NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Americans will hit the road in record numbers starting in June. They'll go to Disney World, and Yellowstone Park. Stay at Ramadas and Red Roof Inns. But a few people will opt to seek out truly unusual lodgings.

There are a few hotels in the United States that offer experiences that go way beyond heart-shaped pools or rooms with fireplaces and four-poster beds; they are spectacularly different places to stay, ones that defy conventional notions of hotels.

They're also on some of the country's most gorgeous properties and enable visitors to take part in activities most unlike those found at your average Holiday Inn.

Most of the lodgings in this sampling have limited accommodations – some only one or two rooms – and managers report that, during the summer, they often book far in advance. So act quickly if the idea of an overnighter in one of these wonderful places appeals to you.