Hi friends! After our trip to Leavenworth last weekend and in October, I decided to put together a quick recap of everything we did (and ate) while we were there! If you’re in Washington State or even planning to visit, I can’t recommend Leavenworth enough. It’s about a 2.5 hour drive from Seattle and is absolutely beautiful! In the fall you have all the beautiful warm colors and in the winter it is an actual Winter Wonderland. Whether you’re going for the day or for the weekend, there is plenty to do and see in this cute German town!

WHERE WE STAYED

When we visited Leavenworth in the fall we booked our trip last minute so our options for sleep were limited. We wanted a cute cabin in the woods, but they were all booked. I stumbled across a cute studio apartment on AirBnb and it was so worth it! We went during off days (Sunday – Tuesday) and only paid $400 for two nights. The studio was super cute, very spacious, had a killer view and was only a block from the main street, which was super convenient. The location of the studio was great and we both felt super safe.

On our most recent trip we went only went to Leavenworth for the day, so we didn’t book a cabin. That was due to us deciding again last minute. By the time we decided what we were doing for MLK weekend everything was already booked.

WHAT WE DID

There is a TON to do in Leavenworth, and I love that there’s different things to do depending on what season you visit. During October, they usually have Oktober Fest, although this year it was cancelled due to the current state of the world. And in the winter the entire town is decorated and lit up for the holiday season, it is beautiful!

Leavenworth is a German town so the main thing everyone comes to Leavenworth for is to eat a few too many bratwursts and drink beer. Sounds fun right?! The main street is filled with over a dozen different breweries, cider houses and restaurants where you can grab a beer, sit by the fire and enjoy everything the town has to offer. Below are my top picks for Brats, Beer and Cider:

• Rhein Haus: This place has the coolest outdoor seating, with each table having their own firepit and the brats and drinks were delicious. We stopped here a few too many times, they knew who we were by the end of our trip.
• Leavenworth Cider House: This is hands down my favorite place! I’m not a beer fan, but they have over 25 ciders on tap. You can get a flight and try a few or order a pint. Plus, the place is huge, plenty of seating and perfect for bigger groups. There food menu was limited, but it’s a great place to grab a few drinks.
• Icicle Brewing: We stopped here for a beer before dinner. It’s a smaller beer house, but they have a cute outdoor seating space.
• Mozart’s Steakhouse: This is far from a beer/brats house, but if you’re looking for a nice sit down steak dinner, this is your place. We ate here for our anniversary dinner and loved it, the food was delicious.

*Restaurants are only offering outdoor seating as of right now. However, they have heaters and fire pits that will keep you warm if you visit this winter!

There’s also great shopping on Main Street – every store we went into was so cute! I highly suggest taking some time to shop while you’re in town! Don’t forget to visit the Christmas store, it seriously is what dreams are made of!

When we visited in October, we actually went to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary! On the day of our anniversary we got in the car and traveled 25 minutes to go horseback riding at this beautiful resort! This was something we both really wanted to do because we just finished watching Yellowstone and secretly want to own a ranch (LOL). Our guide tour was about 1.5 hours and it was amazing. The views were actually breathtaking, I have never seen anything so pretty. I highly recommend doing this if you are in town. They close for the winter, but they do offer snowmobiling and other winter activities as well!

If you’re visiting in the winter there is still a ton to do. The streets are filled with kids sledding down the hills, making a snowman or two and having a snowball fight. When we went last weekend, we actually traveled a little further East and decided to go skiing. We went to Mountain Ridge which is about 30 minutes from Leavenworth. I had never been skiing and Jesse really wanted to teach me so we decided to try it while we were there. The mountain itself is amazing and the lifts weren’t crowded at all. If you are in Leavenworth and want to ski or snowboard you should definitely check out Mission Ridge. It’s an easy drive if you’re staying in Leavenworth for the weekend.

Leavenworth is one of our favorite places to visit in WA! Not only is it so close to our home, but it’s perfect for a two/three-day trip or even a day trip! It would be such a fun place to go with a big group of friends or family. I hope this post was helpful for you if you’re planning on visiting soon. And if you’re not, definitely add Leavenworth to your bucket list. It’s the cutest German town and you won’t be disappointed.

xoxo,

Kell