Mines are fascinating places. Most of us have at least a mental picture of what working in a mine was like, but how many of us have actually gone down there and experienced it? Combining adventure, education, and the adrenaline of a true experience, touring an old decommissioned mine can be a fun way to get out of the house. And if you’re looking for a really wild vacation experience, there are several mines around the world that have been converted into luxury hotels. If your goal for your vacation is peace and quiet, you really can’t get any more insulated from the rest of the world.

Were you that kid who loved the bumper cars and min-racers more than anything else at the amusement park? Are your kids following your need for speed? Why not head out to the desert and spend a few days racing around in dune buggies? The empty sandbox nature of the surroundings means you can hit the gas to your heart’s desire, and dune buggies are essentially safety cages with wheels, so you’d be hard-pressed to cause serious damage. Meanwhile, you get to indulge your deepest The Fast and the Furious fantasies.

The ghost towns that litter the old American West are fascinating exhibits of a long-gone time in this country’s history. They’re also creepy AF and incredibly interesting. Most ghost towns don’t allow legal overnight stays, but several now reside inside national parks and you can arrange to spend the night with the proper authorities. Will there be ghost cowboys and Scooby Doo-ish adventures involving hidden loot and meddling kids? Probably not, but the merest possibility is part of the fun.

Whether you’re a fan of HBO’s classic series or just a student of American history, Deadwood, South Dakota is a must-see. What’s great about Deadwood is that it’s not a museum, frozen in time—it’s a living city with about 1,200 residents and plenty of hotels (one reputedly haunted), casinos, and restaurants. While there, you can stand where people like Wild Bill Hickock and Seth Bullock once stood, and if you want to walk around quoting Al Swearingen, no one is going to stop you.

Are you an experienced diver, or do you want to be? Consider making your next vacation an underwater adventure—including the hotel. There are several underwater hotels around the world, believe it or not, including Jules’ Undersea Lodge in the good old USA. You have to be able to dive in order to get to your room, but the lodge offers lessons, so you can arrange your trip accordingly.

If you think one of the main problems with modern life is the speed at which we consume our time, maybe you should consider booking a luxury train vacation. Trains are often associated with bare-bones, uncomfortable travel, but that’s because you’ve been doing it wrong. Luxury trains can take you on languorous rides through stunning scenery while offering you comfortable accommodations and sumptuous meals.

What better way to combine international travel, history, and pure experience than renting out a room (or several rooms) in an ancient castle? Europe is sick with old, expensive castles that no one can afford to simply live in any more, and many of these have been converted into hotels where you can get a sense of what it was like to be a rich, powerful elite back in the year 1400 or so. In terms of ambiance, you won’t do better, and you have a choice between a more rustic and accurately middle-ages experience and something a bit more modern and luxurious.

If the hotels you’ve stayed at recently have blurred together into an indistinct blob of small televisions, industrial carpeting, and heavy draperies, consider shaking things up. Ice hotels combine incredible artistry with an unusual—and surprisingly comfortable—living experience. Carving the rooms out of ice means the ice hotel is totally bespoke, and often features some very cool design. And don’t worry—you won’t be freezing your butt off, even though you are sleeping in a literal ice box.

Granted, the lonely life of a lighthouse keeper is often associated with insanity and a non-trivial amount of murder, but in real life, staying in a lighthouse can be incredibly charming. Isolated in beautiful natural spots, spending a few nights in a lighthouse can be a romantic getaway for the ages or a family adventure. Since most lighthouses were designed to be lived in but are now decommissioned, they make for an ideal step back into the past that doesn’t sacrifice comfort.

Like lighthouses, fire watch towers offer a quiet, isolated vacation spot in the midst of natural beauty. Many fire watch towers are no longer in use and their admittedly spartan accommodations can be rented. Typically, you’re expected to bring your own gear and supplies—but once installed, you’ll enjoy one of the most peaceful and meditative vacation experiences possible. And most offer access to hiking trails and other natural experiences in the nearby forests they were built to protect.

Ever wondered what it’s like to live and work on a farm? This iconic American experience can be yours for a few days just by booking a stay. Not only do you get to stay in some of the most beautiful and unspoiled land in the country, you also learn what it takes to run a farm, learning a whole new set of skills while you do so. If you have kids, there’s no shortage of animals to interact with—and as you might imagine, the meals are simply spectacular.

You may not need to travel far to have an unusual vacation experience. If there’s a museum or planetarium near you, many offer overnight stay packages for both families and adults. You’ll get to walk the museum with a flashlight and without the crowds, possibly enjoy a spectacular space show at the planetarium, enjoy a light dinner and breakfast, and experience some unique exhibits, presentations, and activities.