LEAVENWORTH: ULTIMATE WINTER TRAVEL GUIDE
Nestled in the the Cascade Mountains of Washington state, just 117 miles east (2.5 hours pending road conditions) from Seattle, is a small U.S. town that immediately transports you to Bavaria. You’ll swear that you’re in Germany, rather than smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Northwest.
Interestingly enough, Leavenworth wasn’t always the Bavarian town we know and love today. Back in the day it was a thriving logging village. But after the railroad re-routed their track a revival of the town was needed – enter the Bavarian transformation in the architecture, signs and street names, and seasonal festivals (including the Christmas Lighting Ceremony) to bring tourism to the area.
Offering an abundance of activities from wine tasting to live entertainment to reindeer visits to snow mobiling, Leavenworth makes for the perfectly quintessential winter getaway without having to get on a plane and hopping the Atlantic.
How to get to Leavenworth, Washington
If you’re located in the Pacific Northwest, Leavenworth is an easy drive from the major cities of Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Just 2.5 hours from Seattle, about 4 hours and 45 minutes from Portland and 4 hours from Vancouver, it makes for the perfectly easy getaway that feels like a you’re a world away.
One thing to note though about this drive, especially since you’re visiting during the winter, is the conditions can make the drive much longer, and having a 4-wheel drive vehicle and/or tire chains are necessary. Depending on when you visit, as there is one highway in and out, if you are in town during one of the popular festivals, such as the Christmas lighting ceremony, traffic will start to back up. So make sure you allow for extra time!
Where to stay in Leavenworth
I’m all about finding the most unique places to stay in a location when I am on holiday. I think staying somewhere local or boutique allows for you to truly experience the location you are visiting and makes for even more great memories.
FOR A MEMORABLE & UNIQUE STAY: Leavenworth Tiny House Village (by Petite Retreats)
For our trip to Leavenworth we stayed in the amazingly cute (and pet-friendly) Leavenworth Tiny House Village. The Leavenworth village is located within the larger Leavenworth RV Resort (which is a Thousand Trails Campground) – which also gives you the option of additional amenities such as Clubhouse with games, a little on-site store, DVDs to rent at the front desk, and Satellite TV. During the warmer months there are more outside activities and games as well as a swimming pool.
One of the best things about this tiny house village are the actual tiny homes – they are seriously so cute! All with exterior Bavarian architecture and more modern interiors (some of which provide an impressive amount of space with multiple beds inside), each of the tiny homes exudes a unique theme and color scheme.
You can expect to find a little breakfast nook, a couch was perfectly placed for the TV, and quaint and well stocked (aside from the food) kitchen, bathroom with a shower, and decor accents throughout.
Find availability and rates for Leavenworth Tiny House Village here.
FOR THE BEST LOCATION POSSIBLE: The Bavarian Lodge
For the best location you can possibly stay in you can do no better than the Bavarian Lodge.
Located directly across from Front Street Park, this hotel is one of the best rated in Leavenworth and is a prime location for walking around town. Not only that if you are in town for the Christmas Lighting Ceremony you can literally see it from your room at the lodge – so you don’t have to brave the cold or the crowds!
Find availability and rates for the Bavarian Lodge here.
FOR THE BEST GIRLS WEEKEND: Enzian Inn
If I’m not staying somewhere unique like a tiny home you can bet my next choice will be a cute, boutique hotel or B&B.
With windows that look out onto the magnificent surrounding mountains and forests, the Enzian Inn literally makes you feel as though you are actually in the Alps. With large and spacious rooms, an indoor pool, detailed woodwork that makes you feel like you’re in Europe, a pretty good complimentary breakfast featuring homemade pastries and European specialties (which ultimately will save you money!), and only a 5-minute walk to the main street of Leavenworth (hello easy tasting room tour access!), it ticks all of the boxes and more.
Find availability and rates for the Enzian Inn here.
What to do in Leavenworth, Washington during the winter
Sitting at 1,166 feet with the surrounding mountains rising 5,000-8,000 feet visiting Leavenworth’s fairytale (albeit slightly kitschy) village during the winter season offers a plethora of things to do – but this is where the charm lies! Whether you’re an outdoor person or a foodie looking to tour the restaurants, breweries and tasting rooms a Christmas visit to Leavenworth must be on your to-do list.
Depending on when you visit you may time it perfectly to experience one of the popular winter festivals and events including the Bavarian Ice Festival (which runs from the beginning of January through Martin Luther King Jr. weekend), the Christmas market, and the lighting ceremony.
Experience the magic of Christmas
One of the main reasons to visit Leavenworth in the winter, and what make it so special, is to experience the best of the holidays. Leavenworth is known for its famous Christmas-lighting ceremonies, which is why a winter visit is extra magical.
In addition to these ceremonies, if you time it just right you can also experience the Christkindlmarkt (which runs throughout the month of November), or the Bavarian Ice Festival (which takes place during the first couple of weeks of January).
What would Christmas be without Santa and his reindeer?!
Before you leave Leavenworth you must stop by the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm. Visiting in the winter gives you the full experience – but also keep in mind this is the most popular time to visit these furry friends so make sure you book your visit well in advance (they recommend 2 months lead time)!
Reindeer in winter via Leavenworth Reindeer Farm
Baby reindeer via Leavenworth Reindeer Farm
The farm is open 5-6 days a week, and in November and December they offer complimentary cocoa, cider and cookies with your ticket (tickets to visit are $20 per person for a 1-hour visit). If you time your visit starting the second week of November, you can also meet Santa (and they include photos with him in your ticket price). To have a snowy farm experience with less people it’s best to come in January or February (when they are open 4-days a week), and even though you may miss the Christmas market the holiday lights stay lit in downtown Leavenworth through at least Valentine’s Day.
In addition to Santa’s helpers, Leavenworth also offers more adventures synonymous with the holidays including sleigh rides and dog sledding!
Dog sledding via Leavenworth
Sleigh Ride via Leavenworth Sleigh Rides
Sample the local (and German) fare
You can’t go to Bavaria and not experience a pint of beer and a pretzel! For me, being that I’m not a beer lover, I would recommend Schöfferhofer Grapefruit (it’s like a shandy so it tastes very little of beer and more of delicious, citrusy grapefruit.
Because of the sheer number of restaurants in town it can be a little hard picking the fantastic from the blah, but these are the ones we tried out which were well worth the experience:
For breakfast you must get the giant pancake at the Wild Huckleberry. Not only are the pancakes bigger than your head, the prices are reasonable, it features great views of the mountains, and the huckleberry pancake (which you have to get due to it being the namesake) is unique to this spot, and makes for the perfect way to fuel up for a day of adventuring.
Rhein Haus is one of the best outdoor restaurants, with views of the town make it a must when you’re visiting. It was a way for us to get our bearings when we arrived in town and the atmosphere was perfect. The pretzels are amazingly delicious and huge and during the winter they feature pop-up igloos on the deck.
If you’re looking for another German beer hall, head over to Munchen Haus which features heaters and inexpensive eats. Pop in for a quick afternoon pint and a pretzel (they also have like 20 different mustards to choose from!) to refuel for the rest of the day’s adventures.
And if you’re looking for German food but in a more traditional restaurant setting make sure you visit Andreas Keller, which I think is personally the best German dinner spot in the town – and trust me there are a multitude of them.
If you’re craving Mexican food, then you must visit South – the upscale Mexican restaurant in town. The amazingly chic décor and seemingly endless margarita options, plus the amazing food, make it a a must. It is on the pricier end of restaurants in the town, but it’s a price well worth paying.
Who doesn’t love noodles, especially on a chilly winter day (or night)? Enter Yodelin Broth Co. – a restaurant that specializes in PNW cuisine and probably one of the best meals we had while in town. The signature bone broth bowls are out of this world and there are multiple and unique options to choose from including halibut bone coconut curry broth and wild salmon miso bone broth. The views of the valley make this place even more worth it.
Now even though I don’t like beer I still think you should visit Icicle Brewing, even if it’s solely for its fun atmosphere. There is outdoor seating with fireplaces built in the table, and inside you can indulge in one of the many games and puzzles they have lying around for you to bring back to your table and play. Because of the solid beer list and regular live music schedule it can get a little packed, but if you pop in just inside or outside of typical meal times you can avoid the larger crowds.
You don’t need to come back with a bag of souvenirs in order to support the local businesses – pop into places like the Gingerbread Factory for an afternoon treat. Decorated like a gingerbread house complete with cute interiors, they have some seriously delish cookies – I’m partial to the traditional gingerbread men and women.
Another thing you’ll probably need in the middle of the day is a little pick-me-up, so head over to Argonaut for a creative coffee drink and avocado toast. From their Lavender White Chocolate Mocha to their Horchata Latte, Argonaut’s tiny coffee stand pumps out powerful and delicious drinks that you can enjoy while taking in the view of the river and the Cascade Mountains.
Expand your oenophile palette
Because I’m not a beer person I’m always going to suggest cider or wine instead, and what you may not realize is Leavenworth is the perfect place for wine tasting! The region thrives in its local wine making so sampling the regional vino is a must.
There are a bunch of wineries located not too far from the village, but if you don’t want to be driving around in the snow, most of the wineries have tasting rooms spread throughout the town, making a day of wine tasting even easier (especially if your hotel is walking distance).
Some of the ones I visited which were my favorite included:
Milbrandt
Ryan Patrick
The Wine Cellar (which features 6 different tasting rooms)
TIP TO NOTE: I can’t comment on the food at Wok About Mongolian Grill, but I can recommend that you pop in and walk up to the roof (they will let you do so without eating in the restaurant). It’s a perfect spot to get another pretty amazing view of the town and surrounding mountains!
Get out into nature & indulge in winter wonderland activities
Leavenworth’s location makes it a perfect home-base for endless activity opportunities, including skiing, snowboarding and touring via snow mobile, at the nearby Stevens Pass Mountain Resort.
The resort is located about 45 minutes west of Leavenworth on Highway 2, and features 52 runs varying in difficulty.
One thing that we did while in Leavenworth was taking the popular 3-hour snow mobile tour overlooking Lake Wenatchee and the Entiat Mountain Range – and let me tell you it was SO FUN and so worth it!
There is a reason Leavenworth is considered one of the premier snowmobile locations in the country: on average the area gets 150 inches of snowfall and there are 150 miles of trails to explore.
Our tour was with Leavenworth Snowmobile Tours, which offers tours that range from 1 to 4 hours. The tour that we went on had amazing views throughout the entire ride and because it’s geared to also accommodate intermediate riders it was perfect. Full-disclosure, I had never actually driven a snow mobile before but after the beginning coaching session I was perfectly fine zipping around behind our guide.
If skiing, snowboarding or riding a snow mobile are not in your wheelhouse, don’t worry, there are plenty of other sporty winter activities to indulge in.
There are plenty of trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing (including Sleeping Lady Resort, Leavenworth Ski Hill, and Lake Wenatchee State Park), and you don’t need to worry about having your own equipment because there are multiple locations to to rent your gear from including: Osprey Ski and Snowboard Shop, Blue Sky Outfitters, Der Sportsmann, and Stevens Pass Nordic Center.
You can also indulge your inner child and go sledding! One of the popular hills is located at Front Street Park, but if you’re looking for less crowds head down to Waterfront Park (down 9th Street into the park).
A tip to note: Bring a sled from home, or time an Amazon locker order just right for your trip, because the ones for sale in town are overpriced.
If you don’t want to purchase your own sled you can still get the rush of flying down a hill – just head to a ski hill, where you can rent a tube for 90 minutes for about $20 per person.
Leavenworth truly feels like an escape – not only as a perfect weekend getaway, but right into the heart of Europe. For everyone who dreams of touring the towns and Christmas markets in France, Germany and Austria, but can’t make it across the pond just yet, Leavenworth is a 100% worthy and must-see replacement.
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