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Top Things to Do in Leavenworth Washington During a Day Trip

Sherianne Higgins·
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Plan Your Trip to Leavenworth Washington

Leavenworth Washington is a well-known Bavarian town in the Pacific Northwest. If you are planning a trip to Leavenworth Washington and looking for the best things to do, see and eat while visiting, you are in the right place. You will find a mountain town with alphorns, traditional Bavarian clothing, biergartens, nutcrackers, gingerbread, big pretzels, bratwurst, schnitzel, wooden balconies, and tiered roofs overflowing with flower baskets. Browse the list of must-see attractions, off-the-beaten-path experiences, outdoor activities, and museums to create your personal Leavenworth Washington bucket list. Then, plan the itinerary for your weekend getaway or day trip with these top things to do, see, and in Leavenworth Washington. Enjoy your time out of the office!

READ 10 Day Glacier National Park and the Pacific Northwest Road Trip Itinerary

Front Street Leavenworth Washington Bavarian town
Front Street

Things to Do in Leavenworth Washington

Photograph the Bavarian architecture on Front Street and hunt for the perfect bier stein

Hang out in the biergarten at Rhein Haus or Munchen House

Eat pretzels, bratwurst and schnitzel

Buy a souvenir ornament at Kris Kringl, the Christmas store

Take an old-time Bavarian photo

Relax in an alpine spa at Icicle Village Resort

Grab some cookies from the Gingerbread Factory

Gingerbread Factory Leavenworth Washington Bavarian town
Gingerbread Factory

Stop in the Upper Valley Museum to learn the town’s history

Relax in the gazebo at Front Street Park and people watch

Sample a Dark Persuasion at Icicle Brewing Company

Browse the tents at Art in the Park

Go for a walk in Waterfront Park or on Blackbird Island

Catch an outdoor musical at Leavenworth Summer Theater

Visit Ohme Gardens

Check out the Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort Art Walk and Organic Garden

Play a Bavarian-themed game of mini golf at Icicle Village

Browse the 7,000 nutcrackers at Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum

Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum Leavenworth Washington Bavarian town
Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum

Tour a reindeer farm

Take a hayride in the fall or a sleigh ride in the winter

Spend the night in a tiny house at the Leavenworth Tiny House Village

Have a picnic in Enchantment Park

Drive the scenic Icicle Creek Road

Spend an afternoon tubing in a creek

Go white water rafting in the Wenatchee River

Zipline over the forest

Soak at Scenic Hot Springs, clothing-optional

Hike past a waterfall to Icicle Gorge

Rent a boat and spend a day on the water at Lake Wenatchee State Park

Go horseback riding in the Cascade Mountains

Hike to Lake Stuart or Colchuck Lake

Go mountain biking, skiing, or snowboarding at Stevens Pass

Schnitzel Leavenworth Washington Bavarian town
Schnitzel

Day Trip to Leavenworth Washington

2,000,000 people visit Leavenworth each year. Leavenworth Washington is an amazing stop on a Pacific Northwest road trip. The city is 2.5 hours from Seattle and 3.5 hours from Spokane Washington making it an easy day trip location from either city. Popular summer activities include hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, tubing white water rafting, and mountain biking. Sleigh rides, dog sledding, skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing, sledding, and tubing are popular in the winter. The Autumn Leaf Festival, Oktoberfest, and the Christmas Lighting Ceremony are also popular times to visit Leavenworth Washington.

Check the Leavenworth Washington Tourism Board website for upcoming festivals, special events, and what’s happening during your stay.

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Top things to do in Leavenworth Washington during a day trip while enjoying the Bavarian-themed town full of biergartens, nutcrackers, gingerbread, pretzels, schnitzel, wooden balconies, and tiered roofs overflowing with flower baskets.
Top things to do in Leavenworth Washington during a day trip while enjoying the Bavarian-themed town full of biergartens, nutcrackers, gingerbread, pretzels, schnitzel, wooden balconies, and tiered roofs overflowing with flower baskets.

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10 Responses

  1. Wow! I did not realize there is so much to see and do on Leavenworth. Love the idea of taking a carriage ride through town. That would be unique and memorable.

  2. I haven’t been to Leavenworth yet, but I’d love to see this picturesque town. A great combination of attractions and things that can be done there to spend time actively and get to know this place. For sure, it’s a fantastic Bavarian town with great architecture. I would like to Relax in an alpine spa at Icicle Village Resort, visit Ohme Gardens and drive the scenic Icicle Creek Road the most.

  3. Leavenworth, WA is an amazing place to visit and spend a vacation. I never knew such a beautiful Bavarian town existed in America. Leavenworth is a visitor’s paradise. I would love to visit the nutcracker museum, the reindeer farm and photograph the amazing Bavarian architecture and taste the iconic schnitzel and bratwurst.

  4. I always wonder what you can do in Leavenworth outside of winter, and of course there are so many things to do or see. I would like to go on a hike and taking pictures of the Bavarian architecture. The nutcracker museum will be fun to visit. And I want to compare the schnitzel in Leavenworth with the one in Fredericksburg, Texas.

  5. Thank you for always listing out the best of things to do. Now this is about Leavenworth and you always make it easy for travellers like me to sort out things to do, places to see. I would be highly interesting in visiting this place.

  6. I had no idea that Leavenworth Washington existed! What a wonderful place to take a staycation but feel as though you’ve gone on an international trip. So many things I would enjoy doing here. In fact, now I’m craving pretzels and brats…! The Nutcracker Museum is pretty cool, too.

  7. What a charming town to see in Washington! I love the Bavaria theme, it reminds me of my travels around the region in Germany. I love that even the food is Bavarian inspired, I could easily eat a pretzel and some schnitzel from here.

  8. I was born in Bavaria / Germany. So visiting a Bavarian themed village in Washington would be fun for me. You rarely find such beautiful gingerbread (glutenfree!) in Germany…..

  9. We passed through Leavenworth on a road trip and really only got to marvel at this Bavarian town in Washington. It sure looks like we need to plan to stay for a longer visit the next time. And certainly don’t want to miss the tasty food options. We would definitely plan some outdoor adventure. White rafting sounds fun. And I may even leave my bathing suit behind for a hot spring visit.

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