Harvest Hosts is an RV membership program that allows self-contained travelers to overnight at unique locations around the country including farms, wineries, museums, breweries, and more! With 5028+ of host locations inside of our ever-expanding network, there’s an amazing experience waiting for everyone.
harvesthosts.com
We love Harvest Hosts. We especially love it when we are moving from one location to another and need an overnight spot. So far in 2023, we’ve been able to stay at five awesome locations, all with their own unique experience.
The great thing about these locations is that they are all businesses open to the public during the day!
Yalaha Bootlegging Co.
Located in Central Florida in the small town of Yalaha, the Yalaha Bootlegging Company at Blue Bayou Farms is home to deliciously flavored moonshine and a small country store. We parked up near the blueberry fields and enjoyed a relaxing night’s sleep. We were able to do a tasting as well and ended up purchasing a bottle of Southern Pecan Moonshine. Mixed with apple juice, it tastes just like apple pie!
Don Garlits’ Drag Racing Museum
Located in Ocala, Florida, Don Garlits’ Drag Racing Museum is just off I-75 on Exit 341. I grew up watching Don Garlits race, so this was a definite must-stay for me.
The museum takes about two hours to go through, and there’s so much memorabilia from not only Don but also other drag racers.
We stayed there with our friends, Wes and Louanne, and we were able to park in the large truck and RV parking area. They even had a burn-out path on the driveway, so of course, Mike had to pretend he was doing a burn-out with our Solitude!
Lane Southern Orchards
Lane Southern Orchards is located in Fort Valley, Georgia, five minutes west of I-75 at Exit 142. This is a very popular Harvest Host location. In fact, the night we were there about 15 other RVs came in. However, it is more than large enough to handle that number of overnight visitors.
Along with produce, they have the Peachtree Cafe & Bakery. We had dinner there and purchased more for breakfast the next morning.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that they are open daily from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm.
Benton Farm Agricultural Learning Center
The Benton Family Farm and Agricultural Education Center is located in Walton, Kentucky not far off I-71 in the northern part of the state.
We were there on a Sunday evening when the Farm was closed, but according to the website, this is a very active farm with children’s programs, craft shows, and fall festivals.
We were greeted by a noisy group of residents who were very interested in what we were doing!
Once their curiosity was satisfied, they left us to set up and explore the grounds. There is a small store that is on the honor system. We bought a bottle of blackberry wine to have with our dinner and a dozen eggs which were delicious the next morning.
Lyle Farms
Lyle Farms is a family-owned farm located off US23 north of Chillicothe, Ohio. They have a self-serve farm stand with local food and crafts. We purchased pastries to have for breakfast the next morning. The owner also came by with freshly picked cucumbers that were delicious in our salad that night.
They do not have a website, but you can find them on Facebook.
We stayed near the cornfields and had a restful night.
Conclusion
As you can see, we stayed at a wide variety of places during the first half of 2023. And since we are members of the Harvest Hosts, each location was completely free. All they ask is that you support the business in some way. Yes, we probably spent more on goods than we would have by staying at a campground, but the whole point is to support local small businesses. For us, it’s all about the experience.
We’re Mike & Jennifer Skinnell, and together we are The Rambling Quilter. We travel the country full-time in our 41ft. fifth-wheel pulled by our F-350 – affectionately named Beauty & The Beast. Mike still works part-time, and Jennifer writes our blog, travel articles, and contemporary fiction. Our blog is purely for information and entertainment purposes. However, if you’d like to support Jennifer’s writing career, her author link is below.