Leavenworth Family Fun
Updated: Jul 6, 2025
1. Leavenworth Festivals
Kinderfest is celebrated each fourth of July downtown and is hosted by the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce. The festival is a free event and is filled with food booths, games, and lots of fun activities. Kids also have the opportunity to see fire engines, ambulances, logging trucks, and tractors up close. Kids can decorate their bikes for a parade, participate in a cupcake walk, or jump in a bouncy house. (Check the website for any covid-related adjustments.)
Maifest Festival celebrates the start of Spring. Children can enjoy maipole dancing, Bavarian music, a parade, and an alpenhorn serenade. (Check the website for any covid-related adjustments.)
During the winter, Leavenworth becomes a magical Christmas town. If you visit during the Village of Lights and Christmas Tree Lighting, you’ll see the whole town covered in Christmas lights and a lot of snow in the mountains. There’s all sorts of activities for kids, like lantern decorating, Santa photos, and so much more.
What to Pack for a Vacation in Leavenworth
Warmer Months:
Water river shoes to protect their feet
Sun hat with neck flap
Sun safe swimsuit
Collapsable bucket to play in the water (for easy travel!)
Cooler Months:
Collapsable bucket to play with the snow (for easy travel!)
Kid-Friendly Restaurants in Leavenworth
We really like to stop by for a bite to eat at Munchen Haus on Front Street. We go there every trip to Leavenworth without fail. Adults will enjoy their German-style bratwursts with all the fixins, but they also have classic hot dogs for pickier eaters. We also recommend that you order one of their warm Bavarian pretzels with homemade cheese sauce! The restaurant has outdoor dining which is great for the warmer months. Kids might find it too cold during the winter, even with the heat lamps and fire table tops.
For a quick bite to-go, we recommend the Heidleburger Drive In. They have tons of different kinds of cheeseburgers and sandwiches, in addition to things like corn dogs and chicken strips. You can easily take a meal back to your hotel if you don’t feel like dining outdoors there.
If you’d like a sit-down restaurant, we recommend Andreas Keller. Kids will like the rustic decor, and their kids’ menu has things like hot dogs, pretzels, and french fries. Adults can enjoy an authentic German meal complete with schnitzel!
Kid-Friendly Hotels in Leavenworth
One of the most convenient places to stay is the Bavarian Lodge. It’s located right in the middle of the action on Front Street, so all of the shops and restaurants will be right outside your front door. (You won’t have to worry about carseats, parking, or long walks.) We wrote about our recent stay there here.
Enzian Inn is also a great option in town and is also within walking distance to Front Street. Kids will likely enjoy the ornate carvings that really make this hotel feel old-world. They also have an indoor pool, which is important for kiddos! (You can swim rain or shine!)
Icicle Village Resort is located at the entrance to town, and they have miniature golf on-site as well as a game room. If you’re planning on spending more time at the hotel, this is a great place to be.
A little outside of Leavenworth is the Sleeping Lady Resort. It’s a little more expensive, but their bungalows have large rooms and a loft bedroom for kids. The resort is surrounded by forest trees and has direct access to creeks and the Wenatchee River. If you’d like more time in nature, but still want to be close to town, this is a great place to stay. (This is the first place we took our daughter when she was a baby!) You can read all about review of the resort here.
Leavenworth is an exceptionally family friendly town. We had no problems keeping our toddlers busy, happy and full. If your family is headed to the PNW or to Washington State, be sure to add a stop in Leavenworth. Whether you bring your baby, toddler, or teenager you will not be disappointed. There are toddler friendly hikes, ample playground space, a pedestrian friendly downtown area, bike rentals and even an indoor Activity Center for kids (in case of snow or rain!).
Washington State has so many hidden gems; from gorgeous alpine lakes to giant mountains to quaint farm side towns. We drove from Idaho to Leavenworth in September 2018. It was a moderate 3.5 hour drive and the changing landscape was incredible. As we entered the town of Leavenworth, I knew I had made the perfect choice for a 2 night stop over. The town itself is based off Bavarian culture. Everything from the welcome sign to the store fronts; the entire town looks and feels like Germany
Where to Stay in Leavenworth with Kids
We stayed in an awesome 2-bedroom Airbnb right near downtown. There was plenty of parking, a nice huge kitchen, and a big living room. The 2 story townhouse has one bathroom with a bathtub. On great perk of this Airbnb is the laundry! By booking here, you can save money on overpacking and just wash clothes as you go! This is a perfect place for families!
Here is all we experienced while visiting this amazing Bavarian town!
Day 1: Airbnb Check-in, Downtown Walk, Rhein Haus, Carriage Ride, Riverside Park
We arrived in Leavenworth to some GORGEOUS weather. We easily checked in to our Airbnb, unloaded and headed straight for downtown. We drove and parking is extremely limited downtown, so it took a bit to find a spot. We were starving so we headed straight to Rhein Haus for their famous Giant Pretzel. And it is GIANT. And Delicious. I highly recommend ordering that immediately. We chose to sit outside on their deck. We chose the seats that overlook downtown and the mountains. The wait staff was very attentive; they even brought the kids super cute kid cups with lids. I ordered a Rhein Brat which was so good. The kids shared my fries and helped me eat the brat and pretzel.
From Rhein Haus we walked down to Front Street where Charletta asked to go on one of the carriage rides. I normally would never agree, but this town is so Bavarian and I got sucked into it all. I asked her to choose between the carriage or ice cream and she chose the carriage. I forked over the $30 and off we went! The ride is only about 10 minutes. It takes you down Front Street, over to Commercial Street then back. Both kids absolutely loved it and I am really happy we did it. If you can get past the price, I would say definitely do it just for the gorgeous photos
After we left our carriage ride, we walked along all the shops. We went in several before we decided to walk down toward Riverside Park. The park is actually pretty big. There are nicely taken care of trails, lots of people walking them and clean restrooms. Our intention was to walk over to Blackbird Island, but we ended up going down to the Wenatchee Riverfront. This stone covered lake bed is gorgeous. Pristine clear water with mountains in the background. We stayed for at least an hour letting the kids throw rocks in the water.
Once the sun started setting, we strolled back to the car and headed back to the Airbnb
After about a month of looking at photos of Colchuck Lake, we woke up our second day and decided we were going to put the kids on our backs and hike to the lake. Online it says the hike is around 7.7 miles and about 2K ft elevation change. The trail head starts at about 3K elevation. We started the hike around 10:30 AM. The hike took us about 2.5 hours from trail head to the actual lake and it was HARD. Our GPS said it was actually 4.5 miles from trail head to the lake….meaning the entire hike was AT LEAST 9 miles. This does not include the hiking we had to do around the lake to see it from different sides. The lake itself is absolutely stunning. Clear bright blue water with jagged mountains set behind it. The water was freezing cold and the temperature outside was about 45*F. We met some other hikers, had some lunch, took some photos and rested before starting the trek out. It took us about 1.5 hours to get back to our car. We arrived back at our car around 5:20 PM…just before it started getting dark.
I would like to note that I DO NOT recommend this hike to families with small children. Unless you are extremely accustomed to mountain hikes while carrying a kid, wait until your child can hike up and out by themselves. I would rate it as a moderately difficult hike if you are not carrying a child in an out.
Once we got out we headed straight for pizza. We went to Roodluf’s Pizza und Brats where we ordered a large cheese pizza and a brat. Best meal ever after that hike! The food was delicious and it was ready quickly.
Day 3: Louie’s Cafe, Downtown Walk
We woke up on our last morning in Leavenworth and headed back downtown. We knew we wanted to get some breakfast and explore the shops some more before heading back to Idaho. We found Louie’s Cafe. The food was great, the coffee was great and the atmosphere was great. They are a family friendly establishment with kids cups, a kids menu and were willing to stow our strollers for us. The kids got some breakfast sausage and scrambled eggs. I got the breakfast wrap with fruit. The locals say it’s the best breakfast place in Leavenworth and I don’t think I could disagree! It was a good experience and delicious!
After getting super full, we hit the streets of Downtown Leavenworth. We went into several shops — one that sticks out is Kris Kringl. This store is incredible if you like Christmas Shops. The kids went crazy seeing all the decorations. There are so many different style shops along Front Street I feel like you could spend an entire day exploring them all.
After we finished shopping, we headed to the Wilkommen Leavenworth sign for some obligatory tourist photos. Then we stopped for about 20 minutes to let the kids play around Front Street Park before loading up and heading out.
While we only had a few days in Leavenworth, I could have spent at least a week there. The atmosphere is amazing. Since we ran out of time, I wanted to share some notable mentions we didn’t have time to experience:
1. Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum
2. Leavenworth Reindeer Farm
3. Hike Penstock Trail (Easy 2 mile Hike)
4. Leavenworth Fish Hatchery
5. Enchantment Park
6. Upper Valley Museum at Leavenworth
7. Leavenworth Summer Theater
8. The Gingerbread Factory
9. Visit during one of the MANY festivals Leavenworth hosts including Kinderfest
10. Icicle Junction Activity Center at Icicle Village
**If you can visit any time of year, I would go in December when the town is decorated for Christmas. This is what the town is most famous for, so book your accommodations EARLY!
Leavenworth at Christmas sounds magical, but 2020 is really not the year we want to be elbowing through the crowds. And driving across the dark and snowy pass? Kids bundled in winter gear and needing to stop for a potty break? Add to that potentially very cold weather and the challenges for a holiday getaway to Leavenworth begin to pile up.
Instead, go now! The leaves are turning, and it’s a gorgeous drive over to our state’s little Bavarian-style village. Leavenworth is about a 2.5-hour drive from Seattle and this time of year, getting there is just as nice as the destination. Take Highway 2 over Stevens Pass to see forests of golden larches. (You can also reach Leavenworth via I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass, then north on Highway 97 over Blewett Pass.)
Our family has visited Leavenworth in the fall a couple of times before, and our recent trip was our first overnight since 2019. It felt so good to get away, even for a tiny overnight trip. My kids were thrilled to get to go swimming, and I was pretty excited to be somewhere with fresh sheets and towels and a hot breakfast that I didn't have to prepare
Family-friendly downtown
Like every time arriving in Leavenworth, we felt like we’d traveled much farther than just a few hours away. We felt plopped right into a charming (character version of) Europe. We saw sloped roofs with ornate trim, decorative crossbeams and lots of Gothic typeface. Even the local McDonald’s and Starbucks are Bavarian-style.
Front Street, the main drag through downtown Leavenworth, is now closed off to cars. Picnic tables occupy parking spaces and outdoor seating for restaurants spills out into the street. It’s brilliant. I hope the town will make this welcoming, pedestrian-friendly change permanent
Pretty much everyone we saw wore masks, and with the main street closed, it was easy to spread out and keep our distance.
As we walked through the village, fall leaves swirled in the wind and every balcony overflowed with flowers. We noticed horse-drawn carriages, people dressed in lederhosen and dirndl dresses, and street signs marked “strasse.”
Leavenworth history
So why, exactly, is there a Bavarian-themed village in the Cascades? In the 1960s, some forward-thinking businesspeople hatched a plan to save this dying logging town. They remodeled the buildings Bavarian-style and the tourism dollars flowed in. A little wacky, but it totally worked. Have a sausage, have a pretzel and maybe go for a horse-drawn carriage ride. The best thing to do is embrace the cheesiness and have fun.
Must-see Nutcracker Museum
No trip to Leavenworth is complete without a stop at the famous Nutcracker Museum ($5 adults, $2 kids). This museum houses the biggest collection of nutcrackers in the world, more than 7,000 altogether. Last November, the museum moved to new digs downstairs in the same building, now much more accessible and nicely lit
Founder Arlene Wagner, 95, is in the museum every day and gave us hints to complete our Nutcracker scavenger hunts when we got stuck. There are nutcrackers of every kind and shape to see, from Star Wars figures to all sorts of animals to Karl, a 6-foot-tall nutcracker custom-made in Germany.
Snacks and shops
With Front Street closed to traffic, window shopping through downtown is better than ever. There’s the nutcracker store, the fudge shop, the outdoor art booths — something for everyone. (One sign of the times: The Gingerbread Factory was temporarily closed for cleaning after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.)
You could easily get lost for hours at Kris Kringl, a year-round Christmas store with two levels of everything Yuletide. I had to pull my kids away from the Harry Potter miniature village in the back. We also liked The Wood Shop and Hat Shop, two side-by-side stores selling funky hats and bins of tiny treasures.
Treat everyone to a scoop of house-made gelato at Viadolce (try the panna sweet cream). We visited mid-week, which meant no crowds but fewer flavor choices. For dinner, I picked up a yummy artisan pizza from Blewett Brewing Company, which I'd ordered and paid for online to minimize contact.
Leavenworth outdoors
Playgrounds in Leavenworth are still closed, but there’s an easy hike right in town along the river that’s fun for kids. Follow a flat gravel path from Waterfront Park, across Blackbird Island, to Enchantment Park (which has a pump track if you’re game to bring bikes). You’ll walk by pocket beaches, along the Wenatchee River and over bridges. We saw a warning sign about a mama bear and cubs spotted in the area. Didn’t run into the bears, but we did see four deer out for a stroll.
There’s an even better way to see that beautiful mountain scenery than hiking — on horseback. Icicle Outfitters and Guides’ stable is just 2.5 miles outside of town. The horses are gentle, and you don’t need any prior experience to do a 2-mile ride (about 45 minutes). Kids must be 6 years old to ride their own horse; younger kids can ride with an adult.
Day trip or overnight
Leavenworth is totally do-able as a day trip; it just makes for a very long day. It's also a perfect weekend or mid-week (thanks, remote school) escape. If you can swing it, Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort is a wonderful splurge for families. Kids love the sleeping lofts, parents love the beautiful location. Note that the rock pool and hot tub are closed until Phase 4. The restaurant is open and serving family-style and plated meals instead of the buffet.
We stayed at Enzian Inn, half a block from downtown. For our first overnight trip in a long time, it did not disappoint. There’s a complimentary hot breakfast, complete with a made-to-order omelet bar and an alp horn serenade. All open and included with your stay: the hotel’s 18-hole putting course, ping pong room, racquetball room, and best of all, the swimming pool and hot tu
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