Leavenworth Autumn Leaf Festival

The Autumn Leaf Festival in Leavenworth Washington is held around the last weekend in September and is a fun filled family event weekend with activities for all ages. 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 at various times of the year. The Autumn Leaf Festival Parade is held on that Saturday at noon and there are parade entries from all over the state ranging from floats to bands to other unique things. There are street vendors set up along Front Street, which is typically closed to vehicle traffic on event weekends. The weather is way warmer than it is for the Christmas Lighting Ceremonies in case any of you more warm-blooded people are wondering what to expect.

We brought our camp trailer with us, along with our German Shepard, Kimber, and stayed at the Alpine View RV Campground at the east end of Leavenworth. Motels and RV spaces can be difficult to find on festival weekends so make sure you book them well in advance if you wish to stay in or near Leavenworth. We have stayed at this campground in the past and it is clean and quiet with friendly helpful staff so this is always our first choice when we take the camp trailer. The big advantage to the camp trailer is that you don’t have to pack or unpack at a motel, plus you can cook some or all of your meals saving some money if you are on a budget. The other benefit is that you don’t have to find a pet friendly hotel or worry about leaving your pet in a strange room.

After getting our trailer set up at the RV campground, we went to visit the downtown stores and vendors. There were many different types of street vendors to choose from in addition to the stores so it will take a while to look through all of them. We have to stop occasionally for a fresh pretzel and I usually treat myself to a stout microbrew or an Irish Death as we make our way through town. We try to visit the stores when they first open before the crowds of people start moving around as it does get crowded fast on the weekends. Definitely plan on staying a couple days to take everything in as you will miss some things each time and will discover them on a second trip through.

The Grand Parade starts at noon, but you need to get to a spot and save it before 11:00 if you want to have a great spot to see it. The route used to go through Front Street however they changed the route and it now goes down Highway 2 instead. There were floats and high school bands from all over the state representing many state festivals and schools. The parade lasts from about one to just under three hours depending on how many entries there were so plan for that. It starts with the honor guard and ends with Santa Claus and you won’t be disappointed with anything in between either. The weather is warmer for this festival than it is for the Christmas activities so it is easier to be outside without the rain or snow.

There are many restaurants that offer a wide variety of specialized foods with Bavarian themed food being the most prevalent, obviously. 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 The Blewitt Brewery pizza is definitely another must have if you’re a pizza lover or you just like to have a great pizza. You must also visit the candy store to get all the hard-to-find candies that you can’t find elsewhere.

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. “Wine slushies” can be found at some of the wine stores at various times of the year and those are very refreshing on hot autumn days.

The Autumn and the Christmas festivals are definitely “Must do” things at some point in your lifetime, you won’t regret it. There are fun family-oriented activities at both so plan your vacation accordingly. Prices for the getaway really depend on what you do and where you stay at. Motel prices vary in town and cheaper places can be found a half-hour away in Wenatchee if your budget is tight. Meals cost more in town too, but it is really good Bavarian food so you won’t be disappointed. There are many activities outside of town too such as sleigh rides and other things so add extra time for those if you wish. Many Air BNB’s can be found too so keep your options open and look for places within your set budget.