Here’s a quick overview of some fun activities to do while visiting Leavenworth, Washington.
Overview:
Enzian Inn - Alpenhorn Blower (breakfast buffet)
There are no rental car facilities in the town, but there is a taxi service and an UBER driver. If I were coming in by train, I would try to call ahead and arrange for service from Amtrak. I imagine it could take quite a bit of time to transport everyone and their luggage into town. Enzian Inn does offer shuttle services for a small fee and allows for early check in when possible. I called another hotel in town and they did not offer shuttle services.
Credit and Debit cards were accepted everywhere I went.
The town is small and easy to walk around, but parking can be very limited at times. There is a charge to park in the parking lots in town, but not for the street parking.
Several places can only be accessed from steep staircases. It was difficult at times to go places with my parents. There are places to sit down, so they can wait on the sidewalks while others shop. My parents loved Leavenworth, so there are still plenty of places for the elderly to visit in town.
Don’t miss the breakfast buffet at Enzian Inn. The food is delicious, and the entertainment is authentic. You don’t have to stay at the hotel to enjoy their breakfast.
Leavenworth, Washington is one of the most quaint places I’ve visited. It’s a small Bavarian-style village at the base of the Cascade Mountains. It’s located in Central Washington. Amtrak has a station in Leavenworth. It’s a bit outside of the town. It was definitely too far for me to walk to town from the station. I spoke with some of the hotels, and they weren’t aware of any hotels offering shuttle services, but they did say that there is a taxi company that meets the Amtrak train and also an UBER driver. She estimated the fare to be about $6 per person. I have since found that Enzian Inn offers shuttle services for a small fee. Definitely call the prospective hotel ahead of time if this is a service you are needing.
There are a great many hotels in Leavenworth. We are WorldMark owners and so we were able to stay at Park Village Resort. The outdoor pool wasn’t of interest, because the weather was way too cold. They offer a nice walking trail and a fun playground though. They are also close enough to walk to town.
We did eat breakfast at The Enzian Inn. I walked around their property and was mighty impressed. It was so charming and very clean. They also offer a nice indoor pool. It’s a good idea to call ahead to reserve seating here. http://enzianinn.com/
The shops in Leavenworth are very fun to browse. We were there for several days, and I still didn’t get in all of them. My mom loved the quilt shop best. I loved the tea shop. The cheese shop was located down a steep flight of stairs and so my mom didn’t get to go there. I know she would have loved it. The kids enjoyed the Nutcracker Museum the most. The museum had a fun and interactive activity for the kids. It was a scavenger hunt to find different nutcrackers that were on display throughout the many rooms in the museum.
The waterfront park was a favorite place of mine. I walked through the park to get to the village from my hotel. I could have spent hours exploring the park. It was beautiful.
There are a number of very good hikes around Leavenworth for those in better shape than myself. I enjoyed driving along the river watching the kayakers. There are some amazing photography opportunities in and around Leavenworth.
https://leavenworth.org/recreation/
The town is home to many great restaurants. As mentioned earlier, Enzian Inn has a wonderful breakfast buffet. The pictures only show the pastries, but there are egg dishes, meats, cheeses, and fruits as well. We found a little cafe that we enjoyed. Their breakfast was delicious, and they were very affordably priced. Many of the restaurants were out of my budget. http://louies.cafe/home
We ate at Andreas Keller Restaurant for an early dinner. As you can see in the photos, it got a thumbs up review from the family. The atmosphere was very fun. We did not have a reservation, but I can imagine during the busy season that a reservation might be a good idea. https://www.andreaskellerrestaurant.com/
I can’t believe I didn’t take photos in the Nutcracker museum. I must have been too busy with the kids on the scavenger hunt. The museum is made up a several rooms on the top floor of a historic building. If needed, there is an elevator available. There are over 7,000 nutcrackers on display and you will see all of them more than once if you do the scavenger hunt - fair warning to you. Personally, this wasn’t my favorite place, but I’m not crazy into Nutcrackers myself. There is a gift shop on the main floor.
My mom loves Aplets and Cotlets and so we took a side trip one day to go Cashmere, Washington to take a tour of the Aplets and Cotlets Candy Kitchen. If you love the candy, you should enjoy the tour. They give samples. The town is cute. There is a nice park with restrooms and few places to eat.
We didn’t visit the wineries or the ski slopes, but I hear they are nice. I’ve posted a link to the events calendar for Leavenworth. We went during Oregon’s spring break and it wasn’t very busy. They were just taking down the Christmas decorations, so we got to see some of the lighting. I’d like to go at Christmas time, but I hear it’s wall to wall people.
Along the way:
There are many great places to visit along the way from Portland, Oregon to Leavenworth, Washington. Without stopping and with good road conditions, the drive is just under 5 hours traveling via I-84 and US-97 or via I-5 to I-90 to US-97. I prefer to travel through the gorge than up I-5. Also, the northern pass can get pretty dicey in the winter and often closes.
We left from the Portland area and chose to travel eatsterly along I-84 and the northerly along I-97 heading through Yakima to Leavenworth. Below is a list of nice places for quick visits.
Bonneville Dam - See large sturgeon at the interpretive center. The kids love to feed the fish at the hatchery too. There are clean bathrooms and a gift shop.
Multnomah Falls - The falls are magnificent and it’s a great bathroom and ice cream break. There are clean bathrooms, a gift shop, a take-away cafe, and a restaurant.
Hood River Waterfront Park - Great views of the river, several very nice restaurants, shops, clean bathrooms, and a nice place for kids to run around.
The Dalles - This is one of two major towns along the way. Fred Meyer is a great store for food, clothes, and other merchandise. Many people love Cousins’ restaurant and Spooky’s Pizza.
Stonehenge Memorial Park - A replica of Stonehenge. There are great views of the Columbia River and Mount Hood (as long as it’s a clear day). There are no amenities here.
Maryville Museum and Winery - Just down the road from Stonehenge is this museum and winery. There is a small gift shop and restrooms here.
Toppenish, Washington - a historic town with over 70 murals painted on the sides of the buildings. There is a nice park with restrooms and several places to eat in town.
Granger, Washington - if you have dinosaur loving kids and it’s the summer, this is a fun place to go. It’s about 15 minutes of US-97. The town has dinosaurs all over the place. There is a great splash park, a lake where paddle boats can be rented (there are dinosaurs in the water too), and a fun playground.
Yakima, Washington - or as they call themselves, The Palm Springs of Washington. I’ve been to Palm Springs, and they are no Palm Springs, but regardless, they have some nice places to eat and plenty of places to grab whatever items you’ve now realized that got left at home. This is the major town along the way.
Peshastin, Washington - Smallwoods Harvest. This is a fun roadside market that has a petting zoo, a playground, a nice fruit stand and gift shop. The kids loved it here.
