Surprise Romantic Getaway to Harrisonburg, Virginia!

Couples Getaway Trip to Harrisonburg- Friendly By Nature!

@visitharrisonburgva @visitvirginia

by: Heidi Joy Delacruz
(Scroll to the end for our Nomarama List of Places to Go & Mini Photo Gallery!)

Prior to this trip, Jarrell and I had only been to Harrisonburg to visit JMU. Though typically I handle more of the planning, this time Jarrell took lead to take me on a surprise romantic getaway to celebrate our love! And let me tell you, I haven’t been able to get Harrisonburg (or this fantastic man) off my mind since!

Once we got into town we had to stop downtown at the Visitors Center and see Harrisonburg’s BEST tourism point of contact, Kelli! Kelli and her super helpful team were just as excited to have us as we were to be there. Pro Tip: this is no average Visitors Center. Not only is the staff great, the historic building almost as its own little museum, but we also love that their gift shop is loaded with Virginia is for Lovers gear (had to snag a few goodies, of course!). PLUS, you can’t miss the sweet smells coming from Heritage Cafe & Bakery. Grab a coffee, sweet treat, or bite to eat and enjoy it in their beautiful courtyard. After getting a bit of history on the area and an amazing list of recommendations we made our way to hit our accommodations to drop off our things before adventuring.

Thanks to Visit Harrisonburg, we stayed at the beautiful ‘By the Side of the Road Getaway Lodging’ (@bythesideoftheroadinn), a family-owned property less than 10 minutes away from Harrisonburg’s buzzing downtown. When we arrived at the “Quill Cottage”- there was a “Welcome Jarrell and Heidi Joy” sign with toasting glasses (with little sugar cubes) and a cold champagne bottle waiting for us in the fridge! What an adorable space!! My favorite part of this spot, aside from the cozy privacy, is their 110 gallon Whirlpool tub- a lavish accommodation as a bath lover, complete with candles, robes, & shower for after. Extra extra thanks to With Simplicity (@Withsimplicity_beauty) for kindly gifting us 100% natural spa essential goodies- bath bombs, salt scrub (obsessed with how soft and smooth my skin feels after), and my new favorite lip balm- exactly the kind of self-care I appreciate. I liked their goodies so much that I made it a point for us to stop by With Simplicity’s storefront downtown to pick up a few things before leaving (they also have a curation of goods at the Visitor Center’s gift shop!). Can’t forget the delightful gifted bars of Apalache Chocolate (@chocolate_apalache)- hands down the best chocolate I’ve eaten in a long time. Made from scratch IN Harrisonburg- the Dark Chocolate Lavender is even made in collaboration with White Oak Lavender farm (@whiteoaklavender), which we got to stop by on the way out to drink lavender wine while cutting our own fresh lavender!

Nomarama Noshingtons:

I’ll start off with this… Harrisonburg has THE EATS!! There is definitely no shortage of amazing food in this city. I’ll list all the places we went at the end but I have to spotlight some of our favorites!

For starters let’s talk about… Clementine (@clementinecafe)- with their unexpectedly large space & artsy vibe. Jarrell inhaled his pork belly tacos paired with his hilariously named Rhubarba Strawsand cocktail, while I personally demolished a delicious curried chickpea burger… Masarap!! Looking for things to do? Clementine also offers a varierty of hosted events for the community like open mics, karaoke, jazz, comedy, and dj nights.

Or how about Merge Coffee Co (@mergecoffeecompany)?! Okay, Jarrell surprised me not once but TWICE in collaboration with Merge Coffee Co & if you go to any shop, you gotta come here! First they offered an evening coffee mocktail class, where the owner Darryl conjured up some delicious, speciality espresso drinks- one included some bitters from his mixologist buddy down the street at Local Chop & Grill (@localchop)! On our last day, Jarrell surprised me again by taking me to have a private tour of their roasting operation. Darryl is an incredibly knowledgable and passionate guy, I cannot recommend enough his shop and even their own roasted coffee, which for those who are in the know, has been graded 93s and 94s for… we purchased two bags and their cold brew concentrate on our way out! Through my years and experience managing and helping open coffee shops from Norfolk to New York- Merge Coffee Co really impressed me by the heart they pour into their operations and hospitality.

One other spot that blew both our minds the most was Mashita (@eatmashita): Everyone recommended to us this place, even tried to encourage us to ditch prior food plans to go. Our friends back home in Norfolk actually even told us they had Mashita as the food truck for their wedding! And.. I SEE WHY! This place, owned by Chef Mike, a Korean-American, who started as a food truck- is definitely one of the coolest spots in Harrisonburg. I was head over heels when our server took us to their back patio and it’s surrounded by a giant mural honoring my favorite Studio Ghilbi films (like My Neighbor Totoro & Spirited Away)! Don’t miss out on the refreshing sake cocktails, hear out their specials, & see if you can spot our Benny & BeeBee stickers inside ;) As a Filipino-American, I was really pleased by the execution of Mashita’s fusion and homage to Asian-culture.

Another favorite was Village Juice Harrisonburg (@villagejuiceharrisonburg)- the owner Kathy is a super sweet cancer survivor- now thriving and sharing her medicine of nutrition through this fantastic spot! As an individual that cured my ulcer through conscious nutrition, finding an intentionally nutritious & super delicious healthy spot packed with so many options is AMAZING… they even make their own cashew cheese & have an easy grab and go section!

Nomarama’s Gotta Stop At:

Quick Note: Everyone we spoke to lived up to the spirit of “Friendly by Nature” here and there are pollinator gardens sprinkled everywhere- adding to the beauty of exploring here!

Outside of the food, the shops downtown offer great options for a variety of interests! Like Wonder Skate Shop (@wonderskateshop)- we both love a local skate shop and we also both love music, how did Wonder know to mash up two of our favorite things?! Gear, decks, kicks, guitars, amps, records, and even Jarrell’s favorite original shop tees- this spot is one that can't be missed. If I remember correctly, I think the homie Levi (@leviramencupsoup) said it's actually been in business for over a decade and they screen print their own shop merch!

Right across from Wonder Skate Shop is Waterstreet Vintage & Bohemian (@Waterstreetbohemian). A perfect spot to feel like you’ve time traveled back to the 60s and 70s- I’m talking clothes, accessories, and other nostalgia. There is even a spiral staircase that leads to a blacklight room filled with classic glow in the dark posters. I found and had to cop a vintage Virginia Beach tank top. Tag us if you find our High Joy Love BeeBee sticker while you’re there ;)

So did I say Jarrell is the best already?… Because he is. You think the trip, surprise private coffee tour, the romantic cottage with the giant bath tub, and gallivanting around supporting local love would be enough right? Nope!! He worked with our girl Kelli, the ever fantastic woman whom I mentioned before, and the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum (@ejc_arboretum) to suprise me with the MOST adorable picnic by the pond! I mean, walking through a magical greenspace of gorgeous flowers, native birds perched, beside a walking bridge over the pond to this surprise picnic setup, fresh lavender bunch & packed picnic basket included- HE’S SO SWEET!! Delicious, MASSIVE sandwiches from Lola’s Deli (@LolasDelihburg), sweet treats from Bella Gelato Bakery (@bellagelatobakery) & Heritage Bakery (@heritage_bakeryandcafe) as well as delicious local sparkling cider from Sage Bird Cider Works (@Sagebirdciderworks). Big shouts to Lineage Goods (@lineagegoods) for helping set the vibes, it went perfect with the natural aesthetic of the arboretum. Which I have to add is the only arboretum in VA maintained by a university (JMU). After lunch (and adoring compliments from every woman that walked by), we hit some trails and ended up completely entranced by the children’s stem discovery area… equipped with an awesome outdoor wooden xylophone that I must have in my future garden!

Just like the food options, there is a great number of shopping options in Harrisonburg. One in particular is Agora Markets (@shopsatagora). A community collective of small local businesses- from a bulk refill shop named Greatful Goods (@Great.fullgoods) to a beautifully curated vintage shop named Heartworn Vintage (@heartwornvintage)! We thought we’d casually walk through this space for a quick look around but ended up spending over an hour stopping and chatting with almost all of the vendors… we can’t help that we love local and are big talkers! We really loved how this place was set up, the walls are low and encourage your eyes to wander from vendor to vendor (bonus: there’s even a coffee shop inside, I was already overly caffeinated but was stoked to pick up a refreshing bottle of Topo Chico!). The same Lineage Goods that helped Jarrell and Kelli with the picnic at the arboretum can be found here!

Our last night we decided to get out of the area a little bit and took a short drive through the incredible George Washinton National Forest. Lush, rich green vegetation everywhere, we rolled the windows down, turned the music up and vibed out untiiiil Jarrell hit me with yet another surprise… a private mountain top sunset between the VA & WV statelines (pinch me, is this my real life?)!!

After such an amazing trip you’d think that we would just hop in the car and head back home, but nope- he had one more stop for me: Whiteoak Lavender Farm (@whiteoaklavender). A U-Pick lavender farm bursting at the seams with all things lavender of course. Lavender soaps, lotions, essential oils, loose petals, and even lavender wine! After sipping a glass (and snacking on a piece of lavender caramel) we headed to the fields, sheers in hand to collect a bundle. The bees were buzzing, there was a light rain that kissed my glasses- all making for the perfect way to end such an amazingly unforgettable anniversary trip together.

Again, Harrisonburg has won our hearts and really does live true to their saying, “FRIENDLY BY NATURE.” There is much more to be explored and memories I’ll never forget, trips like this remind me of how grateful I am to share this life with Jarrell…this is Nomarama <3

Nomarama: Places To Go:

If you have other recommendations, please don’t hesitate to reach out and send us YOUR favorite places to go- we love to add to our adventure list :)

Harrisonburg Visitor Center & Heritage Bakery- @heritage_bakeryandcafe

212 S Main St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801

Clementine- @clementinecafe

153 S Main St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801

Merge Coffee Coffee- @mergecoffeecompany

425 N Main St

Local Chop & Grill- @localchop

56 W Gay St, Harrisonburg, VA 22802

Village Juice & Kitchen- @villagejuiceharrisonburg

126 W Bruce St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801

Magpie Diner- @magpiediner

85 W Gay St, Harrisonburg, VA 22802