Zanesville, Ohio

5.9.26

As soon as we clambered out of the truck at McDonald’s Greenhouse and Corn Maze, the sweet smell of freshly cut grass wafted around us—along with just enough manure-smell to confirm you’re truly in farm country. McDonald’s is a destination in the Harvest Hosts network, which means we could park our truck and Airstream (“Chisoku”) on the property for free, with the understanding that we’d support the business during our stay. For RVers who can boondock (i.e., stay off-grid without plugging into electricity or water), the Harvest Hosts network of farms and other businesses that let you park for one or more nights, offers an enchanting way to travel.

 You never know what you’ll find at each stop, but it usually includes kind people and interesting or delicious products. We’ve stayed at breweries, wineries, a train-and-toy museum, a bee/honey farm, a distillery, a dairy farm, an organic farm…and the list goes on.

 For the locals in the Zanesville, Ohio, area, McDonald’s Greenhouse and Corn Maze is probably just a plant nursery, where they can buy flowers, herb plants, vegetable starters, various cuts of beef, fresh eggs, honey, and donuts. But for a Harvest Host guest, it is a serene stop with rolling fields of green grass, a nearby pond to walk your dogs around, and quiet from the road.

They also have a petting zoo with goats, cows, and a turkey. We parked in a large, grassy field toward the back of the property that is designated for Harvest Host guests. There was only one other travel trailer there, and the listing says they offer up to five parking spots.

We wandered around and admired the flowers (geraniums and petunias) arranged in inventive baskets and displays. We also breezed through the herb and vegetable greenhouse, where we found all kinds of herbs, interesting-sounding tomato varieties, and peppers. We bought a small cilantro plant, a sirloin steak, and some fresh eggs. We also tried the donuts! We’ll see if I can keep the cilantro alive in Chisoku!

We highly recommend the Harvest Hosts app and network to anyone who travels with an RV. We hope to stay at many more such places during our journey, and we’ll be sure to mention them. Here are some more pics from our stay, including the beautiful pond on my morning walk with Lizzie after a quiet night's sleep...