ALABASTER, Ala. (WIAT) — Have you ever considered camping out at a golf course, church or even a brewery?
Harvest Hosts, an RV club, could be just the ticket for RVers coming in to cheer on their favorite teams for the NCAA Tournament.
Thousands are in Birmingham from all over the country. City Councilman Hunter Williams said our restaurants, retail and hotels will be filled through the weekend.
“From today throughout the weekend, we will see a huge influx to our city. Both people that will be coming, staying in our hotels, but also people that will just be driving in regionally from central Alabama,” Williams said.
Because hotels are packed, some may have to consider alternative options like Harvest Hosts.
The RV club consists of a family of unique local businesses, many throughout central Alabama, that are open for RVs and campers to stay overnight.
The company’s CEO, Joel Holland, tells CBS 42 there’s no cost to stay at their locations. RVers are only required to sign-up with Harvest Hosts and have a self-contained RV or camper.
Holland said their 250,000 members only pay $100 for a yearly membership that gives you instant access to all 4,000 of their unique local businesses across the country.
The overall idea is the RVers will support the businesses they stay at. Holland said the businesses that are part of Harvest Hosts earn an average of $13,000 to $20,000 in extra revenue each year.
During a time like the NCAA Tournament in Birmingham, Holland said visitors utilizing Harvest Hosts won’t just enjoy time at Legacy Arena for games.
“They’re going to visit some of these local breweries and wineries- we have some golf courses nearby,’ Holland said. “There’s even a church downtown that hosts. So, that’s the goal is that as all these visitors come for basketball, they’ll actually stay for the businesses and hopefully leave with a great taste in their mouth and say, ‘Hey. Birmingham’s pretty cool. Let’s go back there in the future on the next RV trip.’”
In downtown Birmingham, Back Forty Beer Company and Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham are two Harvest Hosts locations.
If you’re looking for a little distance from the hustle and bustle, Siluria Brewing Company in Alabaster may be for you.
Siluria Brewing Company’s owner, Danny Sample, says both parties can benefit. They don’t charge anyone to stay overnight, and their business gets to showcase Alabama hospitality while visitors enjoy their craft brews & local food trucks.
He says they’re also right down the road from all the March Madness Action.
“And so, for those travelers that are following their team, are able to give us a call and stay in the parking lot,” Sample said. “They can enjoy it even if they don’t get tickets into the games, you can watch the games here. So we’re kind of an all in one for those that are traveling that kind of just want to relax and enjoy watching the game on TV or if they want to unhook and head on into the game they can do that.”
If you’re coming in with an RV or camper this weekend to take part in all the fun and want to learn more about Harvest Hosts locations nearby like Siluria Brewing Company, you can visit https://harvesthosts.com/ .
To reach Siluria Brewing Company directly you can call (205) 624-3037 or reach out through the Harvest Hosts app.