Post up your Harvest Host Adventures & Experiences

Michigan_Mike

Please share your experiences and adventures with Harvest Host.  This membership is catching on with a lot of people and it would be nice to get recommendations, suggestions and photos of the various wineries and facilities offering up this experience.  

kbdigitiqe

Great idea! Super curious 

SweetlyHome

@Michigan_Mike  We stayed at 6 Harvest Hosts during 2020, our first membership year.  We enjoyed all of our stays and look forward to new experiences this season.  It has to be noted that not all hosts are wineries and there is an expanded subscription, that we do not have, that adds golf courses.  We stayed at 3 wineries, a municipal tourist office, a lavender farm, and a large orchard/farm store.  We have yet to experience a museum as a host.

HH makes it clear that as a guest you are expected to patronize your host.  Buy some wine, etc. Stays are normally one night.  You are boondocking, think Walmart or Cracker Barrel.  No hookups in a field or parking lot.

While in Michigan we stopped at Mackinaw Trail Winery Vineyard & Orchard near Traverse City. 

Our "campsite".  The setting was some what similar at each winery.



 This was a large facility that allowed up to 6 visitors.  Our evening view.




We had a flight of wine at the shop and returned to the campsite for a casual meal.


Our campsite at the the Pontiac IL tourist office.  This was a fun stop which included visiting the local Route 66 museum and a wonderful fried chicken dinner from a local Italian restaurant recommend by the office and several passing locals.  




Loess Hills Lavender Farm, Iowa.  We purchased a variety of lavender based items as gifts for friends.

 

Horigan

I thought with Harvest Hosts you're not allowed to setup a kitchen outside the camper.  Is that a host specific rule?

NorthIsUp

We only managed two HH sites for the summer of 2020, but they were both beautiful. It was two days in a row and our yearly reduced fee first-year membership was worth it for just those two nights. We camped on a HH lavender farm last July in Washington State. That's some sort of weird field post by our passenger door on our previous Sequoia that I hadn't noticed before. Four more trailers came along side by day's end. We also stayed solo on a hilly farm that sold the largest and tastiest grapes that I had ever come across. That's my Honda generator about 50 feet behind the Tab. 
What I didn't like about HH is that you need to schmooze the owner into letting you stay for the night.  Also, generally requires visiting some out of the way places for a one-night stay when going to a farm, rather than an easy-on easy-off RV park right on a major road for a quick sleep. It could be a noisy evening if the people next to you blast their generator, which is what happened to us at the lavender farm. We are hesitant to renew this year especially since I heard that there was a price increase. 

Tampakayaker

Not HH but similar.

Has anyone used this site?

https://faithfulparking.com/

Don't Get Stuck In a Big Box!

Travel with Faith 

We connect tired RVers looking for a place to rest overnight and faith-based groups with quiet empty parking lots. Travelers get a good night of sleep and the host receives a small donation.
Everybody wins!

SweetlyHome

@Horigan, We did not set up an outside kitchen, didn't mean to imply that we did.  That is typically not acceptable.  We sat out side eating a mix of items purchased from the winery restaurant, cheese, crackers, and fruit on hand.  Typically we prepared food indoors at the other stops.  You must be self contained.  Not sure how they would feel about a 320 with external kitchen?

4ncar

SweetlyHome said:

@Horigan, We did not set up an outside kitchen, didn't mean to imply that we did.  That is typically not acceptable.  We sat out side eating a mix of items purchased from the winery restaurant, cheese, crackers, and fruit on hand.  Typically we prepared food indoors at the other stops.  You must be self contained.  Not sure how they would feel about a 320 with external kitchen?

The CS is not considered "self contained," as I understand it.

Michigan_Mike

Cool photos, thanks for sharing!   We picked up a membership for $67 but they did say the price would increase.  You do have to make reservations ahead of time but it’s a neat way of seeing different venues and gaining some new experiences.  Depending on where you plan to camp it seems that parks are filling up quickly and it’s often difficult to find a good spot as people are starting to get out after being stuck at home during the pandemic.  This is a nice way to meander around the countryside and take in camping from a different angle.  

Sharon_is_SAM

Just to clarify as this comes up for discussion:  both CS and CSS TaBs are welcome at Harvest Host sites.

@4ncar - Yes, the CS is without a toilet, so it is not self contained by definition, but per HH rules you can use a portable-potti kept inside the CS.  The CS-S is considered self-contained and is permitted at Harvest Host - you just can’t cook from the galley.  So, you either prepare food ahead of time or you eat out like @SweetlyHome did.  

Self contained usually refers to having all the additions that make you independent of typical campsite hookups, so you don’t require a source for electric, water, dump station, etc. 

This is from the Harvest Host website:  

Also prohibited: Tents, such as ground tents or car rooftop tents; sleeping in cars, trucks, or minivans; overlanding in jeeps, bikes, or atvs. We do allow hybrid (expandable) travel trailers where only the bed areas pop out, but the rest of the trailer is composed of four rigid sides. We allow camper vans where the bed area at the top of the van pops up (but again, the rest of the van has four rigid sides). We allow clamshell and teardrop trailers, but their outdoor cooking facilities may not be used while on Host properties (see below). 

Important: All camping vehicles must be fully self-contained. Your RV must have an interior toilet and built-in holding tanks or bladders for waste water. Porta-potties that remain inside the vehicle at all times are acceptable, but must be dumped off-site at an appropriate facility. The dumping of gray water on Host properties is prohibited. You may only use your RV’s indoor cooking facilities at Host locations; the use of any outdoor cooking facilities is expressly prohibited.

SweetlyHome

@Sharon_is_SAM,  Thank you.

DenisP

We have had great experiences with Harvest Host overnights.  We use their APP when trip planning for options between reservations and then fine tuning our trip when underway.  We have found HH allows for great flexibility.  We have stayed at an Alpaca farm in Sydney, Maine and a great brewery in Boothbay, ME.  On our Epic cross country trip in 2019 we stayed at a family farm in Upstate NY, a brewery near Lake Erie, a beautiful winery in Iowa, and a golf course in Kamloops, BC.  On a trip down south to avoid the cold in 2020 we stayed at a winery in NC and a unique auto museum in Tallahassee.
We have stayed at a really nice dairy farm in Shippensburg, PA and a charming winery in RI for our first dry camping experience.  On our trip to NuCamp in Feb, we stayed at an amazing winery/brewery in central PA.
Our experiences have been good and have taught us a few lessons:
        Thoroughly read the reviews for road noise comments, road conditions getting to the HH,
         Time of establishment's business hours to insure we can arrive on time,
         Check for special events which may interfere with availability,
         Golf courses - parking concerns including distance from green (Tab was hit by a golf ball)
We look forward to staying at HH in the future because they are off the main road, seeing parts of the country we wouldn't normally visit, meeting wonderful hosts and experiencing the local culture including great food, beverages and gifts.  Highly recommend.

AnOldUR

First time out. First Harvest Host. Bellview Winery in South Jersey. Live music, food truck. Loving it!

Sharon_is_SAM

Here is some recent HH news:  https://www.rvtravel.com/big-milestone-reached-harvest-hosts/

AnOldUR

Where’s Waldo?

Parked about 50 yards from a big 5th wheel trailer. A little after 10:00pm we moved to the other side of the field. Dude ran his portable generator all night. 

dragonsdofly

@AnOldUR, you find those inconsiderate types everywhere, even in muddy, plowed farmland. Too bad the t@b doesn't come with aimable strobe lights and 4 foot long air horns. Barring that, a short range EM pulse would be nice!

AnOldUR

@dragonsdofly ... The inconsiderateness aside, the guy had his generator running under the overhang of his fifth wheel. Surprised they woke up in the morning. 
 

jimrj

We stayed at Montavon’s Berries in Parkdale, Oregon last week.  A wonderful view of Mt Hood!  It was a great stay.  We bought some frozen blueberries and plan on making some jam. 

KimmieGuy

We love boondocking, but can only do one night.  The sights are AMAZING !!!!  This is at Blue Heron Winery, southern Indiana- beautiful views.  

Gherzig

Alpaca Farm