Google Photos (which, by the way, is a must for anyone who travels frequently and needs to backup and frequently access their photos) just reminded me that a year ago we stayed at one of our favorite Harvest Hosts to date – The Recreational Vehicle / Manufactured Home (RV/MH) Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana.

Our visit to the RV/MH Hall of Fame was one of those pleasant surprises because we didn’t even know that the place existed and also just happened to be directly on our route to the east coast. We knew that Elkhart, Indiana was home to many RV and RV Parts manufactures, so it did make sense that this is where an RV Hall of Fame would be. But if it weren’t for us looking for a place to crash for the night and using the Harvest Host App, we would have never know about this place.

We rolled in after the museum had closed, but we stayed in the parking lot with a handful of other rigs. It was a nice quiet night and then the next day when the museum opened up at 9am we were one of only a few visitors in the place, which was great because, you know, a pandemic was going on and social distancing was key.

The Hall of Fame is mainly three things. The main attraction, at least in our humble opinion, is the RV museum that showcases different RV’s from the early days of automobiles to the retro campers of the 80’s. The second part is where they get their name, the Hall of Fame where they honor the people who have made significant contributions to the RV and Manufactured Housing industry. The third is the event center, which really doesn’t come into play for the casual visitor. There’s of course a gift shop outside the museum in case you’re interested in picking up any RV related souvenirs.

We loved seeing the evolution in ideas over the generations of RV’s. In the beginning, you can really see the merger between the idea of the automobile with the covered wagon (which, actually kind of were the O.G.’s of RV’s) and then seeing evolution in the the home on wheels, whether it driving itself or being towed.

One of the interesting things about visiting when we did is that it was in the midst of the pandemic induced RV shortage. Normally they have an entire hall of newer RV’s to look at, but apparently all the dealers were calling these into their showrooms so they would have inventory.

If you are interested in checking out the RV/MH Hall of Fame their address is 21565 Executive Parkway Elkhart, Indiana 46514. Their website is www.rvmhhalloffame.org.

They are open everyday of the week in summer and Monday through Saturday in the winter with varying hours. The Hall of Fame is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Current entrances prices are:

Adults – $12
Children (6-16) – $9
Children (5 and under) – Free
Seniors (60 and over) – $10
Group Rate (14 or more) – $8
Family Special* – $30