It all started with a contest. $100,000 paid in increments to the winners, or those who come up with the most creative, quaint, and anti-quotidian ideas for rental properties across the globe. In the running, you see plans of Candyland, 1950s nuclear silo renovations—except without the danger of planetary disaster (one hopes)—a floating avocado in Chile, and thousands of others. Among them is one in Springdale, Arkansas, best described as a Planetarium Treehouse.
The OMG! Fund was a 2022 Airbnb contest that gave $10 million to one hundred winners across the world, the mission being to assist property owners in putting together the most dazzling, unique, and out-of-the-ordinary homes ever seen. Users could find these strange homes under the company’s OMG! category.
Of course, the mission (and requirement) for property owners was intrigue, mystery, and surprise. Not to mention plausibility—a trustworthy spaceship rental that could reliably take visitors to and from space for a night’s stay at a reasonable price would no doubt lead the OMG! factor. No matter, however, because you might as well have that or better right here in Springdale. But more on that soon.
The true test of this competition came after the fact and exceeded mere tests of creativity, budget, and architectural viability. This was a test of heart, character, and fortune. Extraneous levels of opposition confronted winners as storms picked up massive fake nukes (remember the 1950s nuclear silo?) and rolled them into lakes while tornadoes ransacked projects in South Africa.
Only a small fraction of the winners saw their projects through to completion. Among those that did, once again, was the Planetarium Treehouse.
Mark and Natalie Jones, the terrestrial star-lovers who came up with the idea for this design, discovered it shortly after moving to Arkansas from California.
“Our goal is the FIRE movement: financial independence, retire early,” said Mark. “We started back in 2020, when mortgage rates were at historic lows, and we got into doing real estate—but we wanted to do something unique.”
They purchased an A-frame to renovate and rent out in Springdale; it came with five other parcels of land. After investing time in that project and finding traction in the community, new ideas soon made their way onto spare papers and notepads.
“While taking a break from work, I just started doodling,” Mark continued. “And what I doodled was a planetarium treehouse.”
Natalie, the artist to Mark’s pragmatist, refined their sketches to make them more attractive and feasible.
“We looked through Zillow to see if someone was selling a dome house or something weird,” said Natalie. “Something weird, anything weird.”
Then they stumbled upon Airbnb’s OMG! Fund.
“So we had the idea, Natalie had the graphic design and video editing skills, and we also had all this land over here. It was the perfect combination,” Mark said.
Of the ten thousand applicants, one hundred were selected and seventeen countries represented. Three of the winners were from Arkansas.
But as I’ve made clear, winning the prize money was only half the challenge. Putting the idea into action was another thing entirely.
Mark and Natalie were no strangers to these challenges. Costs took them over budget, plumbing froze in the winter, and the giant clear dome central to their design went missing in delivery.
“How do you lose the dome?!” Natalie asked. “I was calling every day, tracking down warehouse locations, and trying to get them to respond to my emails.”
In the end, only twenty-five to thirty of the winners actually finished.
Mystic Ozark Adventures, their vacation rental company, now has two properties: the Lakeview Haven and Planetarium Treehouse, both overlooking Beaver Lake.
The Planetarium Treehouse features a geodesic dome containing a kitchen, lofted bedroom, and bathroom. A large hexagonal window dominates the bedroom, with an at-home star projector that turns the ceiling into a planetarium. An LED-lined hallway connects the first dome to a second one serving as an observatory tower. Here, you can stargaze with high-powered telescopes or lie on cushions, staring at the night sky through the clear dome—once lost, now found—without leaving the comfort of earth’s homely soil.
Having moved from California, Mark and Natalie were drawn to Arkansas because they knew nothing about it. Many people view Arkansas as something of a mystery, often conflated with a false suspicion of poor quality.
But they saw Northwest Arkansas as an up-and-coming place where opportunity existed in abundance, where even if life moves slower, it cherishes more in its steady gait. This highlights a Southern draw (not to be confused with a Southern drawl) toward moments of quiet reflection.
As a convenient addition to our Health & Wellness issue, having these moments is essential to our health and sanity. Without them, we miss even the beauty of ordinary things. As Ferris Bueller says: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
With their creativity, perseverance, and optimism, Mark and Natalie Jones have shown that the best ideas are found in the most unexpected ways, the best opportunity exists in the most overlooked of places, and the universe is accessible from right here in Springdale.
Book your staycation at Mystic Ozark Adventures to make a few miles outside of town feel like a million!
“While taking a break from work, I just started doodling,” Mark continued. “And what I doodled was a planetarium treehouse.”