Our First Harvest Host Definitely Set the Bar High
One of our biggest issues over the last couple years on the road has been how to handle quick overnight stays on the road. Until now we’ve stayed at KOAs, truck stops or Cracker Barrel locations as many do but those places always have you wondering about the area and safety. As our new year rolls in we decided to give Harvest Host a try and see just what people have been raving about. We joined the program and started planning our New Years trip still not knowing what to expect. Fortunately our first experience with Harvest Host proved to be AMAZING!
Southern Grace Lavender Farm
Southern Grace Lavender Farm is in Southport, Florida (just North of Panama City) and is the first lavender farm certified by the Florida Department of Agriculture. We had seen several reviews on the location and knew we wanted to try it out but never expected it to be our first experience with Harvest Host.
We were able to request our stay online and Kari, one of the owners, responded very quickly confirming the reservation and providing details of the location. She also informed me they had 3 electric sites for a small fee ($20 as of 1/1/2022) if I wanted to use that service. Kari also called on the day of the stay to let me know which site to pull in to when we arrived as the weather was iffy with rain and storms bouncing around.
Shortly after we arrived the bottom fell out of the sky for about an hour. Fortunately we were fortunately able to get mostly set up before getting soaked! After the rains let up we were greeted by Jason (the farmer) and shortly thereafter by Kari. They let us know that there were free eggs from the chickens for us to take in addition to free firewood and free charcoal should the weather cooperate with evening plans. Kari also explained that fall is when most of the lavender is in bloom and they were currently in the process of changing to a different breed of plant. She also explained how the process works of extracting the oils which is definitely something we’d like to go back in the fall to see!
Kari gave us a brief overview of things they had going on at the farm including the addition of an Air BnB unit soon. She pointed out highlights of the farm and then took us into the gift shop which was very neatly set up. She explained that virtually everything was from the farm and that the lip balms were made by a local bee keeper using their lavender.
After grabbing some goodies in the gift shop we started out to explore the farm on our own. The kids enjoyed seeing the chickens running free across the property along with the large pig in the pen. The property has several areas to sit and relax including a gazebo by a long coy pond.
If you have pets they have a fenced, off-leash, play area where they have even included toys for your dog. Make sure you’re respectful and clean up after them and hook the leash back before coming out of the gate!
The free sites for harvest hosts are grassy pull thru sites with fire rings in the front of the property. The electric sites all are 50 amp gravel sites with concrete pads beside them. The farm provided 50 amp to 30 amp adapters at each site and even has clip at each picnic table for your table cloth. Each of these sites also has a charcoal grill with a box of charcoal ready for your use beside it.
To say that this Harvest Host has thought of everything would be an understatement. We were overly impressed with our experience and will be keeping it on our list for a future return. If you’re not a Harvest Host member I would definitely recommend it as you can turn your overnight stays on the road into mini destination. Using this link will get you 15% off your membership and lock in your price forever even as it goes up for others! Until next time………….
See our Polar Bear Dip blog from this trip
See or Polar Bear Dip YouTube