with sleek furniture. ϳԹ, lounge in Adirondack chairs under the shade of plum and avocado trees.
Airstream to Book
The (known as Airstream No. 5) comes with an integrated speaker system, flat-screen TV, and walnut finishes. (From $200 per night.)
Out and About
Santa Barbara’s coast is lined with surf breaks like , , and . Famed surf spot is just a 25-minute drive away. Or explore Santa Barbara’s urban wineries using Autocamp’s complimentary bikes.
Best for: The Vintage
The Vintages Trailer Resort, Willamette Valley, Oregon
The in Oregon’s wine country has 12 retro trailers, all with vineyard views. Each includes its own driveway, lawn chairs, and propane grill. Inside, you’ll find hotel-worthy perks such as terry-cloth robes, comfy beds, and pour-over coffee from local roaster .
Airstream to Book
The has cowhide rugs, western-themed furniture, and faux taxidermy hanging on the wall. (From $120 per night.)
Out and About
You’re ten miles to the put-in spots along the Also, you’re within five miles of some of the Willamette Valley’s top wineries, including , , , and . Ride complimentary cruiser bikes from winery to winery.
Best for: Psychedelica
Kate’s Lazy Desert, Landers, California
features six vintage Airstream trailers, each decorated by different artists, including , the designers who created the original Love Shack featured in the eponymous 1989 music video. (The B-52s’ Kate Pierson owns the hotel.) All Airstreams have a hammock, grill, and air conditioning.
Airstream to Book
The 28-foot puts a groovy twist on the Last Frontier State. (From $175 per night.)
Out and About
Landers is scorching in the summer, so plan to visit from late fall to spring, when this becomes the perfect base for exploring , just a 25-minute drive away.One mile from the resort, check out the , an acoustically designed dome that provides 60-minute quartz-crystal sound baths. We did say psychedelica.
Best for: ’50s Throwbacks
Shady Dell RV Park, Bisbee, Arizona
Each of feels like a time warp, with vintage radios that play era-appropriate tunes, black-and-white TVs, period books, and retro Life magazines. ϳԹ, each trailer has a grassy yard with lounge chairs. Some, like the 1957 El Rey trailer, even come with a white picket fence.
RV to Book
The bus could easily double as a tiki bar with beds. Expect to be the life of the park when word gets out your bus has a hand-carved outrigger bar. (From $117 per night.)
Out and About
Drive Route 80, a lesser-known car touring road that’s similar to Route 66. It passes through Bisbee’s historic Old Town, which is worth a half a day of noodling around—especially if you’re into vintage ephemera. Plan a day of hiking, biking, or rock climbing the nearby Chiricahua Mountains in .