When Jared VanLue isn’t flying a plane, chances are he’s driving around the Midwest with his camper, stopping at wineries and other “agritouristy” locations to spend the night.
The pilot from Michigan is a member of Harvest Hosts, a network of more than 9,500 wineries, farms, and other locations in North America that welcome RVers to park and camp for the evening. In Michigan alone, roughly 100 wineries and farms — among other small businesses and community hosts — participate as overnight oases for road trippers.
A basic annual Harvest Hosts membership costs $99 and lets campers search for hosts and book as many stays as they like on a site akin to Airbnb. (Individual stops are only for a night — or two, or three, depending on the location — at a time.) Instead of paying a camping fee, RVers are expected to arrive during operating hours and spend at least $30 at the hosting business.
Here are just a few highly rated Harvest Hosts that welcome participating RVers to their Michigan vineyards and orchards.
Cellar 1914, Central Lake
VanLue estimates that he spends 30 to 35 nights a year camping at Harvest Hosts locations with his towable camper. One spot he visits every year is Cellar 1914, a century-old, family-run farm in Central Lake that has “plenty of space for parking,” he says. “I usually boondock,” he adds, referring to camping off the grid sans water, sewer, or electrical hookups. “I have solar panels and batteries, so parking in their wide-open field with plenty of sunshine is usually our biggest draw for their space.”
Co-owner Rob Shooks highlights another draw: “The view. That’s pretty much it. We overlook Grand Traverse Bay, and right now we have cherry blossoms out, and it’s just a sea of white out there overlooking Grand Traverse Bay.” The fall color tour isn’t half bad either, he adds.
The grape- and cherry-focused farm, complete with a wine tasting room, is situated on 1,100 acres, so guests have a lot to explore. As far as settling in for the night, Cellar 1914 offers four parking spaces and can fit rigs longer than 45 feet. Slide-outs, generators, and pets are allowed, and there are three first come, first served 30-amp electrical hookups available for a fee. Cellar 1914 does allow guests to book more than one night, but they should plan to patronize the business each day of their stay.
Ultimately, being a Harvest Host is good business for Cellar 1914, Shooks says. “A lot of these campers would never find us if it wasn’t for Harvest Hosts.”
Cherry Creek Cellars, Brooklyn
About 1.5 hours southwest of Detroit, Cherry Creek Cellars in Brooklyn has room for one full-size RV right by the vineyard. There aren’t any hookups, so campers should be prepared to boondock. Generators, slide-outs, and pets are allowed.
“Centrally located” Cherry Creek attracts road trippers who are heading “every direction,” says owner Patrick Spensley. “We get people going east and west across I-94, and we also get people headed north on their way up to the U.P. or northern Michigan or headed down south as temps go down in the fall.”
Campers should plan to arrive at least one hour before closing to enjoy a glass of wine, beer, or cider in the tasting room or order a bite to eat from Cherry Creek’s café. “Two to three nights a week during the summer, we’ve got live music going on as well,” Spensley says, “so stumble in on the right night, and you just might be able to enjoy a band and food truck.”
Blu Dot Farm & Vineyard, Charlevoix
Charlevoix is a Harvest Hosts hub, and one highly rated relative newcomer to the scene is Blu Dot Farm & Vineyard, which has space for four RVs and can fit rigs up to 45 feet. The winery doesn’t have hookups, but generators and slide-outs are allowed.
Blu Dot’s tasting room is open May through October and is, ironically enough, located in a vintage Airstream trailer. It offers an “intimate and fun setting,” says General Manager Sam Smiertka. The 50-acre property used to be a horse farm, and campers “can walk from the pasture right up to the tasting room but still be secluded in the back of the property,” she says. The dog-friendly winery is also bicycle-friendly; it’s connected to the Little Traverse Wheelway, which extends from Charlevoix to Harbor Springs. After a ride, guests can sit at the tasting room and sip on a glass of Blu Dot’s wine.
“It’s a win-win,” Smiertka says, “for the people coming and then for us.”
This story originally appeared in the August 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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