Destinations: Small town charm

One of the reasons is because this big campus (721 acres) lives like a small school. Established in 1908 as a women’s teaching college, it was simply Madison College until 1977 when major endowments sent this liberal arts college into university status, adding massive sports facilities, arts centers, and so much more. The bluestone campus buildings (constructed of area bluestone) are the original campus and main quad inside the city proper of Harrisonburg. The continuing expansion has taken the university across I-81 with residence halls, rec centers, alumni buildings, and more athletic fields. Students traverse under I-81 through tunnels and side roads. The big football stadium with its iconic purple and gold colors and Duke the Bulldog logo are emblematic on I-81 that you have arrived.

One of the reasons JMU became so popular—aside from good academics, great sports programs, relatively low tuition, a major art and theater program, and more—is the beauty of the campus and its surrounding area. Flanked on one side by the George Washington National Forest, Shenandoah National Park, and an entryway to the famed Skyline Drive, Harrisonburg is naturally beautiful most any time of the year. Fall brings the changing colors of the trees—vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges.

Skyline Drive is a 105-mile scenic drive within Shenandoah National Park with amazing views and incredible hiking and biking trails. The entrance to Skyline Drive is at Swift Run Gap off Rt. 33 from Harrisonburg. Rt. 33 also takes you into the George Washington National Forest, its winding mountain road not for the faint of heart.

Two resorts worth visiting in the area are Massanutten and Bryce Mountain. You’ll find golfing and lake swimming in the spring and summer, fishing and hiking in the fall, and family friendly ski areas in the winter (I taught my sons to ski at Massanutten, which some ski snobs refer to as a “mass of nothin” because it’s so small—14 trails—and its longest run is 0.75 miles with a 1,100-foot vertical drop). Snowfall is the biggest challenge; as little as 10 inches some seasons, although there is snowmaking. One early winter we golfed in the morning, skied in the afternoon, and went to the indoor water park (with a full-service bar) in the evening.

Bryce also has family friendly skiing, tubing, and other fun winter activities and its small runway is 200 yards from the resort activities such as golf, skiing, zip lining, and more.

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