“Which art school did you go to?” asked Dan.

Up until that point, I had neatly pigeonholed our host under “missionary-turned-farmer.” A man who had spent 20 years of his life “doing whatever was needed” in South America before returning to LeRoy, MI with his wife to care for his aging mother. That origin story sort of explained why a couple of 60-something-year-olds were working their butts off trying to make a tiny family farm financially viable.

To that end, they host campers and guests offering a Farm Stay Experience. We watched as Dan’s dogs brought sheep to and from a hilltop pasture, admired the restoration-in-progress of their centennial farm, and enjoyed a home-cooked breakfast featuring fresh eggs and local ingredients.

They had tried, Dan & Arlene admitted, offering a Glamping Experience but didn’t find much of a market for that in rural LeRoy. One customer complained about the bed. “It was a queen sized bed,” a mildly confused Dan told us. “I’m not sure what they wanted.”

In any other setting, the foray into glamping and artfully repurposed oddities-as-décor would have suggested (if not screamed) “art school.” I really should not have been as surprised as I was to learn that Dan graduated from Kendall College of Art + Design with a degree in technical illustration.

Stay: We spent the night at Harvest Village courtesy of our Harvest Hosts membership but you can book a night (or more) via Hipcamp or the farm’s own website. Not a camper? The Saw Mill Suite includes a queen sized bed, futon, living area, plus a 100 year-old pedestal tub in the private bath.