The Hardesty-Higgins house was home to Harrisonburg's first mayor Isaac Hardesty. He was born in 1795 and became the city's first Mayor by charter March 16,1849 incorporating the town of Harrisonburg. The Hardesty-Higgins house bears his name and the name of the physician, Henry Higgins who began construction in 1848. Isaac Hardesty completed construction of the home by 1853 and lived in the house with his wife, Ann and two children. He was a successful business man, apothecary, merchant, and he served on the Board of Directors of the Valley Turnpike Company.
Today the building is a multi-use facility operated by Harrisonburg Tourism. Inside you will find Visitor Services, Rocktown Gift Shoppe, Mrs. Hardesty's Tea Room, The Valley Turnpike Museum, future site of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Civil War Kiosk and the executive offices for Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance and Harrisonburg Tourism. We opened in July of 2005 to serve the community and visitors to the region. The Hardesty-Higgins House has become the place where history and hospitality meet.
The Hardesty-Higgins House Visitor Center is open Mon-Sun 9am-5pm
"The Center is a Virginia State Certified Regional Visitor Center"
Computer on site- Free online access for travel information.
Lodging & Dining Reservations
On premises
Rocktown Gift Shoppe open Mon-Sun 9:30am-4:30pm
Mrs Hardesty's Tea Room open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm
The Valley Turnpike Museum open Mon-Sun 9am-5pm
The Civil War Orientation Center open Mon-Sun 9am-5pm (Sept 2009)
Closed Easter ,Thanksgiving ,Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Day.
Call for hours -Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day.
Tourism staff:
Brenda Black, Tourism Manager, Harrisonburg Tourism
Operations Manager, Hardesty-Higgins House
brendab@harrisonburgva.gov
Zenaida Hall, Marketing Coordinator, Harrisonburg Tourism
Museum Curator, Valley Turnpike Museum
zenaidah@harrisonburgva.gov
Erika LaBounty, Project Coordinator, Travel Counselor
rocktowngiftshoppe@harrisonburgva.gov
Clemencia Buchholz, Travel Counselor
Carole Downey, Travel Counselor
Carole Hoover, Travel Counselor
Jane Hoover, Travel Counselor,
Rebecca Knotts, Travel Counselor
Elizabeth Kyger,Travel Counselor
Ann Marie Leonard, Travel Counselor
Rosemarie Palmer, Travel Counselor
Nancy Stratford, Travel Counselor
RoxAnna Theiss, Travel Counselor
e-mail -travelcounslors@harrisonburgva.gov for a free visitor guide
Harrisonburg Tourism and Visitor Services
The mission of Tourism office is to position Harrisonburg as a premier travel destination by promoting and developing creative tourism initiatives to stimulate economic growth in the City of Harrisonburg. Tourism works in partnership with local businesses, media, travel writers, group tour operators, meeting and event planners, film scouts, and regional and state tourism partners to increase tourism in our region, by providing the most up to date information to our visitors upon arrival, and working to improve the quality of living for our local community. Harrisonburg Tourism operates the Hardesty-Higgins Visitor Center, including the Valley Turnpike Museum, Rocktown Gift Shoppe, and The Civil War Orientation Center, located within this beautifully restored structure on S. Main Street.
Specific goals include:
• To build a distinct presence in the tourism marketplace by establishing a recognizable and easily marketable "brand" for Harrisonburg.
• To continually develop new tourism products to promote the City of Harrisonburg.
• To increase awareness of tourism marketing opportunities to our local businesses.
• To enhance the visitors experience through continued research of our rich history and heritage.
• To market to the motor coach industry by developing sports, heritage, culinary, and educational group travel opportunities.