Harrisonburg Is The Virginia Mountain Town You Need To Visit This Fall

"I could live here,” I told my husband over dinner on our first night in Harrisonburg, Virginia. As an avid traveler who is often caught plotting future destinations before leaving the current one, it wasn’t my first time to utter that phrase. It was, however, new for me to be declaring the sentiment about a more-understated place like Harrisonburg—not a bucket list tropical island or a romantic European city but a town of about 50,000 in the heart of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

I didn’t have this feeling because I’d had some shock- and-awe experience or grand adventure but because I’d had exactly the type of day I could see myself enjoying every weekend for years to come. Maybe it was the glass of wine, the crackle of the fire, or the pleasant ache in my legs courtesy of our late-afternoon hike, but from our window table in the historic Joshua Wilton House, Harrisonburg was starting to feel a lot like home.

A Perfect Day

Fall was on full display as we made our way into town that morning. The hour or so drive from the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport was an idyllic combination of bucolic farmland and rolling hills, accented by just enough roadside apple stands to remind us that people worked and lived here. As we drew closer to Harrisonburg and Shenandoah National Park, the Blue Ridge Mountains shifted into focus like patterns inside a kaleidoscope. Suddenly, the hazy, orange-brown mass was a well-defined patchwork of color, brandishing every hue from deep green and yellow to rust and fire-engine red.

Our first stop was the Harrisonburg Farmers Market, a 30-year Saturday-morning tradition where we sampled homemade pickles and chocolate muffins. Then we walked a block to Main Street and popped into boutiques offering everything from snacks at Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn Company to women’s clothing at The Yellow Button. Inside The Lady Jane, I had a hard time choosing from the array of locally made candles, jewelry, tote bags, and other gift items. I ended up with a pair of earrings and a stack of greeting cards. My husband whiled away the time petting the shop’s playful kitten, just one of the many cats this store has fostered.

We perused works from area artists at neighboring Oasis Fine Art & Craft, a co-op and gallery that sells and exhibits pieces by more than two dozen locals. “When Oasis got started in 2000, the arts weren’t celebrated here at all,” says stained glassmaker Barbara Camph. “I walk around downtown now and can’t believe the amount of art I come across. None of that existed when they got started.” Alongside Oasis, the Arts Council of the Valley pushes Harrisonburg’s creative scene forward with a yearly public grant, the Smith House Galleries, First Friday art walks, and performances at Court Square Theater.

Our last retail rendezvous was at Shops at Agora, an eclectic collection of nine distinctive sellers all housed under one roof. If you go, be sure to grab some java from Broad Porch Coffee before browsing the patterned casserole dishes, milk glass pieces, and kitschy knick-snacks at mother-daughter-owned Heartworn Vintage. Next door, Lineage focuses on handmade waxed-canvas and leather bags in a variety of classic styles.

With plenty of light left in the day, we decided to stop for a bite before hitting the hiking trails. Inside Bella Luna’s moodily lit dining room, we could see (and smell) pizza crust charring inside the giant wood-burning oven. Order the Ring of Fire; it exemplifies this eatery’s farm-to-table approach with fennel sausage made in-house, locally grown mushrooms, and hot sauce featuring chile peppers sourced from the same guy who splits wood for the oven. After we finished our meals, we were advised to come back for the handmade pasta, which is served only in the evening.

Outdoor adventure is just about everywhere you turn in Harrisonburg, so we had our pick of afternoon activities. Mountains and trails surround the town, whether you want to check out Shenandoah National Park (the nearest entrance is about 30 minutes from downtown), visit George Washington & Jefferson National Forests, wander the woodland paths of Edith J. Carrier Arboretum, or stroll the paved 2-mile-long Friendly City Trail greenway.

We opted for taking a short but rewarding hike in Hone Quarry Recreation Area, which is nestled in the shadow of Shenandoah Mountain. There’s something for everyone: forests, sandstone cliffs, and a waterfall. After a steep half-mile climb up Cliff Trail, we arrived at an impressive overlook and watched the sun slip listlessly behind the deep blue peaks.

True To It's Name

Harrisonburg takes its title as the Friendly City seriously. Since 2002, more than 2,500 refugees have settled here, thanks in large part to outreach from the area’s Mennonite community as well as other faith groups. At Harrisonburg City Public Schools, students speak over 55 languages. Jobs in agriculture regularly bring in migrant workers, and James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite University attract a diverse population of academics. Harrisonburg welcomes everyone and then makes it hard to leave, but that wasn’t always the case.

“When I was in college here, there was nothing to do,” says local Kirsten Moore. “Everyone was like, ‘I’m not staying. How soon can I get out?’

But now it has become a town where folks want to stick around.” That shift is a result of people like Moore who saw untapped potential in downtown’s abandoned buildings, like the 1950s tire-repair shop that she transformed into Magpie, a modern restaurant and bakery, and The Perch at Magpie, a co-working and event space.

Since it was founded in 2020, Magpie has become one of the hardest places around to get a table, especially on weekends, when the brunch crowd starts lining up well before it opens. The menu changes almost weekly, but expect a mix of hearty favorites like the Southern Poutine (crispy breakfast potatoes covered in sausage gravy) and lighter fare like bountiful salads and homemade sourdough toasts. Treat yourself to a pastry or two from the adjoining bakery counter. The rye shortbread cookie is a salty, sweet triumph with hints of orange and cardamom.

Mikey Reisenberg is another resident enlivening the city’s culinary scene. At Mashita, he serves familiar Korean dishes like bibimbap and japchae but also gets creative with fusion riffs like a sesame-soy brisket sandwich or the shareable plate of fries topped with caramelized kimchi. “I’ve struggled with notions of who I am my entire life, so this food has been an exploration of my identity,” says Reisenberg, who was adopted from Korea as a child. “Cooking got a lot easier once I decided to take the elements that made me who I am and put them on a plate instead of trying to reinterpret things that are traditionally Korean.”

As with any proper small town, there are only a few degrees of separation between its residents. So I wasn’t surprised when Amberlee and Zach Carlson, who own Sage Bird Ciderworks down the road, told me that Reisenberg had catered their wedding back when he operated out of a food truck. The couple has supported area shops and restaurants since their undergrad days at James Madison University and were repaid tenfold when they opened Harrisonburg’s first craft cidery in a converted garage in 2020.

“The community here already embraced patronizing local businesses,” notes Amberlee. “That mentality is very much built into the culture, but COVID made folks double down on it. We felt that support; it was palpable.”

When the Carlsons built Sage Bird, it was mostly to create a space where they’d want to hang out, but it was also about honoring and pre- serving the Shenandoah Valley’s rich apple-growing history as well as educating the public. “I don’t think the average person knows much about cider,” Zach says. “Most probably couldn’t name 10 apple varieties, but there are thousands. We are showing off different types like wine does with grapes.”

That comparison is apt; Sage Bird’s beverages drink much more like dry white wines than the typical, syrupy sweet ciders you’ll find at the grocery store. November is a big month for Sage Bird. It is when they invite the community to help press the fruit at their annual Apple Harvest Festival and when they release a collection of single-origin heirloom apple labels to celebrate Virginia Cider Week.

No one’s experience better illustrates Harrisonburg’s magnetic pull than that of Becca and Joel Graham. They moved to the city in 2018 so Becca could take a position as a dietitian. A year later, she had quit her job and the pair became the new proprietors of a historic bed-and-breakfast housed in an 1885 Victorian mansion. At 24 and 26 years old, they were some of the youngest innkeepers in the country. “It’s a really crazy story—and nothing we would have ever dreamed of accomplishing,” says Becca. “But we love this town. From the day we got here, we
knew it was home, so wedidn’t have any issues puttingdown roots.”

The Friendly City Inn draws in a broad-ranging crowd—from the usual B&B audience of vacationing retirees to young sightseers on their way to Shenandoah National Park and parents visiting their kids at college. The accommodations and the owners have a warm, inviting air that appeals to all.

During our stay, we were quick to make ourselves comfortable. We played late-night rounds of Uno in the antiques-filled living room and grew accustomed to the plate of fresh-baked cookies waiting on the entry table each time we returned to the inn. On the last morning of our trip, we found a table in the sunny breakfast nook and chatted with Becca while she flipped pumpkin pancakes. Like we always do at the end of a weekend getaway with old friends, we left there planning our return.

Expand Your Itinerary

Four more reasons to visit Harrisonburg this season:

Go Apple Picking

Head to family-owned Showalter’s Orchard to select your own fruit straight from the trees. Afterward, grab a glass of sweet or hard cider in the tasting room and enjoy the vistas from behind the farm’s greenhouse.

Grab Afternoon Tea

Stop into Heritage Bakery & Cafe, a cozy spot that adjoins Harrisonburg's welcome center, to delight in whimsical refreshments served on delicate china.

Take a Horse-Drawn Carriage Ride

You can saunter along the western slopes of Massanutten Resort before the snow sets in and skiers descend upon the scenic area.

Chase the Brilliant Autumn Foliage

For prime leaf-peeping and majestic views on foot or by car, options include hiking to High Knob Fire Tower, driving to Reddish Knob, and taking the Hightop Summit trail along Shenandoah National Park’s Skyline Drive.