I’m a bit behind in blogging about our adventures– this is from our travels around September 5-6, 2015. Follow us on Instagram to find out where we are currently!

After spending a lot of time in Michigan our next “destination” would be Western New York to see Niagara Falls and to spend some time with my cousin near Rochester. Instead of taking our time, like we did in Michigan, we wanted to move a little quicker through the next couple states. There was a slight sense of urgency because we wanted to spend some time in New York – and then jump over to the east coast before the colder fall weather.

We try not to drive more than a few hours a day (we are all happier when we follow this rule), so we figured we’d need to stop one night in Ohio and one in Pennsylvania on our way to Niagara Falls. As we looked at our campground options, along our route, we weren’t seeing much – and the ones that looked convenient were completely booked due to Labor Day weekend!

We decided this would be a great time to use our Harvest Host membership! For $44/year, a Harvest Host membership allows you to stay for FREE at local wineries, farms and other small businesses. And in exchange for a spot to park for the night, you support the local business – perhaps by purchasing wine, vegetables/fruit, souvenirs. Or you can volunteer, perhaps helping with a harvest or another need at the business!

We LOVE this concept – because we love supporting local businesses and we think it’s great fun to spend our money on food or drink instead of “rent” at a campground.

Our first night we stopped at a winery in Ohio. I won’t mention the name because it’s part of having the membership – but it was delightful. We had a nice big pull-through spot at the winery with a grassy area and picnic table. Jeremy and I took turns going into the winery and doing a $3 tasting – what a treat! And we purchased a bottle of wine. The winery closed around 5 p.m. and we had the whole place to our selves (except one other RV with Harvest Hosts). . .we had a crazy rain storm and then the most magnificent sunset!

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