Leavenworth at Christmas
Ok so we didn’t visit Leavenworth at “Christmas”, but it was at Christmastime so it was close enough to partake in the Christmas activities. You definitely have to put Leavenworth at Christmas on your bucket list of things to do if you haven’t already done it because it truly is a magical experience if you love Christmas. The entire town literally has Christmas lights everywhere and they have the Lighting Ceremony every weekend in December up until Christmas day so I highly recommend including one weekend day in your trip just so you can watch the ceremony and take in all the Christmas carols and other weekend festivities. It starts in the afternoon with Santa and other characters visiting kids around the town before they walk the Christmas star through town to the park where the Lighting Ceremony itself is held.
Leavenworth is a small Bavarian themed town in the central Washington Cascades near Wenatchee that has many different festivals and activities throughout the year so there is something for everyone to enjoy. The drive to Leavenworth is breathtaking too since it involves driving through the Cascade Mountain passes which offer many scenic views. You don’t have to drive too far west from Leavenworth on Highway 2 to see the views if you came through Wenatchee. The Icicle River Road west of town also offers spectacular views and there is a fish hatchery there that you can tour depending on what time of the year you visit.
It is the mountains in December so be prepared for winter conditions for both your vehicle and yourself. The area typically doesn’t see what many of us would consider “Crazy cold” temperatures and most days are in the 20’s or 30’s in December. Snow or cold rain are the normal so skip wearing those designer shoes and wear something that is warm and functional for snow and slush. We carry tire chains in our trucks even though they are four-wheel drives just in case we encounter freezing rain that could make the drive miserable without them. My youngest daughter and I are the oddballs and function well in cold temperatures so we didn’t have any problems at all since we actually prefer cool weather. My wife and my son are both warm blooded people so they brought warm coats so definitely bring warm clothes if you’re the latter type of person as being cold the entire time will definitely detract from your enjoyment.
There are many restaurants that offer a wide variety of specialized foods with Bavarian themed food being the most prevalent, obviously. There is also a McDonald’s there for the budget minded people who probably saved up for a long time before taking the trip so if you fall into that category, I would still recommend having at least one good meal with the family while you are there. We have to eat at the Leavenworth Sausage Garten at least once when we go because their bratwursts are second only to our homemade ones. Pretzels are another “Must have” for us and no trip would be complete without those and the cheese dip that comes with them. The Blewitt Brewery pizza is definitely another must have if you’re a pizza aficionado or you just like to have a great pizza for a change.
The Icicle Brewery and Blewitt Brewery offer craft beers for those looking for a good microbrew beer. They both offer a wide range of beers from light to dark and even some fruit beers. I personally prefer the stouts while my wife prefers the Apple Ciders or other options. I am not a fan of the IPAs, but they did offer a large range of those to choose from if you’re an IPA fan. There are several wineries both in town and in the surrounding area so a good wine is easy to find. One winery also offers “Wine slushies” at various times of the year and those are very refreshing on hot summer days.
There is also a large variety of shops to choose from that offer many souvenirs and other goods. It will take you about two days to really look through all the shops on your first visit so take your time as there are a lot of little things to look at. We always have to hit the Christmas themed Kris Kringle store to get Christmas goodies and ornaments because they have just about anything that you can think of that is Christmas related. They also customize ornaments while you wait if you can’t find one with your name on it. The kids will have fun at the candy store for sure so expect to spend time there too.
Sleigh rides are available in town and outside of town so we had to take one of those because Jessica is into horses and there was a horse attached to the sleigh. Rafting trips and other outdoor adventures are available there seasonally if you’re looking to do something other than Christmas. Leavenworth holds many different festivals throughout the year that bring in different street vendors so check their Calendar of Events to see which activities best fit what you are interested in. We went to the Autumn Festival and it was awesome too and included a big parade through town.
The Nutcracker Museum is another place you’ll have to visit and houses the world’s largest collection of nutcrackers. It takes a while to walk through it and see everything so plan on an our or so. There really is a huge variety of nutcrackers out there that I would have never guessed existed. Most nutcrackers in the collection are older so the past manufacturing and designing processes always intrigued me. They also have a contest for the kids to see who can find all the nutcrackers on a list so they can get a prize.
No visit to the area would be complete without a visit to Smallwood’s Harvest in Peshastin just outside of Leavenworth. They offer fresh produce along with a huge selection of canned goodies, sauces, condiments, and other great food stuff. They are the only ones who make the good Habanero Salsa that my daughter and I like so we have to stock up on that at a bare minimum anytime we are in the area.
Leavenworth truly does offer something for just about everyone throughout the year and is a great getaway that does not involve spending time in a big city. Motels are booked way out for the large events so staying in Wenatchee is another, and cheaper, option if you don’t mind a half hour drive each way. Parking can also be at a premium so find a spot at least a half hour before the shops open and leave your car there for the day. We try to find a centralized parking spot so we can drop our stuff off in the car throughout the day. The crowds are way smaller during the weekdays so we try to plan our vacations so that we get one weekend day for the festival activities and the weekdays so that we can look through the shops without the crowds.
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