Harvest Hosts Review: Unforgettable Camping at Wineries, Farms and More
March 2025
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Harvest Hosts Camping
Imagine waking up to the rolling hills of vineyards, peaceful farms, churches, and small-town businesses. Harvest Hosts offers a unique membership program that allows RV travelers to camp overnight at wineries, farms, breweries, churches, or businesses across the United States for a low annual fee.
There are incredible hidden gems and ways to support small businesses and make some unforgettable memories in some beautiful locations. You can park your camper for one night at many different locations. They have over 9,445 camping locations across the United States.
NOTE: Tent camping (ground or roof top), Jeep or car camping, ATV’s and bikes are prohibited. Reservations are required and you are not to just show up and expect to camp for the night.
There is an expectation for using Harvest Hosts whereas you are encouraged to purchase an item or more within the business at each location. Some of the items could consist of wine, fresh fruit or vegetables, eggs, alpaca fleece homemade items, meal at the restaurant, and more. This is a great way to support small businesses.
You can purchase a membership online or through the Harvest Hosts app. Online or on the app you can search for stays using the map to locate areas you want to visit. You can click on an icon as shown below, and it will give you more details of that stay.
Here you will find ratings, location, if pets are allowed, a brief description of their property, their operating hours, maximum rig size, and more. You will find the calendar that tells you what days are available for camping at that location and pictures taken by others who have stayed at that location.
Below are two Harvest Hosts locations we stayed at in the summer of 2024.
1.Hickory Hearth Highlands
Hickory Hearth Highlands camping is located in McDonald, Pennsylvania. This is a family run farm that offers scenic views and cute highland cows to enjoy. This camping spot is located on their property by their pole barn right next to the cows. Amy was an amazing host and super friendly throughout our stay. She gave us the story of her land and how her amazing daughter has created this interactive community with her highland cows and how you can book a tour to see these beauties in person. Check out her Instagram page @hickoryhearthhighlands
We parked around the pole barn and had level land on gravel. As we enjoyed our evening visiting the cows we were blessed with a beautiful rainbow across the field. Such a beautiful way to end our night. There is a 110 electrical outlet and water hookup available for a $20 charge. You can also stay for additional nights at $50 each. We were the only camper there during our stay.
Check out their small store inside their silo where you can purchase items to support their farm.
Pets are allowed but they request no fires.
Scottish Highland cows
We were able to interact with the highland cows during our visit. We were not allowed to be on the other side of the fence with the cows, but we could interact with them when they met us at the gate. They are such unique cows, and we had such a blast watching them explore their land as the sun set.
Instagram: @hickoryhearthhighlands
Feeding the baby cows
My son had the privilege of bottle feeding the baby cows before they went to bed. On the property you will find the famous highland cows, donkeys, pigs and cats. If you cook your meals outside or have your camper door open, they do have a wild cat that is insistent on trying your food or exploring your camper so be aware of this rascal.
I would stay at Hickory Hearth Highlands again!
I would definitely stay at this Harvest Hosts farm, Hickory Hearth Highlands, the next time I am in the area. Amy was a wonderful host, and I loved how peaceful her property was.
This stay is located a little less than 4 hours south of Niagara Fall, New York.
Camping favorites
WEN generator - this is the exact one we use while camping
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2.Herd it Here Farm
Herd it Here Farm is located in Cottageville, South Carolina. This farm is located about 45-minutes from historic Charleston. The owner Bill has done an amazing job creating a wonderful environment for all of his farm animals and his farm hand, Melissa, was wonderful at communicating with us prior to our arrival to let us know the expectations upon arrival.
Be sure to read the instructions after booking this farm as there are two ways to enter their property depending on the size of your camper. There is a large open land for camping with level spots. Picnic tables are available along with a large firepit. There were two other campers there during our visit with plenty of space in between us.
The expectation is that you arrive before they put the animals to bed at night. Same day requests are accepted up until 5pm. Your first night is free but you can stay up to 4 days for $30 per night.
Pets are allowed but must be on a least at all times. Generators are allowed but it is requested you do not run them all night unless you are the only guest.
Check out the picture below, the horse gets a little nosey as he pokes his head in our campervan! :-)
Alpaca barn friends
The farm hand along with the owner gave tours during animal feeding time and described the process of building their farm and allowed us to interact with their alpacas. They had several alpacas to interact with by feeding and petting them. Some alpacas were friendlier than others.
It was wonderful to see the passion the owner and farm hand had regarding their animals. The animals were well cared for and provided immediate medical care when needed.
Other farm animals
After our visit to the barn the owner took us on a tour to visit the rest of the farm animals. Here you will find chickens, fainting and pygmy goats, highland cows, mini donkey, and horses.
Free roaming horse
The horse freely roams the land where you will camp and might allow you to pet him if you are lucky. We were able to interact with the highland cows from outside the fence along our tour. You are not allowed inside the fence with the highland cows for your safety.
It is important when you leave the property, to lock the gate so the horse and donkey does not escape.
Country Store
They had the cutest little country store to visit. Many items were locally made from alpaca fleece. They had mittens, blankets, hats, soap, toys and more for purchase. Outside the store you could also find restrooms that are available for you to use. I was surprised to find restrooms available for use but was excited to have this amenity. The restrooms were open at night as well for convenience.
I would stay at Herd it Here Farms again!
We had so much fun interacting with all of the Herd it Here farm animals during our time at Herd it Here Farm. Bill and Melissa were amazing hosts and were available to answer any questions along the way.
Check out related posts
Honest Harvest Hosts Review
This was our first opportunity to use Harvest Hosts during the summer of 2024. We had an amazing experience, and I am amazed at how many locations are available to stay at across the United States. You will pay a yearly fee and have unlimited camping stays with no additional fees (unless you stay more than one night) at farms, wineries, breweries, small businesses, churches, golf courses, and other attractions.
There are three different levels of this program to choose from and prices start at $99 a year. There are so many locations to choose from across the United States that you will not run out of places to stay. Remember that reservations are required but some locations do accept day of arrival reservations if available.
We had a wonderful time and chose two perfect Harvest Hosts locations for our family.
This part of my review might differ from others. I usually boondock when I travel to save money, which allows me to spend more money on excursions and experiences for my family. While this experience felt similar to boondocking without the remote, off-the-grid locations, it came with the expectation of making purchases at each stop. I love supporting small business, but this expectation isn’t how I usually travel. Since I am not a full-time camper, I found my use of the membership to be limited, and for that reason, I decided not to renew the membership after the first year.
The small businesses we supported were worth the money we spent in their stores, and I am thankful I had the opportunity to support them. If I was to travel on a more full-time basis, I would definitely use this membership in the future or if I decide to take another month-long trip across the United States again, I will use this membership at that time.
If you love to support small businesses and have the extra money to do so, then I highly recommend you take advantage of this membership. It is worth the small amount of money you will pay toward their membership.
So, wherever you find yourself in your travel journey, please consider this opportunity to stay at some amazing locations and meet some amazing people. You will not be disappointed in this adventure.
Enjoy the journey,
Meet the author: Jennifer
I am a girl who loves to travel with my family and enjoys sharing expert family travel advice. I am a content creator and influencer on Instagram with years of travel experience and provide readers with advice, tips, and details on adventurous family travel and tips on saving money while boondocking or traveling across the US. You can usually find me dreaming up our next epic vacation or outside exploring natural landscapes. I am a fearless roadtripper who isn’t afraid to explore new and off the path adventures.
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