Washington's Mountain City Is A Winter Wonderland That Feels Like Being In Europe

The countries of Europe are a magnet for visitors and for good reason. This enchanting region of the world is renowned for its history and architecture, as seen in its picture-perfect settlements such as this underrated Spanish city famed for its medieval charm or a fairy tale town set among the clouds in France. Europe is just bursting with these sorts of gems, but time and money constraints means that it's not always possible to jump on a plane and visit them.

There's good news however. The U.S. is home to a number of postcard-ready European-style towns, including Leavenworth. Situated in Washington State's scenic and rugged Cascade Mountains, Leavenworth is a piece of southern Germany transplanted to the Pacific Northwest. With Bavarian-style buildings, quaint shops, museums, and beer gardens, Leavenworth will have you feeling transported straight into a village in the German Alps.

Perhaps the best thing about Leavenworth is its mountainous location. The town makes the perfect home base for exploring the natural wonders surrounding it, where visitors can go hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, ziplining, cycling, fishing, or hit the Wenatchee River for some world-class whitewater rafting. Come winter, the town and its surroundings are blanketed in pure white snow, making it the ideal Christmas getaway, as well as a center for winter sports.

Founded in the late 1800s as a gold mining and timber hub, by the mid-20th century, Leavenworth was nearly a ghost town. In order to revitalize the community and encourage tourism, civic leaders decided to transform this once-gritty outpost into a dead ringer for a Bavarian mountain village, complete with a slate of newly-created festivals to draw visitors in. The plan worked, and Leavenworth quickly became one of Washington State's tourist hotspots, a status it enjoys to this day. The town is best experienced by wandering amidst the timber-framed buildings of its iconic downtown. While shopping for souvenirs, make sure to stop by the Nutcracker Museum (which features the largest collection of the carved implements in the world), or take in the delicately-constructed gingerbread houses at the Gingerbread Factory while sampling the freshly baked offerings.

For some German fare, head to München Haus — a local institution serving up Bavarian-style sausages and pretzels in their popular beer garden — or hit Andreas Keller Restaurant, which features live Bavarian music and a slew of imported suds on tap. Other non-Teutonic options include the highly-rated Larch Handcrafted Pasta & Cocktails, Lost Pig Cafe (known for its handmade pork tacos), Yodelin Broth Company and Beer Garden for artisanal soups and healthy rice bowls, as well as Icicle Brewing, which boasts an array of locally-concocted beer.

One thing that makes Leavenworth stand out is the sheer amount of festivals it hosts. Topping the list is Oktoberfest, which runs in October and features live music, dancing, kids' games, a ferris wheel, and of course, rivers of beer. Maifest boasts a new event every weekend throughout May (such as chainsaw carving), culminating in the International Alphorn Festival. In late June, you can catch more traditional music at the Leavenworth International Accordion Celebration. The Autumn Leaf Festival celebrates the area's colorful fall foliage, and every December Leavenworth transforms into a magical Yuletide village of lights for its spectacular Christmastown celebration.

Leavenworth's idyllic surroundings also make it a great springboard for diving into some of the best natural attractions in the Pacific Northwest. Thrill-seekers can slip into a harness and shoot 190 feet over the Beaver Creek Valley at Leavenworth Ziplines, or grab a paddle and tackle the rapids of the Wenatchee River on a whitewater rafting excursion. Climbers will find no shortage of scalable rocks in the area, with 50 granite crags just 10 miles out of town, along with Peshatin Pinnacles, a state park featuring scores of sandstone slabs and jaw-dropping views of the Cascades.

The area around Leavenworth is especially a haven for hikers, with amazing routes such as the Icicle Gorge Nature Loop – a gentle trail showcasing the beauty of Icicle Creek Valley — and Sauer's Mountain Trail, a 6-mile out and back route that offers views of the Wenatchee River Valley from a 3,000-foot summit. The crown jewel, however, is the Enchantments, an area of high passes, craggy peaks, and over 700 alpine lakes that is the Cascades in its most pristine form. However, scoring a permit to hike overnight there requires planning and lots of luck.