I am a total sucker for a white Christmas, and here in Washington, those are very few and far between. So, that leaves it up to me to go out and find the snow and feeling of Christmas magic on my own!
Luckily in Washington we have a very interesting climate, kept temperate by the ocean in many western areas, but a large mountain pass divides the eastern part of the state which creates a totally different climate across the mountain passes! In Eastern Washington you can find four different seasons with very snowy winters. We love to head to Eastern Washington around Christmas for this exact reason, and the town of Leavenworth is our favorite part!
If you are new to Leavenworth, it is a Bavarian village, where all buildings and businesses must conform to the town theme, so all the construction is very unique. Christmas is a huge to-do here, with ceremonies and celebrations happening all month long! My favorite is watching the tree-lighting ceremony downtown after dusk, and to visit the Christmas shops to pick up special decorations and presents.
There is also a ton of great food to be had here! One of our favorite traditions is to stop at Munchen Haus, an outdoor eatery serving Bavarian brats and local brews. There are bakeries making fresh delicious pastries, homemade fudge, fresh waffles, and more! One the main street in town, there are handfuls of wine tasting rooms, breweries, and unique restaurants that you just have to visit.
Here is a link to the Leavenworth calendar of events if you are interested in checking it out!
My only word of caution… there are two times of year where Leavenworth can be simply overwhelming with guests; Oktoberfest and Christmas. If you want to stay in the area, make sure to book your room a minimum of 6 months in advance; many people have standing reservations they renew every year, and the general public is aware to get the best places you HAVE to book well in advance. Also, crowds are large and lines are long on weekends. If you can visit on a week day I would suggest it so that you do so for better parking and shorter lines.
Some of my favorite places to stop:
Munchen Haus Bavarian Grill & Beer Garden
Kris Kringl Christmas Shop, open year round!
So, is Leavenworth on your list of places that you visit around the Christmas holiday? If you have never made it over before but are thinking about going and have questions, feel free to ask away! I am happy to make recommendations.
X.O. Abbey Co.
P.S. – if you would like to participate in the 12 days of Christmas Blog/Social Media Challenge, here are the details! Anyone in the Christmas spirit is nominated to join in.
My daughter and I were just there! We went a couple days ago- not on the weekend! I wrote a gratitude post about it since there was a fatality accident on us 2 that we just missed 😞. Other than that it was a magical trip!
Oh sad, highway 2 is so scary like that!
Ya, especially this time of year. We had a friend loose his son in an accident on US 2 as they came back from snowboarding. Not a road I want to be on in the dark.
This sounds like a wonderful place to spend a little Christmas time! So beautiful, festive, and fun!
Oh I’ve always wanted to go to Leavenworth!!
You simply have to! It is so magical around Christmas! We also like to go in the summer for different reasons – there is a river to float, lots of activities around town, mini golf…. it really is a fun place
I’ve been waiting to have someone to go with, but I might need to just go by myself!
I visited snowy Leavenworth in January this year, and it was so gorgeous! The lights, the food, the nutcracker museum.. it was all awesome. 🙂 Glad to see you had a great time with family!