We found a tiny Bavarian-style village nestled in the Cascade mountains of Washington State, Leavenworth. Being close to Seattle, Leavenworth is an ideal weekend getaway. One day is not enough to explore this place. However, if you’re up for a day trip, here’s a list of things you can do at Leavenworth.
Quick history
Contradictory to what one may think, Leavenworth was not a Bavarian town until quite recently. The area was home to Native American tribes who fished and hunted on this beautiful land nestled between towering mountains. European settlers came in hungry for gold, timber, fur etc., paving the way for logging and the railroad business. When the railroad companies relocated, Leavenworth devolved into a ghost town until the early 1960s, when the town leaders and planners decided to give the town a facelift, transforming it into mini Bavaria.
How to reach Leavenworth without a car?
Driving to Leavenworth is challenging in winters, particularly without chains, because the roads can get quite icy. Several bus companies operate bus routes to and from Leavenworth. We decided to leave the driving to someone else and went with ‘Starline Luxury Coaches‘.
Greyhound also runs several routes to and from Seattle.
Expect to spend 50-70$ per person for a round trip.
What and where to eat?
Being the foodies, that we are, we immediately started looking for some good Bavarian fare. We dined in at Gustav’s, a cosy tavern with beautiful pine panelled indoors. Meenakshi and I tried the house favourite, schnitzel burger, a bratwurst burger, and golden ales. We are no experts on German food. However, both of us enjoyed the burgers and particularly the beer. Lunch came out to be around 20$ per person.
Leavenworth has several other inviting places to dine in on Front Street but mostly had long queues during lunchtime.
We also made brief stops at Leavenworth Cider House, which has over 30 varieties of ciders on tap, and at Icicle Brewing Company for a quick pretzel, served with a very buttery dip.
Things to do in Leavenworth
Leavenworth offers an amazing diversity of things to do, including outdoorsy as well as city activities. Our bus dropped us off at the bustling city centre, on Front Street.
We started our visit by walking up to Tumwater Canyon, enjoying the views of the Wenatchee River from the ravine. Everywhere we went, we were welcomed by gorgeous views of the majestic Cascade mountains.
Our next stop was BlackBird Island, a popular spot for a leisurely stroll, listening to birds chirping, fish jumping and locals enjoying their evening runs. We entered the island via the Enchantment Park trail, passing through many scenic view points.
Next, we walked over to the Waterfront Park, snapping picture-postcard views of the Wenatchee River and the magnificent and historic Blackbird Hotel.
By this time, we were back in the city and hopped into the quaint and eccentric NutCracker Museum. Here, everywhere you look, you will see NUTCRACKERS…sourced from all over the world, including ones made from precious ivory and porcelain, beautifully carved wooden nutcrackers from Europe, and metal betel cutters from India and Southeast Asia, some dating back thousands of years. The museum also has a fun little gift store where you can buy some nutcrackers to take away.
Museum admission: $5 per person.
We ended our day munching on some fresh popcorn and enjoying the breathtaking display of glittering Christmas lights all along Front Street. It was the perfect holiday evening, with people enjoying good food and a round of beer with their families and friends, and live music to go with it.
Why visit Leavenworth?
- Amazing views of the Cascade Mountains up close
- Quaint German village vibes
- Eccentric gift shops, museums
- Local wine and several local breweries
11 Comments
My friend lives in Seattle so this would be a great trip for us to take when I visit later this year. Thanks so much for posting this and I love your pictures!
Glad to know 🙂 Let us know if you have any questions
This is right up my street! I love anything that’s European theme and this village looks like so much fun to visit. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! European themed cities are the best. Appreciate the comment 😀
Leavenworth looks like such a charming place! I’ve visited Wahington State several times, but I’ve never heard of Leavenworth somehow! I’m definitely going to visit on my next trip! Thanks for the great guide!
Glad you found this helpful… Thanks for stopping stopping by 🙂
One of my friends used to live in Seattle, and I wish I would’ve known about Leavenworth back then. It looks like such a great place to visit! Guess I will just have to go back sometime 😉. Xx Sara
Absolutely! I think you’ll enjoy Leavenworth 🙂
Leavenworth has been on my bucket list since I first read about it! I haven’t seen much of the PNW so maybe I’ll finally get to visit in 2022.
I hope you get to visit Leavenworth soon…thanks for stopping by 🙂
I love reading posts from fellow travelers because I find out about locations I would not have otherwise known about. This looks like a great place for a weekend getaway.