5 Surprising Things to Do in Harrisonburg, Virginia

[@LaurenZRay]

Has anyone been to Harrisonburg before?! 😍👇

[@daphnefreeat50]

Haven't but you've definitely shown some reasons to check it out!

[@jonclifton2086]

Yes and the Little Grill is the best!

[@LaurenZRay]

@@daphnefreeat50 😍😍

[@LaurenZRay]

@@jonclifton2086 so good!!!!

[@bluebird8224]

Thanks for this video - it brings back fond memories. I was in the class of '71 at Madison College! I lived in a brand new dorm down the hill and across the railroad tracks. We would walk to downtown - quite a hike. The lifestyle was quite conservative at that time. One of the dorms up the hill had a large parlor where the Dean of Women could entertain. This story was told to me: The electricity kept going out in the dorm. I guess it depended on how many irons, hairdryers, etc. were going at the same time. The girls finally got so fed up they decided to organize. The next time the Dean planned a social, all the girls plugged in everything they could find at the same time in order to blow a fuse. That was embarrassing to the Dean of Women while hosting an event, so the problem finally got fixed. A bus was chartered for holidays to take students to Richmond, so that saved those parents the trouble of coming to get their children. For other week-end trips, one girl would charter a taxi and post signs for a ride to Richmond. Seven girls could fit into one taxi, so the price was really cheap, even for a student who may have very little spending money. The bus and taxis would drop us off at Willow Lawn on Friday night and pick us up there on Sunday evening. The interstate highways had recently been completed - both 64 and 81, so it was a straight shot back and forth. Sometimes if the taxi came out of Elkton, they would take Rt. 33. These trips usually ended up being at night, so we could never see Fall leaves or snow on the mountainside. One of my brothers suggested I go to Madison in the first place, and some relatives had gone there before, as we have family connections in the Valley. My younger sister followed me a couple of years later. I met a former Madison student from Waynesboro through some friends, and I thought she would make the perfect wife for my brother. Long story short, they are still married and live in the Valley now. The second best part of Madison was the Library! I loved the home and garden magazines. The best part was relatives picking us up and taking us to their homes for the week-end. My aunts or cousin's wife would come to Harrisonburg for errands and take me or both of us to their homes in Broadway or Timberville. We would go all around with them and participate in whatever was going on for the day. Aunt Elizabeth in Broadway played the piano or organ at one church on Sunday morning and then we would quickly drive to another church and she would play again. One time we picked up her stack of clothes which she had paid a woman to iron. The family had an antique steam tractor and it was still being used, like we were in a time warp. The barbequed chicken at an event at the Bridgewater Home was out of this world! We would drive down Route 42 past the Lincoln Homestead where the family had lived and farmed, which was vacant for many years but has recently been renovated. At the other Uncle's farm, our ancestral home, we would watch the eggs moving down the conveyor belt to be "candled" under a special light. My cousin's wife would throw out the bad eggs. It was the childrens' job to gather the eggs for the business. One time I went with them to deliver eggs to a restaurant in New Market. Poultry has been a very big business in this area. I attended some baby's christening at the church. I slept in an antique bed with an elaborately carved tall headboard and footboard, and set my things on the marble top dresser and wash stand. In the closet hung another cousin's exquisite wedding gown which she, a Madison alumni, had made as a graduate student in a university up north. She became a textile professor and made multiple trips to Turkey to study textiles and wrote several books with gorgeous pictures. She said the textile professor at Madison inspired her to pursue that career because the professor was so lousy. I had the same textiles professor at Madison, and she left much to be desired. Across the road was the old mill with the water wheel constantly turning, which an ancestor had built many years ago, and beside the house was the mill pond. Behind that was the family garden which my cousin's wife tended. She grew rhubarb, among the other usual things. Behind the garden was the walk to the barn with the old outbuildings alongside. My cousin managed the farm for his parents who lived in the wash house now. I would watch the egg market report with them on the nightly news. There was only one TV channel in Harrisonburg -- there were 3 channels in Richmond. I went with the cousins in the truck to the back field where he gave the cattle shots for some reason. From the kitchen window of the big house we could clearly see the New Market Gap in the distant mountains, because the fertile fields in this neighborhood were under cultivation and open. .

[@LaurenZRay]

@@bluebird8224 I love these recounted memories. I bet it’s changed quite a bit since then. I know they said the campus has definitely expanded. So cool you went there too!! And all the family connections!! 😍

[@cyd369]

So glad you visited Harrisonburg. My daughter just started attending JMU and I’m slowly learning the ins and outs of the area!

[@LaurenZRay]

@@cyd369 that’s so fun!! JMU looked awesome!!

[@daphnefreeat50]

My favorite bit in this video may be you jumping up onto Mr. Madison!

[@LaurenZRay]

@@daphnefreeat50 haha my favorite too 😝

[@musicbyLUKAS]

Harrisonburg really is the friendly city! Everyone was so nice. 😀

[@LaurenZRay]

@@musicbyLUKAS agreed! Loved it so much 😍

[@thriftam1]

Holy cow! My husband and I stumbled across the heritage market years ago and I couldn’t remember what it was called or where exactly it was. It was such a random cool spot and I have been wanting to go back, but couldn’t find it again!

[@LaurenZRay]

@@thriftam1 yay! Glad I helped remind you what it was called! Haha. Try the giant rocking horse next time 😝

[@TeacherTrainerMadrid]

I have never been, either. Thanks for this great video.

[@LaurenZRay]

@@TeacherTrainerMadrid of course! Was such a great time!! 😍

[@SavagesAdventures]

JMU Duuuukkess! 📣

[@LaurenZRay]

@@SavagesAdventures eyyyy

[@costasworldofmusicmemories5792]

Hello Lauren and Lucas , just getting back from Fredericksburg visting some friends. Caught your video. As always, a great vibe. You do wonderful work , showcasing the best of our wonderful state. We have never been to Harrisonburg, but after seeing the video, Harriet and I are going. Got a question for you? Are there walking tours of the University and town? Sounds like you had a fun time with your friends. What was your favorite drink on the tour ? Sending you much love💚🌲 Jim, Harriet and Yuki

[@LaurenZRay]

@@costasworldofmusicmemories5792 hello! I found a self-guided walking tour on their tourism website: www.visitharrisonburgva.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Downtown-map-historic-sites.pdf Other than that I’m not sure, as it’s such a small town! Hope you had fun in Fredericksburg!

[@ohheyitsgg]

JMU was one of the colleges I applied to, but ended up going elsewhere. So cool to see the town and the campus and wonder what might’ve been, haha. Thanks for sharing your trip!

[@LaurenZRay]

@@ohheyitsgg so true! Where did you end up going instead?

[@ohheyitsgg]

@ I went to a small liberal arts college near Boston.

[@LaurenZRay]

@@ohheyitsgg oh ok!

[@susannortham11.11]

James Madison was known to have a great sense of humor. I bet he gets a kick out of the photo ops❣ Harrisonburg sits in a very beautiful area of VA😊

[@LaurenZRay]

@@susannortham11.11 haha then I bet he does too!!

[@willa0530]

My college town

[@LaurenZRay]

@@willa0530 nice!!

[@elgringoec]

That's a fun area. Conservative and respectable. Nice nature. Good school. I'm surprised you're yet to outgrow the vegan phase.