Midwest

Lake Michigan edge night — Michigan City's Brewery Lodge where supper club meets campground logic. Brewery Lodge & Supper Club in Michigan City, Indiana sits where road trip and lake trip shake hands. Our June Host night came with supper-club warmth — low lights, cold beer, the feeling that someone has been perfecting this welcome […]

Staging night at Lavender Crest — wine, calm, and one last deep breath before the Northern Mitt rally run. June found us at Lavender Crest again — this time as a staging night before bigger miles toward Michigan wine country and the Grapes and Grains rally orbit. Colona worked like a exhale before the inhale […]

Second helping of Minion mischief — because Fond du Lac in May still makes us grin. We returned to The Minion Farm in Fond du Lac a year later because joy doesn’t expire — it just waits politely in Wisconsin until you come back. May green had replaced last year’s palette. New photo ops, same […]

Quad Cities wine country in spring — Lavender Crest where the meal is as memorable as the pour. Lavender Crest Winery in Colona, Illinois is a full-evening destination — restaurant, event center, vines, and a Host spot that lets you treat dinner like a victory lap after a tow day. April light lingered. We ate […]

Two nights on a hobby farm at the western edge of Iowa — Omaha glow on the horizon, stars overhead. Hobby Farm Iowa in Council Bluffs gave us two nights at the edge of the state where Iowa meets Nebraska ambition across the river. Chickens, projects-in-progress, the beautiful chaos of people living their dream at […]

Central Illinois wine with a name that invites naps — Sleepy Creek delivers neither sleepiness nor disappointment. Sleepy Creek Vineyards in Fairmount, Illinois sounds like a lullaby but pours like a party — Midwestern wine without coastal attitude, Host parking without coastal prices. September evening settled gold over rows. We tasted, chatted with locals who […]

Indy-area overnight with suburban ease — The Price Place proves big cities can have gentle RV edges. Indianapolis sprawls; The Price Place gave us a calm pocket near the city without the stress of urban camping mythology. August in Indiana hummed — cicadas, basketball dreams in the cultural ether, and a Host spot that felt […]

Lake Erie wine country — Ashtabula grapes, lake breeze, and a tasting flight that justified the detour north. Ohio’s Ashtabula County wine trail is an open secret among Midwesterners who know coastlines don’t require oceans. Lago Cellars gave us lake-country parking, a tasting room with a view bias toward relaxation, and an evening that cooled […]

Driftless maple syrup and bluff-country sweetness — Garnavillo sticky in all the right ways. Great River Maple in Garnavillo, Iowa sits in Driftless country where the land refuses to flatten. July isn’t sap season, but the operation still smells like wood smoke and patience — the kind of place that explains why maple costs what […]

Camping gear meets camper curiosity — a night at the manufacturer where pop-top dreams are built. BundutecUSA in Raymond, Iowa is a different flavor of Harvest Hosts: industrial hospitality, product passion, and conversations about how things are made. For two people who treat the Basecamp like a member of the family, it was catnip. We […]