Here’s the kind of unique stay that we really love to see. Hidden in the West Kootenays of BC lies a unique, gold rush era church that has been converted into an Airbnb. Yeah, this is definitely right up there on our own ‘must stay here’ list, for a variety of reasons.

ymir church guest house
Photos via Airbnb

First and foremost is the history. At over 100 years old, this church was built at the tail end of the community’s first gold rush, which lasted until around 1915. What’s more, it’s one of the few remaining original buildings in the town, which saw a series of fires that destroyed a fair portion of them.

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ymir church guest house
Photos via Airbnb

Luckily, the church was more or less unscathed, and has been restored since then with a new purpose in mind. Now, the space has two main functions, as an art gallery, and of course, as a very unique Airbnb. There’s an impressive amount of space, too, with 4 beds and a pullout couch to crash on.

gold rush church
Photo via Airbnb

That function doesn’t come without some form, and it’s an eclectic one. You’ll find beds, reading nooks, and more scattered over what looks like a 4 story building, complete with a loft at the very tippy top of the space. Also, you can arrange for a ‘full accompaniment’ of instruments to be there for your stay, just in case you want to have a jam session with your pals. We call the triangle!

gold rush church
Photos via Airbnb

As for the location, well, the town of Ymir ain’t exactly a metropolitan jungle. However, it does offer incredible access to outdoors activities, and is just some 25 minutes away from Nelson, in case you absolutely need to have a few cocktails or a nice meal or something.

ymir church guest house
Photo via Airbnb

But, of course, the real selling point here is that you can stay in a gold rush era church in BC. If you’re thinking it’s the perfect weird spring/summer vacation option, then head over to Airbnb for full details and booking options.