Bavarian Style in the Cascades
June 27, 2014 2 Comments
During a trip to Seattle last weekend, Jie and I took a wonderful day trip to visit Leavenworth, a small town in the Cascades that is modeled after a Bavarian village.
When Jie first mentioned to me that there is a Bavarian-themed town within driving distance of Seattle, my first thought was let’s go. After all, I really liked visiting Solvang, and this was an opportunity to get outside Seattle to see more of Washington state.
The drive out from Seattle is gorgeous. We took Route 2, which heads east through the state and keeps going until you reach Michigan. Along the way, you are immersed in tall green trees and farmland before you traverse the Cascades. Along the way are an assortment of small towns with their own set of charms, such as Skykomish, an old rail town with a lovely bridge and a quaint general store where we stopped for lunch, as well as Sultan, whose high school team nickname is the Turks (which I think is awesome).
Skykomish
As soon as you see the sign welcoming you to Leavenworth (or Willkommen in German), you are immediately immersed in all things Bavarian. The shops and hotels along the road are all designed in a Bavarian style, even the Wells Fargo!
Welcome to Leavenworth
Bavarian style in Leavenworth
Of course, our first stop downtown was a wine tasting room. That’s right, surrounding Leavenworth is a small, yet emerging wine region. In town, there are 16 wine tasting rooms, although we limited ourselves to only visiting one. Beer lovers can get their fill at Leavenworth’s Oktoberfest, which is say this small town can satisfy you regardless of your alcoholic preference. There is even a local coffee roastery (J5 Coffee) that has a tasting room where Jie and I sampled their different roasts.
wine tasting
Jie and I spent several hours walking around, visiting local shops and experiencing the local charm. Everywhere that we went, people were extremely friendly and welcoming, wanting us to see the very best that Leavenworth has to offer. We sampled some traditional Bavarian fare at Munchen Haus (replete with a mustard bar of 20+ varieties) and resisted the urge to indulge at The Gingerbread House. We even experienced the tail end of the Accordion Celebration; I heard the accordion players had gotten a bit rowdy earlier in the weekend!
enjoying a fresh hot dog
gratuitous shot of the mustard bar
getting cozy with an accordion player
Leavenworth also sits on the banks of the Wenatchee River, a short stroll from downtown. Jie and I finished our visit at a small beach on the river, which is a great place to go swimming, have a picnic or just relax after a day of shopping and bratwursts. Given its location near the river and the mountains (plus its proximity to wineries), I would love to go back for a long weekend trip. I’m not sure that I can have the full Leavenworth experience if I don’t stay in a Bavarian chalet.
Link to Leavenworth road trip pictures
Raw Focus 
If you come back, and visit L’worth again, take I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass, and then US 97 over Blewett Pass, to get to town, then US 2 over Stevens Pass back to Seattle. It’s a very scenic loop, and it’s amazing how different the scenery is.
Also, everyone has their own idea of what the full Leavenworth experience is, but I think it includes a trip up Icicle Road, which is where you’ll see the most impressive mountains that can be seen from a car in the area. All summer most or all of the campgrounds along the road are full every weekend, people are climbing granite cliffs, rafting and kayaking Icicle Creek, hiking the trails, smelling the wildflowers and photographing the butterflies that pollinate them. Leavenworth has the Bavarian theme going strong, but it’s also got fantastic weather, and that makes it Seattle’s outdoor recreation mecca.
Next time you go, drop by the Accidental Bavarian website to find out what is happening in town that weekend and see our recommendations on things to do, places to stay and where to eat.
We are tourists who love to share “our” Leavenworth with others.
http://www.AccidentalBavarian.com