courtesy of white lotus treehouse & skywalk via airbnb.com

Since its founding in San Francisco in 2008, Airbnb, Inc. has all but revolutionized the way we travel. In allowing homeowners to play innkeeper, the website has connected travelers to the kind of personalized accommodations previously enjoyed only by friends, family, and housesitters. At present, “hosts” in 191 countries and 34,000 cities are offering more than two million spare rooms, luxury condos, guest houses, farm cottages, airstreams, yurts, treehouses, backwoods teepees, and much more to anyone with access to the internet. With listings ranging from low-rent dives to castles, the site caters to budgets of all stripes.

To explore the trend, the Piedmont Virginian sifted through local listings and put together the following list of five great Airbnb stays that you and yours can enjoy while close to home, including area highlights and local libations.

White Lotus Treehouse & Skywalk, Stanardsville (pictured)

Grace Cottage, Waterford

Muddy Run Cottage, Culpeper

Downtown Cottage, Charlottesville

Horse Country Cottage, The Plains

By Eric Wallace

Read more in our January/February 2017 issue, on newsstands January 1, or by print or digital subscription