Spring is a time when Harrisonburg comes to life, with budding blooms, seasonal cuisine, and vibrant special events. Visit the Harrisonburg Farmers Market and pick up a bouquet of flowers, organic dark chocolate, or freshly baked bread. Savor the tastes of the season at one of Harrisonburg’s many farm-to-table restaurants and enjoy seasonal salads, decadent pastries, and refreshing cocktails on their patios. Explore the Friendly City by bike, scooter or foot and marvel at colorful murals, mosaics, and sculptures. Enjoy a relaxing picnic on the lawn at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum or pursue heart-pumping bike ride through lush forests and verdant valleys. There’s no shortage of things to do in spring in Harrisonburg.
Farm Market Spring Harvest
Begin your day (Saturdays and Tuesdays) at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market, where a bounty of fresh berries, produce, and flowers abound. Pick up a bouquet of tulips, organic dark chocolate, or freshly baked bread for yourself or someone you love. Browse through samples of artists’ work and talk with the farmers about what they love most about the Friendly City. Live music performed by local bands adds to the market’s lively and upbeat atmosphere.
Tastes of the Season in Virginia’s First Culinary District
Savor the tastes of the season at one of Harrisonburg’s many farm-to-table restaurants, serving crisp salads, decadent pastries, and refreshing cocktails decorated with spring blooms. Seasonal delights include: Magpie Diner’s spring pea panzanella paired with a rhubarb margarita, Rocktown Kitchen’s strawberry mules and cherry blossom cocktails paired with their baby arugula salad, drizzled with honey poppyseed vinaigrette and Mashita’s cucumber hibiscus sake and strawberry frozen yogurt bars.
Peaceful Garden Picnics
Take your meal to go with a graze box from Vito’s Italian Market or a picnic basket from Heritage Bakery and Café. Inside your basket, you’ll find sweet treats, fruit-filled scones, and loose leaf tea, as well as a dainty tea set. Bring your basket and a blanket to the Edith J Carrier Arboretum, where you can relax on the lawn amidst blooming wildflowers. While you are there, enjoy the arboretum’s walking paths or attend a guided wildflower walk, field journaling, or discovery class led by a naturalist.
Public Art & Walkable Downtown Streets
Stroll through Harrisonburg’s walkable downtown streets and marvel at colorful murals, mosaics, and sculptures. Around every corner, the city’s Downtown Art Walk is brimming with public art. Take a photo by the LOVEworks sculpture or admire the intricate details of the Massanutten Regional Library’s mockingbird mosaic. Rent a hybrid bike from Shenandoah Bicycle Company or a scooter from the Bird app to explore the Friendly City with ease. Take your bike into the lush forests and valleys surrounding Harrisonburg and breathe in the fresh mountain air in the George Washington National Forest.
Vibrant Special Events
Be sure to get your tickets for one of the Friendly City’s most anticipated events. View spectacular public gardens, landscapes, and historic sites at Historic Garden Week (4/27), when over 1,000 world class floral arrangements will grace tour the properties. Mix and mingle at the Downtown Dinner Party (5/21), where you can enjoy more than a dozen tasting stations, locally brewed beer and wine, and an outdoor dance party. Sample delicious handhelds and craft beer at the Rocktown Beer and Music Festival (4/16), where over 80 craft breweries, 4 food trucks and nationally and regionally recognized bands will be present for an evening of good beer, good living, and great community.