Our first glamping and camping trip started with a stop at a Harvest Hosts‘ location. Holy cow, it was fantastic! We left Michigan in Sheen’s Bean (NuCamp Tab 400) headed to warmer weather. Our first stop? A one night stay at Tuscan Hills Winery that totally rocked!
I’m sharing our review of Harvest Hosts, including what they provide and how to use their app. I’m also highlighting details of our first stop experience. Oh, and yes, photos included.
Harvest Hosts – An Overview
I first heard of Harvest Hosts (HH) through fellow camper photographer Norm Vexler and camper fine artist Debra Howard. They raved about the service, the locations and I now know why.
In addition to convenience, Harvest Hosts locations offer RV travelers a unique ‘destination’ on they way to your destination. In other words, these locations along our journey makes what RV travelers do even better.
Sheen Watkins
Harvest Hosts classic annual membership program ($79.00) invites campers with self-contained RVs to enjoy unique overnight stays at wineries, farms and other venues across the US. The premise is that along the journey to our destination locations, we need to stop and rest for the night.
Instead of finding and staying at a campground, you search and stop at one of their many locations across US. These “Harvest Hosts members” venues offer wines, foods, experiences and sights. As these hosts are not charging us to stay overnight, we as guests support their business with a purchase.
Two Harvest Hosts Membership Options: Camping/Glamping or Camping/Glamping + Golf Courses
With the Classic membership of $79.00 (as of this blog), campers have access to over 1698 locations with wineries, breweries, farms and various attractions. If golfing and spa facilities are calling your name, then the Harvest Hosts + Golf adds another 390+ locations with access to golf courses and country clubs, some with spa facilities (in addition to the Classic locations).
How to Access and Use the Harvest Host App
Their app is super easy to use. You apply filters (for us, pets allowed is a must) with your preferences along with your vehicle length. Either type in a specific location or enter your planned route . You also select how far off your route you’re interested in seeing. Then a map with filtered host locations pops up along your route. The images from the app are below.
Click on one of the icons to access venue details, how to reserve a spot (always make a reservation as spaces are limited!), read reviews and see photos by other travelers.
From there, all you need to do is arrive, check-in, park and enjoy!
Tuscan Hills Winery – Our 1st Harvest Host Experience
Who knew that in Effingham, Illinois that just a couple of miles off the interstate, a sweet vineyard awaits?
Food & Beverages
Tuscan Hills Winery has more than crafted and bottled wines and daily wine tastings. Thank goodness as I’m allergic to wine overall so we opted for a couple of cold beers to complement our carry out dinner (we could have dined in).
Their pizzas and flatbreads were delicious. My hubby loved his thin crust pizza. I’m a foodie and their flatbread ranks in my top five “flatbread yum”list. My selection was a savory blend of cheeses, spices, olives and sundried tomatoes.
Since our next day travel was going to be a long one, we also ordered a charcuterie board. The cheeses, mustard, crackers, sausages and olives made for a delightful picnic break the following day.
Room to Walk and Unwind
We also travel with our two dogs. This location is very pet friendly. We quietly strolled through lovely neighborhood with our fur kids. A brilliant orange sunset through the trees topped off the end to our first travel day.
The next morning, we watched the sunrise graze across the open field. Since it’s early spring, I would imagine that this field will green up as the warm spring unfolds. I also spent a few minutes enjoying spring’s early flowers. I live in Michigan, so seeing color this time of year is indeed a gift.
Our first time using Harvest Hosts‘ planner and our first stay both receive 5 stars. We couldn’t have asked for more from our visit. And our pups were very happy and cozy.
2 comments
Great topic, Sheen. Tom is definitely thinking of doing this when we retire, and I’m warming to the idea. Maybe we’ll see you on the road!
Hi Paula! Thanks for your comments! So great to hear from you. It’s an absolute blast. We’ve been on our first trip with more on the horizon. A great way to see the country and explore. When you start looking at RVs don’t hesitate to reach out. It was so helpful for us to have folks share their insight. Have a great one!
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