Got kids? Looking for things to do in Leavenworth, Washington? Then hightail it to the Nutcracker Museum, I say! Leavenworth is heavy on Christmas shops and German food and beer. I personally enjoy all of these things, but they can be iffy with children, so this last trip I tried out the well-known Nutcracker Museum.

I was NOT disappointed.

Why Visit the Nutcracker Museum in Leavenworth

Leavenworth’s Nutcracker Museum isn’t huge, but you won’t regret this foray into the bizarre. 

First of all, they are well prepared for kids, featuring age-appropriate scavenger hunts (including a picture-based one for the preschool set). My kids loved this, and spent a good 45 minutes scanning the extensive glass cases for soldiers and Minnie Mouse and a firefighter with a cat. At the end, kids can turn in their paper for a small prize, which was the point, of course.

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If you are looking for good nutcracker photo-op at Christmastime, this is the place to go. A kid with a nutcracker twice as large as themselves is basically more adorable than a new baby with a puppy and a kitten in a nest of fluffy clouds.

For adults, the sheer number and variety of nutcrackers is a worth a peek. There are some antique nutcrackers, too, for the history buffs among you. But for the rest of us — well, you kind of have to see for yourself.

My personal favorite was the Beatles, but other unique nutcrackers include the Pope, Mormon missionaries, several sets of Wizard of Oz characters, every conceivable variety of soldier, and political figures I am afraid to name.

Know Before You Go: The Nutcracker Museum in Leavenworth

The Nutcracker Museum is located at 735 Front Street in Leavenworth, Washington. It’s directly across the street from Leavenworth’s Front Street Park with its prominent gazebo, and tough to miss.

It’s open daily year round from 1-5 p.m.

It makes a great afternoon distraction after a morning of sledding or skiing with kids in the winter, or hiking or floating the river in the summer. 

It’s not gigantic, but my kids spent way more than the twenty minutes I had predicted we would last in there.

Pro tip: send another adult in there with the kids while you peruse the fragile Christmas ornaments in the shops nearby…next time, that’s my plan!