Our First Harvest Hosts Stay – Moonlight Drive-In

Jun 6, 2026 | Harvest Host

After an eventful first travel day, we finally arrived at our destination...

Moonlight Drive-In in Abingdon, Virginia.

Located just off Interstate 81, not far beyond the Tennessee-Virginia state line, it would become our very first Harvest Hosts experience.

When we traveled full-time years ago, Harvest Hosts wasn't something we had ever used. This time around, we wanted to try something different, and honestly, I picked this location simply because I couldn't resist staying at a classic drive-in theater.

As soon as we arrived, we got Big Bertha parked and started setting up camp.

Or at least we tried to.

Our first setup brought yet another unexpected surprise.

This time, our leveling jacks decided they didn't want to cooperate.

Thankfully, Brinkley's Customer Care team was only a phone call away. Their representative patiently walked us through the issue over the phone, and before long we had everything working correctly.

One more problem solved.

As for Paisley...

She handled her first travel day much better than we expected.

She spent a little while hiding underneath one of the cabinets while we were getting set up, but once she realized the RV had stopped moving, she cautiously came out to investigate and quickly returned to her normal curious self.

One travel day down...

Many more to go.

Not long after we finished setting up, the skies opened up.

Rain poured down, putting a temporary pause on our plans.

Fortunately, it eased up just long enough for us to make our way to the concession stand when it opened around 7:00 that evening.

Walking inside felt like stepping back in time.

The nostalgic atmosphere was exactly what I had hoped it would be.

Vintage signs.

Classic movie theater charm.

The smell of fresh popcorn filling the air.

It was everything you'd expect from an old-fashioned drive-in.

Of course, we couldn't leave without ordering a few treats.

I enjoyed a big bucket of wonderfully salty popcorn while Greg chose nachos. We both grabbed fountain drinks before heading back to the RV.

The plan was simple.

Lower the patio.

Relax outside.

Watch a movie under the stars.

Mother Nature, however, had a different idea.

The rain returned shortly after we got back, and we honestly weren't sure if the movie would even play.

While we waited, we stretched out inside the RV...

And promptly fell asleep.

When we woke up around 9:00 or 9:30, we discovered the movie had indeed started. It wasn't one we were particularly interested in, so instead of watching it outside as we'd planned, we spent a quiet evening relaxing inside Big Bertha, listening to the rain and enjoying our first night on the road.

Sometimes Plan B turns out to be just as enjoyable as Plan A.

Our first Harvest Hosts stay may not have gone exactly as we imagined, but by the end of the evening we were already looking forward to visiting many more Harvest Hosts locations throughout our travels.

If they're anything like Moonlight Drive-In, we're in for some wonderful adventures.

Our Thoughts

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Moonlight Drive-In was the perfect introduction to Harvest Hosts.

Between the nostalgic atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious concession food, and unique overnight experience, we couldn't have asked for a better first stop.

Even though the rain changed our evening plans, we'd absolutely stay here again.

Sometimes the destination isn't about everything going perfectly.

Sometimes it's simply about making memories.

And this stop gave us plenty of those.

Have you ever stayed at a Harvest Hosts location? We'd love to hear about your favorite stop!

Until next time...

Keep adding memories to your wall.

— Greg & Anna
SeasonedRVers 🚐🐾

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