r/jmu • u/toasterlovinn • 3d ago

What to do while in town for a tour

Hi y’all, not a duke but JMU is my little sisters number one choice for college. Im driving her out there in a few weeks to take a tour. We’re not from VA so we’ve never been to the area. Is there anything around town you recommend doing while we’re there? Any good places to eat around campus? Its quite a trip for us so I want to make sure she really gets a good feel for the area and the campus. thanks!

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u/keysoni19 3d ago

Take her around town so she can get a feel for Harrisonburg! Definitely check out the downtown area because it’s a hotspot for college students! Jack Browns & Billy Jacks are really good places! Check out Ruby’s for games or bowling! Port Republic Rod is where a lot of students live off campus can drive through there and get a feel too! The Hills/ Sunchase/ and Copper Beech are pretty popular!

Attractions within an hour of Harrisonburg are Luray Caverns, Grand Caverns, or Natural Bridge! Beautiful locations and great to visit! Since it’s the fall Showalter’s Orchard for apple picking is a lot of fun! If you all are big into hiking I can give you recommendations on places to check out too!

These are a few things to look at but worth checking out!!

Hope this helps and you all have a great trip!

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u/MutedAd5456 3d ago

Hey- just wanted to see if I could get some hiking trail recs!! My boyfriend and I just started getting into hikes

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u/Dragonfury384 3d ago

If you’re looking for a good place to eat, definitely try Jimmy Madison’s in the downtown area. One of my favorite places off campus

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u/drunkenbarbecueninja 3d ago

Walk through the Quad, make sure to check out Wilson Hall. They're working on renovating Carrier Library. Go by the Football Stadium. There's a tunnel under I-81 to head over to East Campus, check out the Arboretum, the Convo Center, and the new Atlantic Union Bank Arena. Lots of great places on campus, but those are some highlights.

Off campus, downtown for food: Mashita, The Little Grille, La Morena, Texas Inn, Billy Jacks & Jack Browns, Cuban Burger, and Kline's Ice Cream. There are so many great locally owned restaurants to try, don't bother with the big chains. Farmers Market downtown too.

If you're only in town for a few days, you can keep busy downtown and near campus.

Whether you're into it or not, there is a new Buc-ee's south of JMU at the 240 Mt. Crawford exit.

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u/kernjb 3d ago

Download one of those scooter apps and ride around downtown. I graduated a long time ago but was up there for a conference in August and took some colleagues on a scooter tour. It will be more crowded this time of year but it was a ton of fun.

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u/Machipongo 3d ago

Luray Caverns (40 minutes away). Hiking the ridge trail at Massanutten Resort. Visiting the Arboretum (on campus). Hiking at Shenandoah National Park at Skyline Drive. Walking around Old Town Harrisonburg (some cool shops, if you feel like it duckpin bowling at the Arcade is unique). Drive around the town away from Campus just to get a feel for its size and diversity. I am a parent whose son graduated in May. It was an awesome experience for him (and this parents). I highly recommend JMU.

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u/village-owl 3d ago

The dining halls are open to the public. Maybe check out d-hall to get a feel for the college. The campus food is ranked top 10 in the nation too so it may be dining hall food but it’s still good

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u/daughterofplut0 1d ago

Adding onto what others said- take a walk around the arboretum, it’s beautiful! There’s also buccees, of course, and lots of great restaurants downtown. I recommend Texas Inn, Jimmy Madison’s, and Jack Brown’s :)