Leavenworth

The railway moved its operations out in the 1920s and the sawmill closed, and by the late 1950s Leavenworth was failing. In 1962 two businessmen proposed a full Bavarian restyling on the argument that the Cascade setting could pass for the Alps; the town committed, refaced every building, and the ordinance requiring it still holds - including the petrol stations and the supermarket. It worked completely: the town now takes well over a million visitors a year. The Christmas lighting festival in December is the peak, when the whole centre is lit and accommodation across the valley fills. There is also a nutcracker museum with several thousand of them, and the Wenatchee River runs through for rafting.

What you'll find

• A whole town refaced from 1962 - by ordinance, no exceptions.
• The December lighting - the peak of the year.
• A nutcracker museum - several thousand of them.
• The Cascades around it - hiking and rafting in summer.

When to go

December for the lights; May to September for the outdoors. Half a day.

What to expect

December weekends are extremely crowded and US 2 over the pass can close for snow. It is a theme applied in 1962 and does not claim otherwise. Parking is difficult in season. Prices are tourist-level.

Nearby

Lake Wenatchee is north-west; Stevens Pass is west.