Harrisonburg, Virginia

Nicknamed the “Friendly City”, Harrisonburg is an overall welcoming environment, especially to LGBTQ+ folx.

There are a lot of opportunities to take in local art, especially as part of the First Fridays Downtown where many local retailers host art exhibits and/or live musicians that you can see for free. Nearby there is the Forbes Center at James Madison University—which is a PWI, but overall welcoming to visitors (being a student of color there is a different story). And the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA isn’t too far away.

Downtown Harrisonburg is also great for shopping small businesses.

Harrisonburg is also home to the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project, which offers online programming and a heritage center in the Northeast Neighborhood, and seeks to recover, share, centralize, and expand resources on African American History in the Shenandoah Valley. They also have self-guided walking tours though their Roots Run Deep project for cities throughout the Valley (Frederick County, Clarke/Warren County, Shenandoah/Page Counties, Town of Luray, Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, and Augusta County). Occasionally, they host events for group tours that are open to the public.

There are also a number of National parks and hiking trails within a 30 minute drive (George Washington National Forrest and Skyline Drive) and easier-paced walking trails (JMU’s Edith J Carrier Arboretum is great for “outsides-y people who like easy trails, pretty flowers, and looking at ducks/turtles/koi fish). Riven Rock Park is popular with locals, and has picnic shelters with access to a stream for playing/lounging (be forewarned that there is NO cell phone service at Riven Rock).