Leavenworth, WA

Leavenworth, Washington is a beautiful Bavarian village themed city of about 2,500 residents in the central part of Washington State. Its scenic Cascade Mountain setting, over one hundred charming shops and restaurants, and a wide range of events and recreational activities throughout of the year make it extremely popular with visitors. Over two million visitors each year come to Leavenworth for festivals, theater, recreation, or to simply stroll in this quaint little Bavarian styled village. Its most popular annual events include: outdoor summer concerts, Oktoberfest and the Christmas Lighting Festival. Despite its relatively small size, traffic jams occur frequently in Leavenworth during events due to its popularity!

Leavenworth is located in the Wenatchee River Valley in Chelan County. It sits at an elevation of 1,200 feet, with nearby mountains towering above up to 8,000 feet. Seattle is the nearest major city, 135 miles to the west, and can be reached by car in about 2.5 hours. Wenatchee is about a half hour's drive east. During the 1960's, after decades of a flagging economy, city leaders made an important decision to require all commercial buildings in the city to have Bavarian style architecture. So even the McDonalds is in a Bavarian style! Complementing the architecture, the city is well-adorned with hand painted murals and hanging flower baskets from spring to fall. Leavenworth has a four season climate and has beautiful flowering blossoms in the spring, hot summers, and outstanding fall colors. In the winter, Mother Nature provides a beautiful white décor as the city average 95 inches of snowfall per year.

There is much more to Leavenworth than just the city itself. The surrounding area provides a great variety of recreation and activities for residents and visitors. Leavenworth is the gateway to the Enchantments, which is an extremely popular hiking area. The Enchantments are in the Stuart Range, which is one of the most spectacular parts of Washington's Cascade Mountains. Other popular activities include: river rafting on the Wenatchee River, rock climbing, ice climbing, skiing, dog sledding, wineries, and golfing. Leavenworth offers an outstanding mixture of culture, shopping, and recreational fun and is well worth a visit.