Believe it or not, after 5 years of RVing we finally stayed overnight at a Cracker Barrel. Several of our favorite RVing YouTube couples have elected to stay at Cracker Barrel and appeared unscathed by the experience. We have stayed at over 65 Harvest Hosts but never chosen to stay at a Cracker Barrel, Walmart or any other chain that permits patrons to stay overnight without a reservation.

What made us finally stay at a Cracker Barrel? We wanted to be close to Williamstown, Massachusetts so that we had a short drive to The Clark Art Institute. There were no Harvest Hosts nearby and very few campgrounds. So we decided to try staying overnight at the Cracker Barrel in East Greenbush, NY.

There were almost a dozen vehicles that joined us overnight. Trailers, fifth wheels, vans (both converted and not) and even cars.

We made it through the night without incident. In fact, it was quiet in the parking lot until Cracker Barrel staff started arriving (early!) for work.

Not all Cracker Barrels permit overnight parking. We called ahead to ensure that this one allowed RVs to stay overnight. We always spend money at the restaurant to show that we appreciate the overnight opportunity. Most importantly, we are polite, remain in our RV and keep noise to a minimum.

Joe is still not convinced that staying overnight at a Cracker Barrel is the best option but sometimes it’s the only option. Besides, we had a nice meal and our first stay wasn’t so bad! We were off early the next morning to visit The Clark.