Having had such good luck with our first Harvest Hosts stop and wanting to go somewhere where there was no (cheap) camping close by (Cuyahoga National Park) we decided to go to another one. This time it was a winery and brewery Maize Valley Winery in Hartville OH. Although their blurb said we didn't have to call first I did just to check there would be room. The woman said there was and just to park on the gravel. We arrived around 4pm to a huge and almost empty lot with a nice level gravel area at the end. We set up and then I went to the store to buy a few things. I noticed there were tables and asked if they served food and the proprietor assured me they did so I knew then I would not have to make dinner, which, even when I haven't been driving, seems like an insurmountable task on travel days. I happily told Don and around 6:30 we went back over. There were a few more cars there and when we went in we noticed there was a terrace area set up for dining as well. We chose a table outside and noticed there was a band setting up. The waiter told us it was an "oldies band" made up of guys from around the area that was playing their last gig. His comment: "They're pretty old now." My observation: "Hmm they look around our ages."
So we sat outside in the delightful evening air and ate simple but delicious chicken dinners. The music had just about started but we were feeling quite exhausted and decided we could sit in the MoHo and listen. As we walked into the parking lot we were aghast! It was completely full! Cars were still coming in and going into the overflow lot on the hill. The pets needed to be walked so I took them both up to a little area where there were sheep and a llama, who was endlessly curious about Cadbury and then we sat outside for awhile. Don decided to re-park our car to make some more room and we stood and talked to the owner for awhile since the band members were good friends of his. Our plans to listen to the music died pretty quickly as we both fell off into a deep sleep after an embarrassingly short time. I woke up at 10pm when someone's car alarm went off as people were leaving but fell asleep again until the next morning which dawned sunny with a few clouds but beautiful and we were once again-alone in a vast parking lot. Really perfect.
So we sat outside in the delightful evening air and ate simple but delicious chicken dinners. The music had just about started but we were feeling quite exhausted and decided we could sit in the MoHo and listen. As we walked into the parking lot we were aghast! It was completely full! Cars were still coming in and going into the overflow lot on the hill. The pets needed to be walked so I took them both up to a little area where there were sheep and a llama, who was endlessly curious about Cadbury and then we sat outside for awhile. Don decided to re-park our car to make some more room and we stood and talked to the owner for awhile since the band members were good friends of his. Our plans to listen to the music died pretty quickly as we both fell off into a deep sleep after an embarrassingly short time. I woke up at 10pm when someone's car alarm went off as people were leaving but fell asleep again until the next morning which dawned sunny with a few clouds but beautiful and we were once again-alone in a vast parking lot. Really perfect.
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| A curious and friendly llama |
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| 3 Goats in Silhouette |
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| the farm across the road |
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| First rays of morning sun |
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| When we arrived there were few cars in the lot and Don was able to sit and read |
Note: If you are an RVer, Maize Valley is only open for free overnight free stays if you are a member of Harvests Hosts. They will ask for your membership card. If you want to visit the winery or brewery or have dinner there we would say go for it. We did not taste the wine but the beer was great.
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