Harvest Host

[kathytony1985]

We stayed at a lovely winery recently. There was a food truck and entertainment. Very quiet, clear night. Twisted Vine Family Winery in Patriot, Ohio.

[kstock11]

When traveling to another destination, Harvest Hosts are my “go to” stops. Often, I’m able to stay hitched up. Often some of the most unique stops. Coming back from Alaska last year, stayed at an organic lavender farm - sunset yoga between the lavender rows! Mississippi Ale House - falling asleep to live music! Ranches in the middle of nowhere in the mountains of California and Northern Texas - with unpolluted night sky’s! Wineries, microbrews, farms, etc. why anyone would prefer a Walmart or Truck stop, I don’t know!

[kathytony1985]

Looking for more to stay on the way from Ohio to Minnesota next week. Love HH! We've also stayed at some Boondockers Welcome that were very nice.

[GregWCIL]

We usually stay at HH when on a long haul and only need to overnight. Our good friends used to do Boondockers Welcome back when it was a free give and take system. Now that HH has bought it I think it’s an extra fee on top of the HH fee. So we haven’t tried it.

[kathytony1985]

If there are no hookups at a BW, they don't ask for anything. If they offer hookups and you use them, they will ask for a small amount. At least that has been our experience. Also, most recently we stayed at a HH Winery and were told by the owner they allow more than one night stay, but can't put it on the HH website because HH won't allow them to. So, they suggest you call and ask if they allow multiple nights at a HH.

[Mike Lewis]

I saw a Harvest Host location in Los Alamos, NM. It was at a brew pub right across the street from Oppenheimer's house during the Manhattan Project.

[iamunique127]

This is new to me. The fee seems totally reasonable.

Do you get tours, visits with the hosts, etc. at each location or are you left on your own?

Are there often several RVs at each location?

Sounds very interesting.

[kathytony1985]

We have stayed with 19 HH and BW over the past 5 months of traveling FT. We have had a variety of experiences including tours and shared meals. We have experienced total dry camping to FHU. We have dine one night stopovers to 7 day stays to explore the surrounding areas. HH and BW are just another way to explore this great land. We highly recommend this membership.

[GregWCIL]

Originally Posted by iamunique127

This is new to me. The fee seems totally reasonable.

Do you get tours, visits with the hosts, etc. at each location or are you left on your own?

Are there often several RVs at each location?

Sounds very interesting.

I can’t speak to Boondockers Welcome, but Harvest Hosts charges $99 per year. They have an app that lets you search by location or choose spots on a map. Number of spots and size is usually listed. Almost all are a commercial enterprise which recommend you buy something. We often choose a winery or restaurant for a fun stop. We did stop at a beef farm one time and bought some steaks for the camper. Edit to add: reservations are made on their app and confirmed by email. Very easy.
Our friends who used to be in the free Boondockers Welcome group usuallly stayed in private drives or backyards. Part of the deal back then was to offer hosting yourself. They had a guest camper one night and invited him in for dinner. Had a great time comparing notes. Now BW costs an extra $70 on top of the HH $99.
Perhaps this Escape forum could start an informal group for sharing overnight stays.
I’ll start: We are retired farmers and would usually welcome anyone to stay on our 3 acre back yard with good fishing in the pond beside it. Central Illinois 25 miles west of the Springfield Lincoln Presidential Museum and sites. No steaks tho.

[kathytony1985]

There is also a Route feature where you can enter your location and destination. The site will show you BE and HH and Dump Stations on your route! This has been a helpful feature for us.

[GregWCIL]

Cool. I haven’t tried that feature.

[brroberts]

We used to use and host BW, but with the new owners it became unusable for us and we dropped it. Actually the new owners made it hard for us to drop, but we removed as much info as we could and turned down all requests, so we finally got out. We never paid for it, and initially it was good, but the liability increased over time and the ability to book decreased.

[Mike G]

When it started, members probably saw it as "nice people helping nice people." But the organizers probably saw it as "future opportunity to monetize after it's grown large enough to attract a buyer." The solution would be to create a new organization established as a non-profit or a co-op or something, so the whole thing could remain "nice people helping nice people" for the long term.

[brroberts]

Yes Mike. As I mentioned here before, folks are welcome at our place with water & electricity when we are home.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by brroberts

Yes Mike. As I mentioned here before, folks are welcome at our place with water & electricity when we are home.

I, too, have the ability to host three camping units at the same time with water and electricity (2 w/30 amp and 1 w/20 amp. This includes the (previously mentioned in other threads) “infamous Campsite #1, for which another Escape Forum member has standing “reservations” every year during the second half of January through February. I also have a “secluded” area with only water suitable for boondocking. Over the years I have had at least 6 couples or singles stay on my property, which can be described as rural and quiet.