The Friendly City – Harrisonburg, VA

Settled in the valleys of the Shenandoah Mountains is the beautiful town of Harrisonburg, Virginia. While the campus of James Madison University is housed there, the town has much more to offer any curious travelers. 

As I’ve stated in many of my other posts, Harrisonburg is my home away from home and is easily one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever lived. The sunsets are remarkable, and the rolling hills are vibrant and unforgettable. During undergrad, there were many times when I needed a mental reset, so I would drive down 81 or over to Skyline Drive just to see the sunset or the changing leaves or even the many many farms. 

On my drive up to JMU for my brother’s birthday, I decided I would really focus on the hidden or unknown treasures in Harrisonburg so I could share them with you. There are many people that would say JMU hurts Harrisonburg, and there are many people that think the opposite. Either way, at the end of the day Harrisonburg is growing and it’s growing FAST! 

I spent 4 years in the town and have had periodic visits over the past 4 years since graduation, and even still I haven’t seen everything the town has to offer. So I’ll start with our first outing for my brother’s birthday, but first I have to give a shout out to the *new* D-Hall. For my JMU followers, you HAVE to go and check it out. It’s incredible and huge and apparently Friday’s are now Buff Mash days. 

Downtown Harrisonburg

If you step foot in downtown Harrisonburg, and ask someone, “Where should I go?,” they will probably say Jack Brown’s. I’ve mentioned this wonderful establishment before, but in Harrisonburg is where they’re based. The owners have also created a mini town called “Jack Town”, which is made up of Jack Brown’s, Billy Jack’s, and Jack’s Hideaway (the speakeasy). Now everyone loves a speakeasy right?

Jack’s Hideaway is exactly what you would want in a speakeasy – an olde time Prohibition rustic feel with top notch cocktails. Billy Jack’s is a bigger space compared to Jack Brown’s and offers a great selection of craft beers that pair well with everyone’s favorite – sticky nugs or redneck nachos. They also have a really great brunch menu.

Pale Fire Brewing Co. is one of the many breweries located in downtown Harrisonburg, and by the looks of it I think they’re expanding their space. Now at this point we’ve all been to breweries, so I’m not going to go into too much detail, but I highly recommend this brewery (Salad Days has my heart) along with all of the others in Harrisonburg.

They’re all great in their own unique ways. Pale Fire gives you that industrial feel, Three Notch’d Brewing Company gives you a more modern feel, while Brothers Craft Brewing gives you a mountain man rustic feel (cue Mountain Man by Liz Cooper and The Stampedes – go listen to them, I’m slightly obsessed). These are the breweries that I’ve been to in H-burg, but in writing this I’m seeing there are a couple of new ones (or new to me) – Restless Moons Brewing, and The Friendly Fermenter, LLC. So what I’m saying is when you go to Harrisonburg you won’t run out of beer options. 

Another fun new feature to the downtown scene is Ruby’s Arcade. Pizza, BBQ, duck bowling, arcade games, etc. Need I say more? This was a great family friendly environment for us to hang out in because while yes, we were celebrating my brother’s 21st, we had to remember that our pre-teen sister was present as well as my baby nephew. 

While we were in Harrisonburg, we spent most of our time downtown because there is so much to do and see. I feel that it is important to mention that not everything in downtown Harrisonburg is food or alcohol. There’s also an amazing farmer’s market! Wait, I just realized that’s still food, but going to the market can be an experience too.

The Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market is definitely one of a kind. I’ve been to a few markets, because my sister loves them, and nothing will ever compare to Harrisonburg’s. There’s just something about the environment and the people. After all, it is called ‘The Friendly City’. Another thing I love seeing is how hard everyone there works. It’s their livelihood, but they’re also so passionate about their trade. I watched as one woman and man delicately arranged some of their flowers, and the care they were putting into it was as if they were arranging it for their own homes. I highly suggest going to your local farmer’s market. Even if you don’t buy anything but a coffee, it’s a relaxing and enjoyable environment.

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Take a Trip to the Mountainside

OK, so you’re not taking a trip it’s more like a 15 minute drive out to what I would call foothills, but I also don’t really know what foothills are. Hold please, googling.

“foot·hill – noun – a low hill at the base of a mountain or mountain range.” – Dictionary

Ok so then yes, you’re traveling out to the foothills of the Shenandoah Mountains. In said foothills, you will find White Oak Lavender Farm. I had never even heard of this place, but I had driven by it every morning of senior year. It’s quite literally a lavender farm, but we spent a good couple of hours there. 

They have a little farm with chickens and pigs, a little wine room with lavender wine tastings, a gift shop that naturally smells divine, and a gorgeous plot of land with plenty of areas to explore or to have your wedding. 

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I love aromatherapy, probably because I have such a strong nose and rely on essential oils to drown out bad smells. Trust me I have aroma oils and candles EVERYWHERE in my house. Now, I don’t necessarily believe in all aspects of aromatherapy, but I love all of the smells and they definitely relax me. With that being said, this weekend at the lavender farm showed me there is SO much more to aromatherapy and lavender than I ever thought possible.

Did you know you can cook with lavender!? I didn’t. I also learned that lavender translates to ‘to wash’ in Latin, and that it was used for hair care, mummification, hygiene, pain relief, and tea among other things! Who knew! After this amazing outing, I definitely want to try cooking with lavender. They said that lavender can substitute rosemary, BUT you can’t cook with just any type of lavender, so do a little research before you drop your lavender sprigs on your chicken.

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The great thing about the lavender farm was that it was kid friendly. My nephew LOVED running around the fields and we have great pictures of him with the animals and of him smelling lavender. My mom also loved the thinking garden pictured above. The purpose of the thinking garden (or so my brother said) is to navigate the rock maze to the tree in the center. When you get to the center you’re supposed to feel centered and at peace with yourself or something like that. Either way my mom liked it and felt relaxed.

Conveniently located just across the street is Crosskeys Vineyard. Just like the lavender farm, you have amazing views paired with delicious wine and incredible food. If I could do my wedding again, I would probably do it at Crosskeys. It’s in a great location and pretty much any picture you take is top notch. I’ve spent many weekends at Crosskeys simply because it’s such a relaxing environment and I really love a good cheese board. 

We didn’t venture out too far this weekend, but if you visit Harrisonburg and want to do a mountain brewery tour you can! All you have to do is start at Blue Mountain Brewery (again great food, delicious beer, marvelous views) and drive down 151 (Rockfish Valley Highway). 

This is some of the locations that you’ll pass on the Brew Ridge Trail (I love a good pun):

• Blue Mountain Brewery
• Flying Fox Vineyard
• Silverback Distillery
• Brewing Tree Beer Co.
• Wild Wolf Brewing Co.
• Bold Rock Hard Cider
• Devils Backbone Basecamp Brewpub

You’re also near Star Hill Brewery and a ton of vineyards – highly suggest Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards. Jana Kramer got married at Pippin, so I don’t think I have to sell it much more than that.

But remember to have a designated driver AND SNACKS! And water! And a good camera because of the views! And friendship! 

Again, I feel it is important to mention that there are plenty of activities to do other than food and alcohol, such as hiking, Luray Caverns and more! 

To wrap this up, I highly suggest making a trip out to the Harrisonburg area, or even somewhere in the Shenandoah Valley. You won’t regret it. I always leave feeling so relaxed and appreciative of our beautiful world and of my time spent there. I didn’t even touch on half of the amazing things around The Burg, so please go take your friends and your family, and explore The Friendly City for yourself!

Even if you wing it, you’ll still find plenty of fun!

Cheers!

-D