Hello & welcome!
As many of you know from my past blogs, I love to travel. I’ve been to all 50 states, and I love going to new places that I’ve never been.
In October, I had the opportunity to travel with my boyfriend, and 4 of our friends (+ their kids) to Virginia for a quick fall getaway. It was a perfect adventure with our close friends to explore a new place.
First, let me explain the logistics of our trip. We travelled from October 15 – 20th to Harrisonburg, Virginia. It was about an 8-hour drive away from Indianapolis. Mitch and I survived our first long car ride together with flying colors – it was so fun! We had an AirBnb that was about 15 minutes away from Harrisonburg. It was the perfect size for the 9 of us. AirBnb linked here.
The main purpose of our trip was to see Shenandoah National Park. We spent two days hiking through the park – which I’ll dive into here in a bit. But Harrisonburg was a pleasant surprise – we found the town to be really quaint. For you Indiana people, our group thought it was a mix between Jasper and Bloomington. It was a nice, well-done community. But, it was also a small college town. Lots of tourist spots + college hangouts + nice locations for locals.
So, here are the reasons Virginia is a perfect fall getaway:
SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK
Let me just say – Shenandoah was beautiful. The hikes were spectacular, and I think I can speak for my friends and say it was the perfect park to take their kids too. We dedicated 2 days to exploring the park. Our first day, we explored the Bearfence Mountain Trail. It wasn’t very long, but it was pretty rocky! We chose to do the hike with a lot of boulders and rocks to climb. I’m afraid of heights – I was able to do it. My friends did it with their babies on their backs, however – if this makes you uncomfortable, I would recommend the smoother path that doesn’t require a lot of climbing. The AllTrails link for the Bearfence Trail is here. We also completed the Dark Hollow Falls Trail. It had an INCREDIBLE waterfall. Lots of traffic, easy hike – well worth the walk 😊. AllTrails linked here.
The second day, we went to a couple of different trails. First, we walked the Milam Gap Trailhead. AllTrails link here. This was a good hike – lots of beautiful, fall trees along the way. Downside was that we didn’t really have a destination. We stumbled upon a cemetery and turned around 😂. BUT that was all worth it, because it gave us time to explore our second hike. We drove north of the park to the Little Stony Man Trailhead. THIS IS THE TRAIL TO HIKE. It was incredible.
Little Stony Man Trailhead was about two miles to the top of this beautiful overlook. I’m attaching pictures below. If you hike this, I recommend good hiking shoes (very similar pair to mine are linked here), water, and a ponytail to put your hair up – it was WINDY at the top.
We spent a decent amount of time at the top – taking pictures and just taking in the view. We arrived at around sunset, so it made for amazing photos. And again, the colors were beautiful.
THE FALL “LOOK”
Our friends chose Virginia at this time of year, because we arrived at some of its peak fall colors. Driving in, the trees were orange, red, green, yellow. It was really a dream, just staring through the car window looking at how beautiful the trees were for miles on end.
Like I mentioned, we went in mid-October. There were still a lot of green trees, so I think we could’ve afforded to wait another week or two, but there were also a lot of leaves that had fallen. So I’m glad we went when we did.
Although fall is many people’s favorite season, it is not mine. (I’m more of a spring gal). HOWEVER, I think everyone can agree that capturing the “fall look” in photos is absolutely mesmerizing. I captured many colors in the family photos we took, the couples’ photos we took, and simply just landscape photos. So, if you’re looking for a beautiful place to see the fall aesthetic, look no further – Virginia is your place.
HARRISONBURG
As I mentioned, we stayed in an AirBnb about 15 minutes from Harrisonburg, VA. It was such a quaint town. And I contribute the town to being a huge plus of our vacation!
It had everything from art to farmer’s markets to coffee shops to shopping centers. Although it was a bit rainy on our non-hiking days, we really enjoyed jumping from shop to shop and tracking down some excellent spots to spend our downtime.
A couple of places to note that made our time in Harrisonburg so great!
- Black Sheep Coffee
- Macado’s Restaurant & Bar
- Harrisonburg Farmers Market
- Magpie Diner
- Brothers Craft Brewing
- Walkabout Outfitter
- Agora Downtown Market
PERFECT SPOT FOR ADULTS AND KIDS
Virginia had everything we wanted for six 25-year-olds and a couple of small kids.
- The parks were beautiful.
- The trails were kid-friendly.
- Lots of delicious, local places to eat near the AirBnb.
- A long, yet easy drive to escape the Midwest – in our case… from Indiana.
- Four or five days was a perfect amount of days to get in everything we wanted to see – ideal for a fall break.
I really encourage people to go check out the beauty that the state has to offer. We will definitely be returning in the future.
If you have any questions or additional tips – leave a comment below!
Thanks & talk soon!
ALLI DONOVAN 