Discover Historic Dayton: Small Town, Hometown, Downtown

Dayton is a small town located in the center of the Shenandoah Valley, two miles south of Harrisonburg along Route 42, and is one of the oldest settled communities in Rockingham County, and the County’s second oldest incorporated town. Home to about 1,500 people, Dayton is surrounded by prime agricultural farmland, mostly owned by members of the Old Order Mennonite community. With working farms and open spaces, traveling through Dayton and the surrounding area is a step back to an earlier time where horse-drawn buggies remain a common form of travel on rural roads throughout the community. Visit the Town of Dayton’s website at www.daytonva.us for more information.

Rocktown History

Located at 382 High Street, and also the official Historic Dayton Welcome Center. Rocktown History keeps and tells the stories of Harrisonburg and Rockingham in the most extensive history museum and genealogy library in the Shenandoah Valley. A walking tour begins here.

Triangle Emporium

Offering a large variety of used books and local books on history and genealogy. Also a wide selection of antique glass and china. Located at 209 Main Street.

Town & Country Furniture

April 15th

Dayton, VA

(Details on page 62)

We are a family owned furniture store. Our goal is to offer heirloom quality, solid wood furniture at affordable prices. We do not run “sales” because our every day prices are as low as others sale prices. 11 Killdeer Lane.

Dayton Annual Events

The Town of Dayton offers lots of funfilled events from spring until the winter holidays. Dayton’s oldest and most popular event is the Dayton Autumn Celebration, also known as “Dayton Days,” an arts and crafts festival held annually on the first Saturday in October. The festival attracts an estimated 20,000 attendees annually to indulge in the culture, arts and handmade crafts of over 300 vendors from numerous states, and a wide variety of delicious foods.

Other events include the Dayton Redbud Arts & Crafts Festival held in the spring, movie nights and live music during the summer, and the annual Dayton Christmas Parade.

If you’re up for tough competition by testing your physical abilities, while helping to support our wounded veterans at the same time, be sure to sign up to compete at the annual Dayton Muddler, a 3.2 mile adventure course through historic Dayton on the first Saturday in August.