I LOVE IT, AND YOU WILL TOO…

The newly remodeled museum is a dream come true. I absolutely love it and you will too! We have doubled our size, and all 7,000 nutcrackers have more space to allow a better view of them. They have been divided into many displays for your enjoyment and every age will find more than one that is especially interesting. A long 50 foot wall case shows nutcrackers for every holiday and event or activity that you find in Leavenworth. There are nutcrackers representing Maifest, Oktoberfest, Kinderfest, and even the popular Reindeer Farm.

The children will find several cases just for them. Little ones are drawn to Mickey Mouse, while the older ones enjoy Star Wars and Fairy Tales. There are nutcrackers displays for such things as A Visit to Grandmas, A Day at the Beach, and many adventures such as Going to the Circus or Zoo or Sweet Shoppe or Art Gallery or the Farm. There are cases of the big toothed wooden toy soldiers and centuries old antiques as well as the durable mechanical nutcrackers.

We moved many cases of nutcrackers to the street level and added a spectacular stairway to view the remaining cases on the second level. The Nutcracker Hunts (our version of the scavenger hunt) take participants throughout the museum and even the youngest love going up the stairway to find an item on their list. Adults too enjoy this activity, and we have a special Sweetheart Hunt that we introduced last Valentine’s Day. It was so popular we continue to use it and suggest it to all adventurous couples.

Our big 6 foot Petersen nutcracker guards the grand stairway and manages to get into nearly every picture that is taken of the stairway. His popularity with photographers is now equal to the Mouse King and Karl, our mascot. You will see a large display of Petersen designs in the museum, and because there are so many Petersen collectors in the United States, our museum was chosen to display the first Petersen that was crafted.

Traditional nutcrackers are not the only things to see in the museum as you will find nutpicks that take the nutmeat out of the shells once they are cracked open, bowls made especially to hold both shelled and unshelled nuts, and tools that crack nuts in unusual ways or made of unusual materials. When you descend the stairs you will see a display of nutting stones and an unfinished display of betel cutters from India. Adjoining these displays is the viewing room where the introductory video is shown. Yes, you will love the remodeled nutcracker museum---come to see it on your next visit to Leavenworth. We are open every day from 1 to 5 p.m.

Arlene Wagner, The Nutcracker Lady

Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum
Email: curator@nutcrackermuseum.com