Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum

Photo: Vikram Sundaram via Google Maps

The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum fills two floors of a historic building on Front Street, right in the middle of Leavenworth’s Bavarian village. Floor to ceiling cases hold more than 9,000 nutcrackers from about 50 countries, ranging from ancient nutting stones to carved wooden soldiers, cartoon characters and modern acrylics.

It sounds like a novelty, and it is a fun one, but the collection is also a genuine history of a humble kitchen tool and the craftspeople who turned it into folk art. In a town that leans hard into Christmas, it is a natural stop, and an easy one to fit between strolls down Front Street.

What You’ll See

• Ancient beginnings. The story starts with nutting stones from the Archaic period. Among the oldest metal pieces is a bronze nutcracker forged sometime between 200 BC and 200 AD, and a simply carved lever style nutcracker from France dated 1554, which the founder describes as the earliest known dated nutcracker in the world.
• German soldiers and characters. The museum shows wooden toy soldier nutcrackers from more than 50 German makers, alongside characters from Santa Claus to Snoopy.
• Every material imaginable. Look for hand forged and molded metals from iron to silver and gold, plus wood carvings from across the centuries.
• Karl. The museum’s icon is a six foot Bavarian nutcracker carved by Karl Rappl of Oberammergau.
• Betel cutters. A large display of betel cutters, the tools used to slice betel nut, rounds out the global picture.

The Story Behind It

George and Arlene Wagner opened the museum in 1995 as a private showing of their personal collection, wanting to share their passion for nutcrackers with others. Arlene, who became known as the Nutcracker Lady, began collecting in the 1970s.

In 2006 the Wagners donated the collection and the building to create a nonprofit museum. Since then, collectors looking for a permanent home for their own nutcrackers have donated pieces, and the collection kept growing. In September 2021 it set a Guinness World Record with 9,103 nutcrackers, a mark that has since been surpassed by a collector in Lithuania.

Tips for Your Visit

• The Leavenworth Chamber says most visits take 30 to 60 minutes. Start with the 17 minute introductory video near the entrance for context.
• There is no elevator to the second floor, but every category of nutcracker is represented on both floors, so visitors who cannot use stairs still see the full range.
• Weekday mornings tend to be quieter, especially in the busy holiday season.
• Photography is allowed except where marked, but video recording and livestreaming are not.
• Kids can ask for a scavenger hunt checklist to make the cases into a game.

Plan Your Visit

Address: 735 Front St, Leavenworth, WA 98826
Phone: 509.548.4573
Website: nutcrackermuseum.com
Hours and admission: Check the museum website for current days, hours, and admission before you visit.
Directions: View on Google Maps