You can stay in a Cold War-era Atlas Missile silo Airbnb in Kansas
WILSON, Kan. (KSNW) — Imagine exploring a relic of the Cold War in central Kansas. Now, you don’t have to imagine it. You can spend the night in a decommissioned Atlas Missile site in Ellsworth County.
During the 1950s, the U.S. government spent billions on bolstering our military defense against Russian communism. A missile and rocket defense program was developed. Seventy-two Atlas Missile silos were constructed around the country, mostly in the Midwest. Not long after they opened, they became obsolete and were abandoned by the early 1960s.
A cluster of nine Atlas E Missile silos surrounds Forbes Field in Topeka. A dozen Atlas F Missile silos were sprinkled in open fields around the former Schilling Air Force Base in Salina.
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Most of them have been fenced off for decades. A few are for sale. Some have been completely renovated into living spaces. The one located about two miles east of Wilson is now accepting guests as an Airbnb.
Matthew Fulkerson grew up outside of Topeka. As a child, he stumbled upon an abandoned missile site. It was surrounded by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. He found the gate was open, so he explored it and became friends with the gentleman who owned it. He was turning the old complex into his home.
Fulkerson began assisting that man with consulting, selling, and acquiring decommissioned missile bases, communications bunkers, and other Department of Defense underground facilities.
“In 2013, I found this site, and I was just gonna take some photographs and video and try to market it online. And then I fell in love with this property,” said Fulkerson. “There are fantastic views of the Smoky Hills and Post Rock Wind Farm, and then it’s close to Lake Wilson, one of the largest, cleanest lakes in the state. And it’s right close to I-70. So, I feel like it’s a hidden gem for tourism.”
The 24-acre property doesn’t have many neighbors. Unless you count the gigantic wind turbines that surround it.
Fulkerson calls his site Atlas Ad Astra Adventure Resort.
From the surface, there’s not much to see. There’s parking for camping, a few hills, and trees. There’s a huge concrete square. That’s the top of the missile silo. Guests can make out the two three-foot thick, 75-ton doors that protected the Atlas F Missile. There is a concrete entryway, and a candy cane-shaped pipe that was the air handling system used for fresh air. There’s also a concrete escape hatch covered with a metal top.
As guests descend two long flights of stairs, the temperature drops to 60 degrees. Through the entrapment room, guests will turn and walk through a pair of 2,000-pound blast doors. Down a few more stairs is the Launch Control Center, which Fulkerson has completely renovated into the first stage of his Airbnb.
“Now you have the opportunity to stay underground and in this beautiful place,” said Fulkerson as he opened a door leading into a large full bathroom.
“Here we have the king-sized bedroom. A nice, comfortable bed. A big TV so you can watch movies from bed,” he pointed out.
This complex, number 550-8 of the 550th Strategic Missile Squadron, housed the first intercontinental ballistic missile weapon of mass destruction. Fortunately, it was never launched.
“When I bought this place, everything was falling apart. You had mold that had gotten into the walls. You had tile peeling up off the floor, paint peeling off the rails. So, I really had to gut the entire place,” he said.
Fulkerson has had some help from family members and neighbors, but he completed the demolition and renovation pretty much all on his own. He transformed a living space for missileers into a staying place for curious visitors.
“When I felt like it was safe enough for people to tour, that’s when I opened it up as a campground,” Fulkerson said. “I have just opened up the inside for guests to be able to stay in the bunker.”
Fulkerson received $100,000 from Airbnb to complete the first phase of his ambitious project.
From the unfinished bottom level of the living quarters, guests can walk through a tunnel, open another heavy blast door, and find the humongous missile silo.
“And here is the silo itself. This is 52 feet in diameter and 176 feet all the way to the bottom,” said Fulkerson.
The very bottom of the silo is filled with about 70 feet of water.
Fulkerson’s underground dream someday is to construct a 14-15 story combination of living quarters, lounges, a science lab, a theater and bar, and a spa and gym.
“I have a friend who already converted his missile silo into a 15-floor luxury condominium complex here in Kansas. And we’re going to be working together with him to develop it out,” he said.
Fulkerson is dreaming big.
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“So, the goal is to turn it into like a space-themed adventure resort where people from around the world could come and actually go through future astronaut training programs and learn about all the sustainable technologies they would take to set up a lunar base on the moon or colonization project on another planet.”
A one-night stay on the completed top floor of the Launch Control Center is $300. Camping spots for tents, campers and RVs are available for $38 per night.
To book a night inside the Atlas Ad Astra complex, click here.
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