Towering Redwoods, Abundant Sandy Beaches, A Historic Boardwalk, and Wildlife Galore

Santa Cruz is a casual yet bustling town about 70 miles south of San Francisco at the northernmost point of Monterey Bay. Its 63,000 citizens enjoy seemingly endless geographical, natural, and cultural riches, including a near-perfect year-round climate. Its allures no doubt tempt residents to join the visitors outside, reveling in the ambiance and listening to the bugling gulls and barking sea lions. That’s what I remember from my college days on the lower San Francisco Peninsula, when Highway 17 was a magic carpet ride to almost unlimited beaches. The downtown pedestrian mall of Pacific Avenue, with its shops and sidewalk cafes was new then, and full of promise. Decades later, would the charm and joie de vivre of Santa Cruz still be alive?

We sat on the terrace with our wine, while vineyards stretched out before us, soaking up the sun. My thought was not too original, I’m afraid, who wouldn’t want to stay at a beautiful winery, when just visiting one is so enjoyable?

Don and Kim Greene wanted to stay longer, too, on a farm they were visiting in Europe, and they were familiar with many of the various European agritourist programs that facilitate visitors staying on working farms. So the Greenes asked, “Why can’t we do this in the U.S.?” Surely they weren’t the only people interested in experiencing what goes on at a farm.

In 2010, Don and Kim’s idea morphed into Harvest Hosts, an organization that originally provided an interface between RVers and those farming families willing to share their slice of rural heaven with overnight visitors.

Now if you’re thinking, Don and Kim founded a company and Charles had a second glass of wine, you are not entirely incorrect, but you’re missing the point. The Greenes made it possible for you to actually stay at a farm, winery, orchard, or whatever. You can explore the workings of your host’s operation without the nuisance of actually working there, then sleep in your own bed at night and be on your way in the morning with a refrigerator full of fresh produce or a few bottles of wine you wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.

Harvest Hosts puts RVers in touch with more than farmers—think farms and ranches, orchards and wineries.These are men and women eager for us to see their operations and sample their products. A great concept, Harvest Hosts grew steadily, if not rapidly.