|
|
|
|
Leavenworth Vacation |
| WASHINGTON STATE > LEAVENWORTH HOTELS > SEATTLE > SEATTLE HOTELS > SEATTLE AIRPORT HOTELS | ||||||||||||||||
|
Leavenworth is world famous for its year round Bavarian and cultural festivals.
The village's Christmas Lighting ceremonies happen every Friday, Saturday and
Sunday for the three weekends beginning November 30th through December 16th.
There are food and craft booths, caroling and hand bell concerts and much more.
Holiday festivities continue on through Christmas and New Years. The town of Leavenworth is perched high in the Alp like Cascade Mountains of Washington State. Citizens converted the town to a replica Bavarian Village years ago and it has become the most popular attraction in Washington state with its authentic Bavarian architecture, parks and shops. It is situated on the pristine Wenatchee river and hosts sporting events year round. It is not a vast distance -- as the crow flies -- from Seattle to Leavenworth. The Cascade Mountains however loom between the two, and while on some days it can be a beautiful drive, other days it can make you fear for your life. Seeing Leavenworth is something out of a novelist's wonderland of descriptors. The entire town was born again in the early 1960s, not in the religious way, but in a Swiss Alps way. After 30 years of depression in the area The idea was to dedicate the entire town to a Bavarian theme, and use that theme to draw tourists to the area. The result is wood-beam-laden facades, the smell of sauerkraut in the air and constant polka-type music being pumped through speakers beneath a gazebo in the center of downtown. It sounds completely cheesy, and it is, but because Leavenworth's backdrop is the Cascade Mountains, the setting is eerily fitting. Fake accents are plentiful and people walk around in lederhosen, and shops are dedicated to things like music boxes and nutcrackers. In fact, there is an entire museum dedicated to nutcrackers -- The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum. Walking into Die Musik Box, one may wonder how many different music boxes there could possibly be. Owner Liz Lane will show you around and explain the workings of every single one, pointing out the ones that run on battery packs, boxes that are wound, and those that require a plug. You need not even be shopping for a music box, but after leaving the shop you may wonder why you don't own one. The shopping in Leavenworth fills a niche for every person visiting. From the Bavarian Soap Factory to The Cheesemonger's Shop, there is definitely one of every animal on this ship. Even the restaurants and grocery stores that Seattleites are accustomed to are in the area, all with a Bavarian twist. The Safeway and Starbucks are decked out in the town's theme. Even the Union 76 gas station on U.S. Route 2 has a script-style sign. If nutcrackers and music boxes have driven you to drink, cross the street from Die Musik Box to Uncle Uli's pub. A pint of beer and a Bavarian pretzel will give you the strength to keep shopping. The price of food and drink at Uli's are inexpensive for this tourist town, which is good because Uli's doesn't accept credit cards. The Bratwurst, supplied by Bavarian Meats, is piled with kraut, and the overflowing soup in bread bowls can cure a chill, especially if you've been skiing. For a more authentic Bavarian experience, the Munchen Haus has a large selection of German beers and a larger selection of sausages. The only downsides are that the seating is outside and it has shorter hours in the winter, but the food is cooked on an open grill and they do have live music from time to time. If cross-country skiing is your thing, or you're a first-timer and want to try it out, Leavenworth is perfect. The Leavenworth Winter Sports Club maintains more than 16 miles of cross-country trails around the area. The Icicle River trails are less than two miles away and offer a great beginner experience. A day pass for skiing on all trails maintained by the club is $10 and well worth it, especially if you stay for the entire day. One of their courses, Ski Hill, also offers more than three miles of night skiing. No need to buy skis or bring your own, there are plenty of places in town to rent at $15 a day. Opportunities for staying overnight in Leavenworth are nearly endless and can be inexpensive when there is not a festival in town. The season for festivals in Leavenworth seems to be year-round. Icefest just wrapped up earlier in January with ice sculpture, snowshoeing and dog-sledding competitions. The Leavenworth Choral Festival takes place in mid-April to kick off the spring festivals, but there are different events showcased around town until then. An 8K ski race for women -- the annual Chicks on Sticks Race -- is Feb. 11 and the annual Hog Loppet, a non-competitive 30K ski trek is Feb. 24. The two larger festivals, Oktoberfest and Christkindlmarkt, draw thousands each year, so it is always advisable to book accommodations ahead of time. The summer months bring weather changes and with that the outdoor activities change. Leavenworth leaves the skiers a bit snowless, but mountain bikers, rafters, fishers and campers profit from their loss. The Wenatchee-Okanogan National Forest presents thousands of miles of trails for hiking, and the Wenatchee River offers some great rafting and kayaking that changes from day to day with the snowmelt. |
|
|||||||||||||||
|
INTERNATIONALLY +1 210-507-5997 Customer Service E-Mail About Us
|