Family Fun
Flag-lined Street
Leavenworth has something for everyone in the family. Throughout the year Leavenworth is home to many festivals, events and activities for the whole family. From IceFest in January to Kinderfest on the Fourth of July, to Leavenworth’s world-famous Christmas Lighting Festival, Leavenworth is the place to be for celebrations of all sorts. Take a peek at our Festivals page to find out which festival will best appeal to your family and plan your visit for then. You’ll find festivals created to celebrate holidays, seasons, nature, art and dance. The folk instrument, the accordion, even has a festival.
Is your family the adventurous type or want to expose your family to more outdoor adventures? Leavenworth is the perfect locale for outdoor adventuring, no matter the season. It’s become an outdoor activities destination. No matter the time of year, Northwest Mountain School offers classes and guided climb, hikes and ski adventures. They are experienced and certified expert rock, Alpine and ski guides. In the winter, in addition to back-country ski courses, ice climbing instruction and northwest and European ski tours, they offer AIARE L1 & L2 Avalanche Courses. In the climbing season, which can extend from March-November depending upon weather, the school offers group courses and custom private lessons, guided climbs and expeditions. Take some time perusing their informative website and then give them a call. They might be just what your family is looking for to create a great adventure for your next vacation.
Leavenworth Is For Lovers
In the spring and summer, multiple outfitters, like River Rider and Leavenworth Outdoor Center, provide white water rafting, tubing, kayaking, and trips. For more Family Fun in the spring, summer and autumn months in the Leavenworth area check out our Sports and Recreation page or our Summer Fun page. You’ll find ideas and links for family adventures of all types. Our Camping page has links to area campgrounds, RV parks and to the nearby state and national parks.
Throughout the summer, Youth Dynamics provides adventure camps for youth. They have 5-10 day wilderness trips, rafting adventures, climbing trips, and horseback riding. Even father-son fly fishing trips in the North Cascade lakes.
The Leavenworth Fish Hatchery is open for tours year-round, and in September they have the Wenatchee River Salmon Festival. You can feed the salmon, take a nature walk, and in season, watch the spawning salmon. In the winter, snowshoe tours are available.
Leavenworth At Night
Winter is filled with sports and outdoor activities. The Leavenworth Winter Sports Club is sports central for tubing, snowshoeing, Nordic and Alpine skiing and even ski jumping. Leavenworth is home to the US west coast’s only ski jump hill. The Leavenworth Winter Sports Club has ski-jumping lessons. There’s are 15′ and 27′ jumps. Enjoy affordable and family friendly alpine skiing and snow boarding at the Leavenworth Ski Hill. The Ski Hill is a great venue for beginners and families. Nordic skiing is available on 26 km of groomed trails in four areas in Leavenworth. There are even 5 km of lighted trails for evening fun.
Leavenworth Powersports Adventures provides snowmobile and ATV rentals, while Red-Tail Canyon Farm has sleigh rides, hay rides and BBQ cookouts. And at Sierra Blu Kennels you can take dog sled rides. Stevens Pass and Mission Ridge both have skiing, snowboarding and Nordic skiing throughout the season. Also see our Winter Fun page for more winter activities.
The Outdoors Beckons
Leavenworth is a fantastic base for outdoor adventurers. It’s also a great small-town getaway in its own right. Located on the “dry-side” of the Cascade Mountain Range, the area has beautiful weather and is easy to get to and move around in at most times of the year. In the winter of 2012-13 Stevens Pass remained opened all winter. WSDOT does a fantastic job of clearing snow and keeping the pass passable. In the spring, summer and fall the temperatures are cool at night and warm in the day, with the occasional mountain shower just to keep things green, in an average year. To see more about the average temperatures and rain fall see our Weather page. There you’ll also find a link to a weather forecast for the 98826. You’ll also find live webcams showing conditions throughout the village.
Leavenworth from Above
Leavenworth WA has great places for families to stay in to suit all tastes and budgets. From family friendly hotels and motels to cabins for rent by the week or weekend, you’ll be able to find something to meet your needs. Holiday and festival weekends can require a two-night minimum, but you can find off-season specials at almost every budget level. Some hotels offer buy two-get one night free specials, while others offer upgrades to more spacious accommodations during the off-season. Off-season for most places in Leavenworth is January through April. Some offer specials in November as well. See our Stay page for links to all sorts of accommodations. The best advice we can give is to call and talk to the hotel directly to find out when they’ll have the best prices for your family.
Leavenworth has great shopping for kids of all ages. For many of us a trip to Leavenworth isn’t complete until we’ve tried on some crazy hats, bought some handcrafted wood toys, sampled some fudge or had a taste of yummy gingerbread. Broaden your family’s palate with a visit to the Cheesemongers or to the Oil and Vinegar Cellar, shops where tasting is encouraged. For more shopping adventures see our Shop page.
Eating at München Haus
Looking for great places to eat with the whole family? You won’t run out of choices in Leavenworth. One of our favorite places to eat with ours is SOUTH. It’s a fresh take on regional Mexican fare. We love it so much that when we got to spend time with our grown up kids in Leavenworth that’s where we took the family. You can check our blog post about eating at SOUTH. In the warmer months they have outdoor seating on their patio. If your family includes a four-legged member or two, the pets are welcome on the patio. Another great place to spend time with your family over a meal is München Haus. It’s a family-friendly outdoor sausage and bier garden. It has a great selection of imported and domestics, both beer and brats. They often have live entertainment and show family friendly movies at weekly movie nights in the warm months. It’s open year-round with some reduced hours in the winter. For more links and a restaurant guide organized by food type, see our Eat page.
At Icicle Junction Activities Center you watch current, first-run movies, play in the arcade or take the kids to the Coca Cola® Soda Fountain, where they can get milk shakes and chili fries and pizza. The also have a putt-putt golf course.
Will your family enjoy an evening of musical theater? The Leavenworth Summer Theater has been providing family entertainment for 20 years. The Sound of Music is staged annually outdoors at the Leavenworth Ski Hill Amphitheater. Two other musicals are performed in rotation through the summer. See our Theater page for links to the theater, their shows and other information such as age suitability and accessibility.
Sledding in Downtown
There are several fun ways to get out, see and tour the Leavenworth area. In the winter you can take a sleigh-ride or learn to snow shoe. In the summer, rent some bicycles for in-town riding, go river rafting, do some hiking or visit Stevens Pass Mountain Bike Park for some outrageous downhill rides. Pack up some delicious meats, cheeses, breads and chocolate from your wanderings around town and picnic at Waterfront Park, right along the Wenatchee River. Or picnic in our favorite picnic spot just 12 miles west of Leavenworth in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. You’ll find more links to these and other activities on our Winter Fun and Summer Fun pages.
Whether you’re a young family of just 2 or 3, grandparents spending time with your preteen grandkids, or empty-nesters reconnecting with your grown children, Leavenworth Washington is a great family destination for all ages.
For more ideas on visiting Leavenworth with kids, check out these great posts by Lora at Cascadia Kids. Lora Shinn writes all about family travel in the PNW and British Colombia.
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