Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Ñaño house with mausoleum skull in foreground.
Ñaño Casa Museo
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
The salt cairn.
The Lewis and Clark Salt Works
South entrance.
Reigate Tunnel
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è Pasta... E Pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The 2,653-mile-long Pacific Crest Trail spans the entire West Coast from Canada to Mexico.
Meet the Volunteers Who Keep Thru-Hikers Moving
10 days ago
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House building on the U.S.-Canadian border.
Could New Border Restrictions Literally Tear the Haskell Free Library Apart?
10 days ago
A woman peering into the cave of Sarah Bishop c. 1900.
The Curious History of New England’s Hermit Tourism
10 days ago
The Big Well
This Kansas Town Advertised the World’s Largest Well. It Wasn’t.
11 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Colorado Aspen Magic Mushroom House
AO Edited

Magic Mushroom House

An architect in Aspen used psychedelics as his muse while building this mushroom masterpiece.

Aspen, Colorado

Added By
Rachel James
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  http://www.aspenphotos.com/
  http://www.aspenphotos.com/
  http://www.aspenphotos.com/
  http://www.aspenphotos.com/
  http://www.aspenphotos.com/
  http://www.aspenphotos.com/
  http://www.aspenphotos.com/
  http://www.aspenphotos.com/
  http://www.aspenphotos.com/
  http://www.aspenphotos.com/
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Aspen has long been established as a winter wonderland for the rich and famous, and in the 70s, the party was in full swing. Architect Andre Ulrych not only joined the party, but supplied a most unusual inspiration for those dabbling in mind expansion through hallucinogenics. He built them a house.

Ulrych had never built a house before, and decided that the best way to tap into a rich, creative vein within and construct the house that represented his most inner-self was to build it while tripping on mushrooms, and occasionally LSD. Six years and countless caps and stems later, he finished what is known as the Magic Mushroom House.

While not the most practical or architecturally consistent house by any stretch, the Magic Mushroom House is undeniably beautiful, and many artists and celebrities stayed, played, and found illumination here, including Andy Warhol and Hugh Hefner.

Coiling around itself in the natural curves and open spaces of a nautilus design, the house gives off warm, comfortable vibes whether your mind is altered or not. The round staircases, railing-free balconies of varying levels, and logarithmic spirals still encapsulate the sexy, free-spirited character of the counter-culture it was born into. The light constantly moves and changes through windows that have no uniform cut or size, and the womb-like bedroom is reached by step ladder.

The house is now owned by Peter and Patty Findlay, who appreciate and preserve its fundamental grooviness, but admit to doing a thorough scouring before moving in. Patty Findlay told the New York Times, “I don’t know what they did there, but when we moved in, I did extra cleaning,”

Related Tags

Architectural Oddities Eccentric Homes Outsider Architecture Fungus Architecture Homes

Community Contributors

Added By

Rachel

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson

  • Molly McBride Jacobson

Published

March 29, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Magic Mushroom House
Private Address
Aspen, Colorado, 81611
United States
39.191098, -106.817539
Get Directions

Nearby Places

John Denver Sanctuary

Aspen, Colorado

miles away

Ashcroft Townsite

Aspen, Colorado

miles away

Maroon Bells

Aspen, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Aspen

Aspen

Colorado

Places 5

Nearby Places

John Denver Sanctuary

Aspen, Colorado

miles away

Ashcroft Townsite

Aspen, Colorado

miles away

Maroon Bells

Aspen, Colorado

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Aspen

Aspen

Colorado

Places 5

Related Places

  • Los Angeles, California

    Mosaic Tile House

    Rainbow-hued local gem in Venice.

  • Front entrance to the Whale House.

    Santa Barbara, California

    Whale House

    This stunning sea creature-shaped home blends into the landscape like a fantasy villa.

  • Quetzalcoatl’s Nest

    Naucalpan, Mexico

    El Nido de Quetzalcóatl

    An Aztec snake god has taken the material form of an apartment complex.

  • Los Santos de Maimona, Spain

    House of Francisco González

    A Spanish artist builds his own castle.

  • Ganja, Azerbaijan

    Bottle House of Ganja

    A quirky house created entirely out of glass bottles combines a collector's spirit with an artist's flair.

  • Medicine Bow, Wyoming

    Fossil Bone Cabin

    A century-old cabin off of Highway 30 touts an unusual construction material: dinosaur bones.

  • Terrassa, Spain

    Masia Freixa

    The Gaudí-inspired building that was the start of Terrassenc modernism.

  • Sacramento, California

    Dragon House

    An eccentric home stands out in an otherwise average neighborhood with mosaics, mini topiaries, and kinetic sculpture.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.