Enzian Inn

A family-run Bavarian lodge in Leavenworth featuring hand-carved Austrian furnishings, daily alphorn performances, and a championship putting course.

The Enzian Inn stands as Leavenworth's most committed embrace of its Bavarian identity, a legacy built by the Johnson family starting in 1983. Bob and Nola Johnson, along with their son Rob and his wife Nancy, sat around their kitchen table to draw up the plans, opening the first phase of the hotel in May 1984. Since then, the property has expanded to 104 guest rooms, all designed with old-world carpentry and alpine craftsmanship. The chalet-style building features intricate wood carvings, hand-painted accents, and overflowing flower boxes that immediately evoke a European alpine escape. Inside, the lobby welcomes guests with a grand staircase and the gentle murmur of an indoor waterfall, establishing a tone that is both earnest and whimsical. Every guest room is individually styled, featuring hand-painted or hand-carved imported Austrian furnishings, down comforters, and, in many rooms, cozy fireplaces and private balconies that look out toward the surrounding Cascade peaks.

The most famous tradition of the inn occurs twice daily, at 8:15 AM and 9:15 AM, when the resonant, low tones of a ten-foot-long wooden alphorn echo across the town. Dressed in traditional lederhosen and hats, members of the Johnson family, continuing a tradition started by Bob Johnson in 1984 after learning the instrument from a Swiss-born local logger named Karl Wyssen, perch atop the balcony railing of the fourth-floor Continental Room to play mountain songs. After serenading the town, the player steps inside to wander through the breakfast tables, bringing the old-world performance directly to the guests. This daily ritual accompanies a sprawling, complimentary breakfast buffet served in the bright, window-lined Continental Room. The morning spread is remarkably thorough, featuring made-to-order omelets, house-made home fries, sweet Bavarian-style brown bread, fresh pastries, and hot coffee.

Beyond its cozy rooms and lively mornings, the Enzian Inn provides an array of recreational amenities that make it a self-contained resort. The property features two outdoor pools, an indoor pool complete with its own waterfall, and multiple hot tubs for soaking after a day of exploration. For active guests, there is an indoor racquetball court, a fitness center, and a ping-pong room. During the warmer months, guests receive complimentary rounds of golf at the Enzian Falls Championship Putting Course, an 18-hole natural bent-grass putting course located just across Highway 2. This professionally designed course is complete with a 20-foot waterfall, winding streams, and a resident herd of real mountain goats. In the winter, the inn transitions to cold-weather hospitality by offering complimentary cross-country ski equipment rentals. Managed alongside its sister properties, the adjacent Linderhof Inn and the adult-only Posthotel, the Enzian Inn remains a family-operated testament to Leavenworth's mid-century Bavarian transformation.

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