Sometimes I think about these posts and their timing. Like it would probably make more sense to write a travel post about a specific place for a specific season before the season ends. For example, Leavenworth for Christmas. Here we are five days after Christmas Day, and I am writing about going there for the holidays. The beauty of Leavenworth though, is that their winter festivities last through the month of February. You can check out their website for a list of events and activities – including fire dancers, fireworks, ice carving and the Fasching Carnival. And you can always add your own fun like show shoeing, horse drawn sleighs, or snowmobiling.
To reach Leavenworth, you will have to come to terms with driving a mountain pass. The most common routes are Stevens Pass on Highway 2 or Snoqualmie Pass on I-90. Both routes pass excellent ski/snow parks although I preferred Stevens Pass back when I used to snowboard. I think if I tried it now I would break myself and perhaps never fully recover. No one likes to ragdoll.
I chose to drive I-90 since the pass looked much more clear, and Stevens Pass had reported compacted ice and snow requiring chains to make it through. Even though Snoqualmie Pass wasn’t requiring chains, I picked some up from my local Les Schwab just in case the weather conditions changed. Winter weather hits here randomly. Even now while I type, it is snowing in Tumwater. We have been in “snowed in” mode since Dec. 26. It’s not a lot of snow, but we don’t prep for it like other places that consistently see snow every winter. So sometimes, you need chains. Les Schwab also does this cool thing where if you don’t use the chains for a season, you can return them in the summer and get a full refund. Although I have a feeling that I will be keeping these for a while. They were only $150.
Getting to Leavenworth took a bit longer than I wanted. We left late in the day because I had some furniture to move for units in my program as well as paperwork to complete. Then I checked out the kid early from school and packed up the car for our trip. On a clear day it takes about three hours to get there. In the snow, it took about four. Plus we stopped for coffee and bathroom breaks as needed.
First Night in Town
From I-90, we exited at Cle Elum to follow WA 970 to US 97 and US 2. I took my time driving down from Cle Elum since it had gotten dark quick and snow was swirling all over the place. I should not, I have never driven to Leavenworth before. In areas that I know, it is a little easier to drive without caution. But on winding mountain roads I don’t know. I lean heavily into caution.
Then, as if it was the only light in the darkness, we saw our first glimpse of the Village of Lights – half a million lights strung up around trees and the town gazebo. We were in awe as we cruised through town to our hotel. I had booked us a room for two nights at the Der Ritterhof Inn, German for “The Knight House”, a cute place with Bavarian chalet-style rooms. I got us checked in, and we dropped off our bags in the room while deciding what to get for dinner. And Stone is always easy to feed. Cheeseburgers and fries is his go to meal. We went to the HeidleBurger Drive in, known for their variety of burgers as well as milkshakes. Stone got his usual plain cheeseburger while I got a teriyaki burger and onion rings and our friend, Rachael, got a veggie burger with fired mushrooms and a shake. We all laid in bed eating this delicious junk food and watching cable TV. Even as we were eating, we were planning out eating for the next day. In fact, a lot of our trip revolved around which restaurants and food places we wanted to try out.
After eating and cleaning up our food mess, Stone fell asleep watching Christmas movies. I think we watched “The Grinch” with Jim Carrey. While he slept, Rachael and I planned out the next day with shops, food stops, and other attractions we wanted to see.
Breakfast, Shopping, and Eats
To avoid the parking dilemma (you know that thing where you can never find a spot and people fight over spots or you end up yelling cause some one stole your spot when you clearly had your blinker on?), we decided to walk the half mile to the town square. The air was cold and refreshing with no snow in the forecast. We layered up and set off for breakfast.
I had originally planned for us to eat at The Renaissance Cafe so I could have their eggs Benedict with wild Alaskan salmon. I’m serious about those fancy eats when I’m not camping for my trips. Cause on the cheap end, I’m eating dehydrated rice and vegetables. We were met with sadness and confusion though as they appeared closed for dining in but were accepting call in orders to go. I didn’t want to wait for food in the cold and then walk back to the hotel so we opted for breakfast at Louie’s Cafe. Stone had pancakes with eggs and bacon while I had a waffle with strawberries and whip cream. I ended up eating his eggs and bacon because maple syrup got on them. He is VERY particular.
After breakfast, we strolled through town, stopping at different shops to see what they had to offer. Our first stop was the Gingerbread Factory, a popular destination for lots of tourists. Our first day there, they had lots of baked goods in their cases and tables set up to sell tree ornaments. Our second time there, the line was out the door for folks waiting to have breakfast there. I got three gingerbread cookies and a gingerbread cupcake for us and a magnet and stuffed bear dressed in lederhosen for Stone. The cookies were absolutely phenomenal. The cupcake was ridiculously sweet, even for me. I actually couldn’t finish it before it got stale in my home. I tried. I really did. So if you have a sweet tooth, this is definitely the place to go.
Our next stop was Schocolat, a small handmade chocolate shop that specializes in European style chocolates. While the shop space may seem small, what they lack in size they make up for in flavors. Inside their case were rows of beautiful chocolates with both classic and surprising flavors. I got a candy cane variety box for a possible gift for someone and a small set of chocolates to eat back at the hotel. They had your usual flavors – coconut, pecan, chocolate truffle; they also had flavors like mango, passion fruit, and earl grey. I didn’t give that candy cane box to anyone. It’s still sitting on my kitchen table waiting to be eaten. Maybe I will open it after all the excess holiday sweets wear off in a few weeks.
Rachael was the first to notice the Kris Kringle Christmas decor store while we tried to focus on shopping. It’s really difficult for me to focus on one thing at a time in towns like this because so much is going on. There are lights everywhere and music, everything is elaborately decorated. So I am really glad that she was able to notice these shops for us. Word of advice, if you have kids that like to touch everything like mine does, have a pep talk before you walk into this store. Because it is A LOT. Imagine having a specific theme for your tree. Now imagine having like 14 trees all with specific themes and you would have this shop. There were farm trees, safari trees with giraffe print (I shit you not), flamingo pink trees, candy trees, etc. There was an ornament for any and every thing you could think of.
We made our way through all two stories of decorations and ornaments, spotting all the obvious and hidden Santa figures. Their entire back section of the upstairs was dedicated to those Christmas Village miniature scenes. But they also had Harry Potter, Disney, Dr. Suess, Peanuts characters, and a Halloween Village. And next to that was a full wall of differently shaped strand lights. Once again, you think of the theme and they have the lights. Dinosaurs? Sports? Storm troopers? Pigs? Weed leaves? It’s all there. Now I’m kinda wondering what a “green” Christmas tree would look like…
We continued our walk down Front Street. I should also mention that the streets in town were blocked off to traffic so it was easy to stay socially distant from other visitors. Most of our walking and shopping was done on a Thursday, specifically the week before schools let out for Winter Break. I knew this place is a popular spot for Christmas time, and I wanted to be sure to miss all the crowds if we could. I actually had planned out this trip well before December. I booked our hotel in July, even before I had signed Stone up for kindergarten. But after being a teacher, I have learned how so much of life revolves around student schedules. And I got tickets for events in October after we had a set schedule for when we would be arriving and departing town.
Stone took a photo in front of the Leavenworth Cider House while I browsed the menu online. There is one slight downside to travelling with a kid, at least for me. A lot of times it’s difficult for me to fully relax. In a child free scenario, I would have been eating a giant pretzel and drinking their cider sampler. I’m not a beer drinker, but cider is a whole other story. And their list of ciders on tap is adventurous – huckleberry, black currant, habanero lime, lemon basil, guava – along with some familiar standards like apple, pear, and ginger. There are definitely reasons to return to Leavenworth on my own. Drinking is one. Waiting on a table without an antsy five year old is another. Hiking and snow shoeing. And of course, snowmobiling is the last. The snowmobile tours have different options that allow you to ride with a driver or drive your own. And yes, I would want to drive my own. But the tours that offer longer time frames in the mountains or let you ride at night are not offered for anyone under the age of 8. I also don’t know if Stone would be able to contain his excitement and slight fear riding with me right now.
As we walked towards Icicle Coffee and Chocolates, I noticed one of those penny press machines. My partner once told me that he collects these which I find really sweet for some reason. Now anytime I see one of these, I remember to get him a pressed penny. I showed Stone how to work the machine and placed the money in for him to turn the crank. I got a latte and some fudge while Rachael picked out a few chocolates. They also had some adorable macarons and different souvenirs and gifts, like stickers, coffee mugs, and bags of roasted coffee beans.
I drank my latte while we walked around Front Street Park so Stone could play in the snow. He was running around making snowballs to throw at me while other kids were sledding down the small hill in the park. Eventually, the snow mixed with mud and formed a sheet of frozen mud ice. We didn’t have time to get a sled before leaving Olympia, and I wish I would have gotten one. Shops were selling plastic sleds for about $30 to $40 per sled depending on the style. I didn’t want to spend the extra mark up on something I could find at home for less. And it was also tough cause I knew that the ice wasn’t going to last long. I told Stone that we would go tubing at Snoqualmie or Hurricane ridge instead. Snoqualmie has 500 foot runs and provides giant runner tubes that can fit Stone and I together. Oddly enough, we have had almost a week of snow here and he hasn’t asked me for a sled yet. And after about an hour of playing in the show, he decided he was done for the week.
As you can probably see by now, there are several Bavarian style bakeries and sweets within walking distance. Outside of the Danish Bakery, they had decorated a tree with real pretzels from their bakery. I took a peek inside but already knew I was waiting to by baked goods from the Bavarian Bakery located west of the main town. The trays of strudel, turnovers, and eclairs was so tempting though!
The Nutcracker Museum
Once we felt like we had gotten our fill of shopping for the day, I figured we were ready for the Nutcracker Museum. From the outside, the space appears quite small. But once you get inside, there are cases and cases full of various nutcrackers from all over the globe. And there’s two stories. Adult admission was $5 and Stone was free since he was under the age of six. Active military also gets in for free. The museum states there are over 7000 nutcrackers in their collection. After buying our tickets, the museum host gave us each a clipboard with a scavenger hunt and a golf pencil. If you can find all the nutcrackers listed on the hunt, you get to ring a bell at the end and get a small prize. Rachael worked on the adult hunt while I helped Stone with the kids hunt.
While the hunt was fun, trying to focus on the list made it difficult to see all the objects in the cases. They had the typical wooden nutcrackers, but they also had examples from India, Sri Lanka, ancient Mississippian peoples of Arkansas, and the Middle East. I took so many photos of some of my favorites. Each case was divided up into themes. There were Halloween nutcrackers with pumpkins, witches, and ghosts. There were sporty nutcrackers with a mountaineer, soccer players, and baseball players. And there were also a few famous artists and the Beatles.
I fell in love with these female bodied style nutcrackers and the Swiss bear couple. You can find more info about the museum on their website. They also had a Nutcracker Day and contest for students to enter their own nutcracker designs. I am also going to state here that their collection does include several questionable nutcrackers. Even on our scavenger list, Adolf Hitler was a option. And there was more than one in their collection. There are also a few Black nutcrackers that are reminiscent of those old Black salt and pepper shakers or dolls I saw in the South as well as Indigenous nutcrackers that are culturally inaccurate. It was kind of jarring to see in a museum. While I can’t state why someone made these particular nutcrackers (I’m gonna assume it’s not in a positive way), I still wanted to give warning.
We wrapped up the museum and finally felt we had grown an appetite. We stopped at Rhein Haus for lunch. They had outdoor seating with propane fireplaces at each table to help us warm up while we waited for our food. It took Stone a while to be comfortable enough to sit near the fire. I also think by this point he was tired of walking around. I ordered a kids wurst with bun for Stone and I had a habanero cheddarwurst with a pretzel and beer cheese. They also have sandwiches, salads, schnitzel, burgers, goulash, and roasted Brussel sprouts along with a beer and cocktail menu. The toasted pecan old fashioned and cranberry cordial sounded delicious. Once again, another time to be kid free.
Another popular spot for brats is München Haus near by. They offer a variety of bratwursts, fresh squeezed lemonade, German potato salad, and pretzels in an outdoor grill/beer garden. When we walked past at night, the line to order was probably 50 people long. Since we had already had a bratwurst and pretzel, we decided to skip München Haus and save it for next time. We walked back to the hotel after lunch so we could rest, drop off our shopping bags, change Stone out of his wet gloves, and relax before dinner. On our walk back we saw the carriage rides at the Maibaum (maypole) and the 25 foot galvanized steel knight guarding our hotel.
Village of Lights
After a short nap and some more cable TV, we walked back to the Village of Lights after sunset. Thankfully the weather was cold but clear with no snow in the forecast. The town transforms at night. The lights stay on 24 hours a day but are more vibrant obviously at night. Each shop and hotel had their own lights and displays up. There were snowflakes, lit up plastic Santas, candy cane colored trees, and vibrant blues and purples.
The Leavenworth event page stated that there would be Christmas characters at 5pm and carolers at 6pm at the Front Street Gazebo. We arrived a little early, and I think things move a little slower in small towns. We walked around admiring the lights while waiting for the carolers to set up. The Christmas characters never made an appearance. I think covid probably changed their usual events. We listened to a few songs before going to a local book store, A Book for All Seasons.
The book store was warm and inviting and cozy, and the staff working were friendly and sweet towards Stone. I will always have respect for any adult that treats kids with the same respect as another adult. Stone and I looked around for kids books as well as gifts for family members. Stone picked out a sticker encyclopedia of the National Parks and a human anatomy body book. He also found a display of little stuffed animals and instantly fell in love with a sloth. He was partially spoiled on this trip with small gifts. Plus he decided to name his sloth “Baby Cole-Sloth” which I find hilarious because I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know what coleSLAW is but I do. I found a mini tarot card set for my nearly adult stepchild and did my best to not grab all the books for myself.
After the book store, we decided it was time for dinner. In between naps and TV time, Rachael and I decided we would try out the famous Andreas Keller Restaurant for our last big meal in town. As we made our way to the downstairs entrance, someone was wrestling with trying to get a stroller down the stairs. Then we saw the line. Folks were sitting down inside to wait and the line continued outside the door back to the stairs. We discovered that the wait time was just over an hour and a half. That combined with how unsafe it felt to be packed into a tunnel made up our minds for us to go somewhere else. Andreas Keller is a place I would like to return to however. They have live music and offer traditional Bavarian cuisine with gluten free and vegetarian options. I had my heart set on some Käsespätzle and German fried potatoes. Next time for sure.
We made our way to the Baren Haus Restaurant up the street. But Baren Haus was also a bust. With only three servers and a packed restaurant, the host told us the owner requested to stop seating new parties. Another dinner dream of schnitzel and fried potatoes crushed. I added it to my list of places for a return trip. We ended the night at Gustav’s which was much less crowded but also not traditional German fare. I got a bacon grilled cheese with tomato soup and a Bailey’s hazelnut coffee. It hit the spot in the cold and even more so because I was super hungry by the time we got our food. We walked back to the hotel to get ready for bed. I showered then ate some fudge while we planned our last morning in town.
Breakfast and Bakeries
Next door to the Inn, is a small coffee spot called Argonaut Coffee and Biscuits. I figured this would be the easiest place to get breakfast and coffee since we would need to check out of our room by 11am. I walked to the coffee stand while Rachael and Stone stayed in the room. I feel like you know when you have reached some sort of PNW status when you walk in below freezing temps in wool socks and Birkenstocks. I waited in line briefly then ordered a peppermint mocha and veggie biscuit sandwich for Rachael. I got myself a horchata latte and a ham and cheese galette and a yogurt parfait for Stone. It was honestly hard to choose breakfast because everything sounded amazing: hipster or seasonal toast, chorizo burritos, and biscuits with jam and creme.
After eating, we gathered our bags and packed up the car to check out. I made sure we were all bundled up in at least three layers since we would be outside for a majority of the day. We went into town to stop a a few more shops we had missed the day before. We were pretty disappointed in the Mainz Haus of Rock which was sad. I was hoping to buy some cool rocks and crystals. They had a few great fossils samples but these were also items I could find at Radiance in Olympia for a lower price. Stone decided that he wanted to stop at the Nutcracker Shop after seeing all the nutcrackers in the museum the day before. The nutcrackers for sale ranged from $40 to like $500 depending on detail and intricacy. Stone had a hard time deciding on something less than $100 so I steered him towards the DIY paint your own nutcracker. He picked out the Mouse King and we painted him at home the following week. Once again, Stone showed me just how particular he is by picking the exact colors and stickers he wanted. Then he had me paint so that it wouldn’t be messy. He cracks me up with his delegated perfectionism. Now the Mouse King is next to his T-rex nutcracker on our entertainment stand.
In order to alleviate crowds during the holiday season, Leavenworth started offering a free ornament for people that shop locally midweek. All you need to do is provide your receipts. We stopped at the Chamber of Commerce to get our free ornament for a full Thursday of shopping. I gathered all the receipts I could find that didn’t include restaurants or coffee. One of the staff calculated my totals to be over $100 and gave me this hand painted metal ornament. She was even kind enough to combine my extra receipts with Rachael’s to give her an ornament as well.
We had time to spare before our last ticketed event, the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm. I had gotten those tickets in October for a set time and didn’t realize just how close the reindeer farm is to town. On a “typical” weekend day, hwy 2 can slow down to a crawl with everyone arriving and driving through town. But on a Friday morning, traffic was moving steadily. We still had one stop to make before the farm, the Bavarian Bakery. The Bavarian Bakery was freshly stocked with breads, pastries, pretzels, and sweets made by a master baker originally from Hagen, Germany. Rachael stated that her pretzel was the best she had had all weekend. I got a loaf of beer bread, an éclair, poppy seed claw, and a cinnamon roll for Stone. We then went to McDonald’s, of all places, to get Stone lunch then made our way to see some real life reindeer.
Leavenworth Reindeer Farm
The Leavenworth Reindeer Farm is located off Chumstick Hwy, about a mile from the heart of Leavenworth. We found a parking spot easily and showed our ticket confirmation to get bracelets to enter. Once inside, we toured their gift shop FULL of reindeer themed items. They also had a couple bunnies hanging out in the barn that we got to watch and pet. Their owner talked to us about how they were normally indoor bunnies and trained to use a litter box. Once our tour time started, we exited the barn and sat around a large campfire to listen to their presentation. A man claiming to be Hans Christian Andersen, showed us different sixed antlers from their reindeer, and explained how they are equipped handle the extreme cold. Also reindeer are domestic and caribou are wild even though they are the same genus and species, Rangifer tarandus. I’m a nerd and love this stuff so hearing about their migration, keen sense of smell, and circulatory system was a joy for me.
Once he finished talking about the facts, we got into safety protocols for visiting the reindeer. Even though they are domesticated, they also have their own personalities and a bit of wild left in them. We were instructed to stick our arms out far from our bodies with palms open and nonthreatening while feeding so we don’t accidentally get hit in the face by an antler. Parents were to shield their children’s faces from the smaller front antlers. And very small children had to be held at all times. We were each given a small cup of food and made our way to the pen. Stone and I waited to feed the baby reindeer, the perfect size for Stone. He giggled as the little reindeer quickly ate. I shared my cup with a larger reindeer also laughing at how their velvety noses tickled my hand. and then kept my hand out while other reindeer ran up to get more grains. I feel like I was the only one talking to them as they ran up sniffing the air. I had to let them know I was out and had nothing to offer. Also watching a reindeer with 48in antlers run up to you is kind of intimidating. We were instructed not to look them in the eye or put our hand out to block them cause it could seem threatening. So talking seemed like a natural alternative. Look, I talk to trees and rocks on hikes too so this isn’t anything abnormal for me.
After all the reindeer knew the cups were empty, I asked staff if there was a reindeer they felt would allow a few pets. One reindeer, Sven, ended up being the most docile, mellow dude to pet. So reindeer do this thing where they take little cat naps. Their antlers are so massive compared to their bodies that their head and neck need breaks from carrying so much weight. Sven began to nod off as we were all petting his hind quarters. Stone walked up carefully with a staff and listening to his instructions before giving Sven a few pats. Once Stone was done, it was Rachael’s turn and then my turn. That reindeer was the sweetest sleepyhead there. Other reindeer were trying to run off smaller ones for grains but Sven could not be bothered. God his antlers were massive. And he will lose them in winter, growing a new rack in four to five months. Fun fact: apparently Santa’s reindeer are all female too. Females still grow antlers but not as large and they shed their antlers in the spring.
After getting our share of the reindeer, we made our way back to the main entrance to get a photo with Santa in his sleigh. They better be paying this person well because he stayed outside all day in 19 degree temperatures to take photos with everyone who lined up. An entire family got in the sleigh for the cutest photo of the day. A farm staff took our photos with my phone and did a great job taking as many photos as possible to get a few good ones. Any photographer knows that you have to take about 100 photos to get 1 decent one. We made it back to our car and prepped ourselves for the long drive back to Olympia. I knew the pass was clear but we would be facing Friday post work traffic on I-5. We stopped at the Starbucks in Leavenworth for coffee and a bathroom break before driving back to I-90 and back to our regular schedule.
I do plan to make it back to Leavenworth in the late summer or early fall, both for food and drinks and for the hiking. There are several trails that I hope to complete this summer in the Wenatchee National Forest – Icicle Ridge Trail, Old Pipeline Bed Trail, Snow Lakes or Colchuck Lake, and more. The list gets longer each day. Plus how choice would it be to have a cold guava cider after a full day of hiking? And maybe then I can get that Käsespätzle too.
