Leavenworth cashes in on Bavaria

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Leavenworth cashes in on Bavaria

By KIM BRADFORD
Herald staff writer

LEAVENWORTH - Literally everyone is on the act in this Bavarian-crazed town.

The cuckoo-clock shops and sausage restaurants are to be expected. One can understand enthusiastic business owners who dress their employees in lederhosen and residents who build homes with the half-timber-and-plaster look.

But a Bavarian-style McDonald's and Safeway? Yes, even corporate America is wise to the lucrative possibilities of this theme town, with its made-over buildings sporting window boxes and stenciled overhangs.

The town of 2,000 hasn't always been so prosperous. The small downtown that now attracts 900,000 visitors a year is a success story for business owners who took the lead in redirecting the town's economy to tourism when the railroads left and a mill closed.

Leavenworth, originally a rowdy lumber settlement, was laid out in 1893, shortly after a post office opened.

The town continued to flourish in the early 1900s as Lamb-Davis Lumber Co. opened a sawmill south of here and the railroad laid its switchyard and roundhouse nearby. An irrigation ditch was built to water fruit trees.

The mill closed in the 1920s and the rail line was rerouted. By the end of World War II, Leavenworth had a dwindling economic base and falling population.

About 20 storefronts on a two-block stretch of Front Street were empty by the late 1950s.

Civic leaders turned to the state for help. Project LIFE (Leavenworth Improvement for Everyone) included a tourism committee, which pushed for remodeling the town.

Business owner Ted Price showed other businesses slides of Solvang, Calif., which had adopted a Danish theme. After the show, hotel owner Laverne Peterson stood up and committed to remodeling her Front Street Hotel to an alpine theme. Her hotel is now called the Edelweiss.

Other business owners caught on. In the late 1970s, ordinances were changed to allow buildings with Bavarian character. Neon and back-lit signs were removed and power lines were put underground.

For the most part, the effect is authentic. Business owners brought in German natives to help them renovate their buildings during the 1970s, adopting the motto Don't remodel until you can afford to do it right. A Cascade Mountains backdrop completes the alpine scene.

But the town itself only offers so much and the average tourist can tire of building after building of nutcrackers and German architecture.

Luckily, the surrounding area has enough to occupy the Bavarian- weary.

For a quick respite from the crowded sidewalks, take a two-block walk to Waterfront Park - an old mill pond has been drained enough to expose Blackbird Island. A bridge connects the island to the rest of the park, which features paved and dirt walking paths, viewing areas and beaches.Action-packed day trips can be accomplished with hikes in the Wenatchee National Forest, guided white water trips down the Wenatchee River, rock climbing and horseback rides.

In winter, Leavenworth can be a home base for cross-country and downhill skiing.

More sedate offerings are a 15-minute trip to Cashmere - a Western-themed town that's home to the Aplets and Cotlets candy factory - and touring the national fish hatchery on Icicle Creek, where trails offer good views of the damage suffered during last year's massive forest fires. In town, visitors can sample the different malts and hops that go into Leavenworth Brewery's beers and see the beer-making process, including basement storage tanks that supply third-floor taps via airtight piping.

From the Tri-Cities, Leavenworth is a three-hour, 170-mile trip following Interstate 82 to Ellensburg and then north on Highway 97. Three miles on Highway 2 takes you right through town.

Or from Richland take Highway 240 to Vantage, where you head east on I-90. Leave the interstate at George and head north to Leavenworth via Quincy and Wenatchee.

The distance doesn't make Leavenworth a good candidate for a day trip, but the variety of lodgings can make an affordable weekend visit.

A stay at the homey Mrs. Anderson's Lodging House, 800-253-8990, could cost as little as $46, if you don't mind sharing a bathroom.

The upscale Blackbird Lodge, 1-800-446-0240, overlooking the Icicle River rents a fireplace room with room service breakfast for $98 on peak days. Both are within walking distance of downtown.

Camping in federal, state and private campgrounds is also nearby. Chalet RV Park, 800-477-2697, is the closest, right off Highway 2. Lake Wenatchee State Park, 509-763-3101, is 16 miles northwest of town. For camp sites in the Wenatchee National Forest, call the Leavenworth Ranger Station at 509-782-1413.

Leavenworth's Chamber of Commerce, 509-548-5807, can offer other suggestions for accommodations and activities.

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