Leavenworth is a miniature Germany huddled up in the shadow of the Cascade Mountains. A popular gateway for hiking in the summer and a skiing in the winter, this cozy mountain town is the closest thing you will find to a Bavarian Wunderland in the states.
The town made a lasting decision move back in the 1960’s to renovate all buildings to meet authentic Bavarian standards in order to draw visitors. Today, locals and tourists wander the streets eating giant pretzels and washing them down with liters of beer while shopping for knick-knacks. While you can enjoy these activities year round the best time to visit Leavenworth is around Christmas.
Described as a holiday getaway, Leavenworth and Christmas go hand-in-hand like hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps. The city thrives on the Christmas spirit. Although the attractions of Leavenworth can be condensed down to just a few city blocks, the area is packed with holiday cheer that people travel from all over just to spend a day or two here. There is a nutcracker museum, a two-story Christmas shop and a holiday bazaar.
Even if it’s not Christmas when your visiting, you can still enjoy a variety of activities. Well, I wouldn’t say a variety, most things involve eating and drinking but hey there is nothing wrong with that!
Riverfront Walk
Start the day right and take a walk down to the Wenatchee River and walk along the nature trail. The trail is mostly gravel and can be walked rain, snow or shine. If you do the loop you’ll end up walking just under 2 miles.
You may notice the rather large Posthotel Leavenworth Spa hotel located at the beginning of the river walk. Do not try and wander into this establishment. These people are far better than you and they do not like when the common-folk make eye contact with them. No, but seriously, we tried to look around the inside and the bellhop, in a whisper, told us to leave as we could not afford to stay in this luxury establishment. If you would like to make a donation to this website so that we might one day go back and rub that money in their faces Pretty Woman-style, it would be greatly appreciated.
Stein
Now that you have burned some calories its time to reclaim them. Much like the Bavarian Purity Laws, German food is not meant to be extravagant. The recipes are kept to a minimum and the food derives flavor from the quality of the ingredients. That being said, adding bacon will always make food taste better. Stein makes a tasty bacon-wrapped bratwurst. Topped with caramelized onions this is a great take on authentic German food with an added boost of awesomeness.
Stien also has a ridiculous amount of beer choices. At over 50+ options have a style of beer you want in mind before you get in line. With this many choices, it is easy to get overwhelmed. The only negative thing I will say about Stein is they charge you to sample beers. So if you aren’t sure if the beer you want is good, it is going to cost you $2 to find out.
Icicle Brewing Company
Wash that bratwurst down by visiting the most popular drinking spot in Leavenworth, Icicle Brewery. Made with only local ingredients and water from Icicle Creek located downstream of the brewery, it’s easy to understand why it’s so popular. Some of your friends might scoff at drinking cold beer in freezing cold weather but I bet they have never had a beer from Icicle Brewery. So once you ditch your uptight friends, enjoy a frosty Dirty Face Amber or Crosscut Pilsner on the brewery’s heated patio and make some new less judgmental companions.
If you want to see behind the scenes, go inside and up the stairs. From the balcony, you see inside the brewery and watch how brewmasters work.
Yodelin
Keep the party going and move on to the next beer hall. Tucked away on the side of a white building just as you enter Commerical Street from Highway 2 is a blue staircase that leads down to Yodelin Broth Co. & Beer Garden. While I can’t vouch for the combination of Beer and Broth Bowls, I can tell you the local beer selection is excellent. Due to the relatively obscure entrance, Yodelin is not terribly crowded which means it is a great place to hang out for awhile. There are countless card and board games that you play while you drink. We lost several hours here to an intense game of UNO. Wild Draw-4’s flowed heavy and fast like beer into a 1-liter Stien.
After winning your card game and crushing your friends and families spirits in a merciless and unforgiving fashion, refuel with a delicious German Pretzel. Yodelin gets their pretzels from the Bavarian bakery down the street whose baker is originally from Germany.
The Alley Cafe
Now let’s think about dinner. If you have had your fill of sausages and schnitzel and want to mix up the cuisine, head to The Alley Cafe for some of the best Italian food not only in Leavenworth but possibly in all of Washington State. This mom-and-pop run restaurant does everything right; An intimate setting, meals made with fresh ingredients, and garlic bread that makes your mouth water.
Viadolce Gelato
Compliment the Italian food in your belly with some Gelato. From the Back Alley Cafe take a walk to Viadolce Gelato. While the number of selections is limited the flavors cover a wide variety of tastes. From Plain Vanilla to Peanut Butter to Guava there is at least one flavor that can please even the pickiest of palates. (I shouldn’t have to say this but don’t mix those flavors.)
If you are there in December, take your Gelato outside and saunter the streets admiring the Christmas lights.
Bonus Adventure: Aplets and Cotlets Factory Tour
I will admit I had never heard of an Aplet or a Cotlet before this trip, and after being told these candies were a mixture of gummy fruit and nuts, I wasn’t exactly stoked to try them. However talking to others, who seemed to rant and rave about these treats, I was willing to give it a shot. To my surprise, they weren’t half bad. Notice I did not say they are good, but they weren’t awful either. If I haven’t sold this experience for you just yet, hang in there.
What fascinated me the most was the history of the candy. Nestled in the Cascades, is the teeny tiny city of Cashmere, WA about 30 minutes south of Leavenworth. The first thing you notice upon arriving in Cashmere is the orchards. With apples as far as the eye can see, the most productive of the bunch is Liberty Orchard, the starting point for these famous candies. Planted by two enterprising Armenian immigrants the fruit business didn’t exactly take off for them. To differentiate themselves from the rest of the produce pioneers, the owners decided to try their hand at dehydrating their product and shipping it to American soldiers overseas during WWI. Thier ingenuity continued as they experimented with more variations eventually leading to the Aplet candy.
Today you can take a tour of the original factory where the Aplets and Cotlets are still being produced, but call ahead to make sure they are allowing visitors that day. The process is almost identical to how the candy was first made. No fancy machines, just the bare necessities and a lot of hard work from their dedicated employees. So on your way in or out of Leavenworth, this may be worth a stop if you want to sample an Aplet or see how they are made.
Overall
Leavenworth is a fun day trip from Seattle. Get your fill of the Bavarian lifestyle, with excellent beer, authentic German bratwurst, and pretzels and, if you go during Christmas, a dazzling display of Christmas lights.
Chad can be summed up by his idea of a perfect day: Waking up early to watch the sunrise over the mountains, warm cup of coffee in hand then grabbing his camera and fly rod, hitting the trail to explore some uncharted territory followed by cold beers and campfire steaks. Chad is often joined on his adventures by his wife, Tori, and their dog, Kona.
