Seventeen breweries within a one-hour radius makes sipping the best suds of the Shenandoah Valley an enjoyable and easy prospect. Get your Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail passport to great beer and let the adventure begin.
The Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail stretches from the Harrisonburg area to Natural Bridge, roughly encompassing one of Virginia’s favorite scenic drives: Route 11. How quickly can you fill your passport? Perhaps book a place or two to stay and make it an epic experience over a few days to take advantage of the other great things to do and places to see.
Hub-and-Spoke the Hops-and-Suds
Perhaps choose a center point as home base for a couple of days while you make the rounds to complete your passport.
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A trip to Harrisonburg includes stops at Brothers Craft Brewing, Pale Fire Brewing, Co., Restless Moons Brewing Company, Three Notch’d Valley Collab House, and The Friendly Fermenter (an excellent place to source your home brewing accoutrements). Exploring east of Harrisonburg will take you to BrewHaHa Brewing Company and Elkton Brewing Co. in Elkton, and Cave Hill Farms Brewery in McGaheysville.
Around the greater Staunton area, your prime targets are Basic City Beer Co., Seven Arrows Brewing, and Stable Craft Brewing in Waynesboro. In Staunton proper, hit up Queen City Brewing and Redbeard Brewing Company.
When you head south to Lexington, make Rockbridge Vineyard & Brewery in Raphine your first stop, then continue to Devils Backbone Outpost Tap Room & Kitchen and Heliotrope Brewery in Lexington. Your last destination is Great Valley Farm Brewery and Winery in Natural Bridge.
The Passport
Ah, the legendary Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail passport. Scoring stamps as you sip equals a free t-shirt, so be sure each person in your party gets one. You only need eight stamps to fill your passport. Easy peasy.
Or maybe not? If you have no idea where to start on the Beerwerks Trail, there’s a quiz for that. Find your perfect brewery match now.
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More To Do
Settle in for a good time, live music, kid-friendly spaces, and more as you travel the Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail. Here are a few awesome ideas offered up by the keepers of the Trail themselves …
Looking to enjoy live music outside? Elkton Brewing Company won the 2023 Best of the Valley Brewery and Live Music Venue. Stable Craft Brewing’s outdoor space is spectacular with plenty of shade, fire pits, lawn games, and of course, live music. Read More
How about a fall excursion with a cozy place to rest? Destinations like Fox Hill Bed & Breakfast in Raphine and The Inn at Meadowcroft in Swoope are rural, boast scenic vistas, and welcome you to a slower pace while you enjoy the trail. Read More
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Round out your Beerwerks expedition with some family fun. Indeed, breweries are family friendly, and there are exciting highlights nearby that you’ll enjoy together, like Virginia Safari Park in Natural Bridge, Grand Caverns in Grottoes, the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, or of course Massanutten Resort in McGaheysville. Read More
Header image courtesy of Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail.