I am a huge fan of Airbnb. I spend a ridiculous amount of time browsing through all the unique properties and places I could visit. The beauty of Airbnb is that not only can you find a great place to stay in popular destinations and big cities, but you can also visit areas that you’ve never heard of, places that you would otherwise have no reason to visit. Such was the case with Calhan, Colorado.

Calhan is a small town northeast of Colorado Springs with a population of less than 1000. One of its biggest attractions is Paint Mines Interpretive Park, which I didn’t discover until after we had visited. Maybe we’ll go back one day.

So, one day as I was scrolling through Airbnb, I happened upon this very affordable basement stay in Calhan. It was on a small farm with goats and chickens, and the basement was painted and decorated in an under the sea theme. It looked like the kind of place my kids would love. And they did.

It took us about an hour to get there, and after chatting with the wonderful host, we spent some time watching the goats and exploring the property. When we went into the basement apartment, my kids were thrilled that the walls and ceiling of their room was painted like the ocean, with sharks and whales and fish seeming to swim around them, and some that even glowed in the dark!

We went into town and had dinner at Rooster’s, a cute restaurant with a big menu, during which time my youngest painted her face with ranch dressing. (Who knows? Maybe it’s good for your skin…) Afterwards we headed back to the farm and attempted to go to bed.

My almost 2-year-old generally doesn’t sleep well away from home. This is why I’m currently an advocate for quick, one-night vacations because I figure I can handle just one night of terrible sleep. She screamed a lot when I tried to put her to bed, so I let all the kids stay up a little later, something my older two relished. We all finally got to sleep a little after midnight.

In the morning our host brought us some delicious zucchini muffins. On the wall in the hallway of the basement there were hundreds of notes and signatures from folks who had stayed there previously, and my kids were thrilled to leave their own mark before we left.

Overall, it was a success, and now my kids frequently talk about the ocean room they stayed in. (And about how they got to stay up late.) It was nice to have a short, fairly inexpensive adventure not far from home, and I’ll definitely be using Airbnb for more little trips like this one.

Where would you stay for just one night?