Want to stay in a ballistic missile silo in the middle of Kansas? It will cost you $10,000

DEEP BELOW THE SURFACE OF ELLSWORTH COUNTY — People interested in seeing an intercontinental ballistic missile silo up-close and personal will have that chance next month in central Kansas.

The Missile Silo Ranch, located in Ellsworth County, is hosting several events, including guided tours of the facility, during the Big Kansas Road Trip May 2 to 5.

What began as a hobby of looking at Cold War era relics in on eBay on 2008 eventually turned into the purchase of an Atlas-F missile silo facility in Kansas for Florida-based Robert Czyszczon.

"I came across a relic from a missile silo, and back in '08 I didn't know such a thing existed," Czyszczon said.

After researching the relic, and missile silos in general, Czyszczon stumbled on a real estate agent that specialized in selling missile silos.

"Ed Peden, out of Topeka, was the missile silo Realtor or Realtors that sold 70 missile silos in his career," Czyszczon said. "(Peden) actually lived in a missile silo for over 30 years."

Czyszczon contacted Peden, and, as was the technology of the time for 2008, he was sent DVDs of camcorder recordings of walkthroughs of various silos that were on the market.

"I thought one day I'm going to buy one of these things," Czyszczon said. "Every kid wants a Batcave or a cool underground lair."

COVID brings back the idea of buying a missile silo

After forgetting about his desire to buy his own missile silo for years, Czyszczon said COVID hit and the notion of having a secure place in the middle of nowhere brought the idea back to him via a friend.

"(He said) 'hey Rob, do you remember that crazy idea you had about 15 years ago to buy an underground bunker? It's too bad you don't have one now so we could go live there while this COVID thing passes,'" Czyszczon said.

The very next day he went back through old emails and contacts and found Peden's phone number and began talking about buying a silo again, and eventually bought the Atlas-F silo during Labor Day weekend of 2020.

Over the next three and a half years, Czyszczon worked to get the silo into the shape it is now.

Being in the hospitality business, owning hotels and restaurants, Czyszczon said he was not unfamiliar with renovating properties, but this one took on a whole new level.

"The property was in huge distress, there was black mold everywhere (as) it flooded quite a few times," Czyszczon said. "Everything had to be thrown away and replaced and we basically had to start at ground zero."

The Missile Silo Ranch designed for an experience

Today, the silo that Czyszczon bought in 2020 has turned into what can be described as a VIP vacation and lodging experience.

"We ended up with a three-bedroom, three-bath complex that will hopefully sleep 20 people," Czyszczon said.

Right now, each bedroom has just a queen-size bed, but Czyszczon said eventually a sleeper sofa and a set of bunk beds will be added to each with the goal of having six people per bedroom and the option of a couple more sleeping in the living room.

"It'll be (like) a survival shelter for 20, but hopefully we don't have to use it for that," Czyszczon said.

Each of the three rooms of the silo are now available to rent on Airbnb, with a price of $10,000 per night or guests can rent the entire silo for $25,000 a night. While this may seem like a big expense, Czyszczon said this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and he envisions big things, and big-name renters, coming to the property.

"We have a lot of connections in the entertainment industry, that's really who we're going after, is that kind of clientele," Czyszczon said. "Hopefully as (artists) are passing through for concerts from the East Coast to the West Coast, they stop in Kansas for a night or two and check something out. This is something that's different."

Czyszczon said having been in the hospitality industry, he sees that people are looking for something different when it comes to lodging. Being essentially an underground fortress, he said this experience is unlike any that could be made today, and that is the kind of 'different' that people are looking for.

"Everybody's looking for something different that they can post on Instagram and so forth," Czyszczon said. "This is literally one of the most unique things you can possibly find and you can't recreate it. Anybody can recreate treehouses and Airstreams, but to recreate a missile silo of this magnitude, it would cost you $120 million to $130 million today."

In addition to celebrities and other high-end clientele, Czyszczon said the silo could be the perfect, and unique, place to host things like corporate events, weddings, bachelor and bachelorette parties and more.

Tours of Missile Silo Ranch available next month

Fortunately, people who have a bit of free time at the beginning of May won't have to spend $10,000 to get a peek inside and around the Missile Silo Ranch, as it will be hosting tours and other events as part of the Big Kansas Road Trip.

Czyszczon said the timing and location of the road trip, which is organized by the Kansas Sampler Foundation, was perfect for the silo as it opens up.

"I've been very blessed with my investment and a lot of other things that (the Road Trip) happened to choose Ellsworth for this particular year as (these renovations) happened to be finished," Czyszczon said.

Every 30 minutes beginning at 10 a.m. with the last slot at 5:30 p.m. on May 2-4 and the final slot at 3 p.m. on May 5, the silo is doing tours of the facility, lasting around 25 minutes each and costing $35 a person which includes a collector's coffee mug and a UFO-themed craft beer.

Czyszczon said the silo will also be hosting evening events on May 3 and May 4 beginning at 8 p.m.

"(We welcome) anybody that wants to come out that Friday and Saturday night," Czyszczon said. "We'll be doing a bonfire, have music and have some telescopes (set up) to look at the stars. You're out in the middle of nowhere, so you have great viewing."

These nights cost $50 a person and include free drinks throughout the night and the collector's coffee mug.

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People interested in signing up and buying tickets for tours can register on the tour page of the silo's website, www.themissilesiloranch.com/tours and for the Friday and Saturday night celebrations, the events page, www.themissilesiloranch.com/events.

There are many other things to do during the Big Kansas Road Trip, this year taking place in Ellsworth and Lincoln Counties and in the city of Lucas, that are sure to attract people from all over the state and beyond.

One particular event that Czyszczon is excited about and is also hosting is a bourbon and whiskey tasting and education experience in Pretty Boy Floyd's, an underground speakeasy, that is undergoing renovations in Ellsworth.

"We'll be opening Pretty Boy Floyd's just for that weekend and doing that whiskey tasting for the (Big Kansas Road Trip) weekend," Czyszczon said.

More information about the whiskey tasting, and all the other events happening during the Big Kansas Road Trip, can be found at the trip's website, www.bigkansasroadtrip.com.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Want to stay in a ballistic missile silo in Kansas? It will cost you