Leavenworth at Christmas sounds magical, but the lighting festival can be underwhelming at best, if not outright stressful. Driving through the snowy pass? Kids bundled in winter gear stopping for a potty break? You can expect the village to be very, very crowded. It will be difficult to find a place to park, and restaurants will have a long wait. It will be cold.   This little Bavarian village is a major tourist destination in the winter. So fall is actually the perfect time to visit. It’s beautiful and not crowded (and we have festive lights right here in Seattle).   Leavenworth is a two-hour drive from Seattle, door to door. This time of year, getting there is just as nice as the destination. The mountains are resplendent with fall colors. Take Highway 2 to see forests of golden larches.   Arriving in town, we felt like we’d traveled even further. Sloped roofs with ornate trim, decorative crossbeams and lots of Gothic typeface. We passed the first Bavarian McDonald’s I’ve ever seen. It was Oktoberfest season, but we steered clear of the parking lots filled with plastic tents and Port-a-Potties. Instead we walked through the village, gorgeous with fall foliage and every balcony overflowing with flowers. We noticed horse-drawn carriages, lederhosen and street signs marked “strauss.”   So why exactly is there a Bavarian village in the Cascades? In the 1960s, some forward-thinking businessmen got together to hatch with a plan to save this dying logging town. They remodeled the buildings Bavarian-style and the tourism dollars followed. A little wacky, but it worked.   I asked some German friends what they thought of Leavenworth. “It’s so fake – I hate it,” said one. Another was more magnanimous: Bavaria isn’t the part of Germany he’s from, but Leavenworth is charming, like Disneyland. Have a sausage, have a pretzel.   No trip to Leavenworth is complete without a stop at the famous Nutcracker Museum. I asked a woman in a dirndl dress where to find it. She pointed across the street. (Doh! Rookie tourist question.)     .   It’s the biggest collection of nutcrackers in the world, more than 7,000 altogether. There are nutcrackers of every kind and shape, from Star Wars nutcrackers to Karl, a 6-foot-tall nutcracker custom made in Germany. The kids each got a little clipboard with a scavenger hunt, and prowled the museum looking for a Mickey Mouse, a clown, a baseball player, a rooster. (Not on that list was the display of risqué nutcrackers shaped like ladies’ legs.) . .   After the museum, we wandered the village with pretzels in hand. There’s plenty of window shopping for kids and adults, everything from nutcrackers to German cuckoo clocks. You could easily get lost for hours at Kris Kringl, a year-round Christmas store with two levels of everything Yuletide. We liked The Hat Shop and The Wood Shop, two side-by-side stores selling cool hats and handcrafted wooden toys.       When you work up an appetite, head to Blewett Brewing Company for yummy artisan pizza or Leavenworth Sausage Garten for bratwurst. Treat everyone to a scoop of house-made gelato at Viadolce (try the Panna sweet cream). If you can duck out for some 21-and-over time, sample delicious mini cocktails at the Blue Spirits Distilling tasting room.   . .   We caught a live music performance, and the kids loved Enchantment Park, a playground tucked in the woods. Just a few blocks from the main drag, there are hiking trails along the Wenatchee River and pocket beaches to explore. . .     There’s an even better way to see that beautiful mountain scenery – on horseback. Icicle Outfitters and Guides’ stable is just 2.5 miles outside the village. 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.   We did Leavenworth as a very long day trip. The best parenting tip I have is that the Burger King in Cle Elum gives out free kids’ cones. If you are lucky enough to swing a hotel room (booked well in advance), the Sleeping Lady Resort is a wonderful splurge for families. Kids love the sleeping lofts and rock pool, parents love the beautiful location, and spa and restaurant on site. In town, Enzian Inn is another favorite for families, with a free hot breakfast and an indoor pool.       My story is on ParentMap here.