Germantown, Wisconsin
With roughly 44% of Wisconsin locals claiming German ancestry in the 2000 census, you won’t have a rough time finding incredible German food, shops, and other goods just about anywhere you go in the state.
But if you’re looking for a true US Bavarian village, Germantown, Wisconsin, is THE place to be. It offers a tiny but mighty Bavarian experience. Germantown, which began as a single square mile, comprises more than 35 square miles nowadays, some rural.
The benefit of this eclectic environment is that it’s home to everything from the Sila Lydia Bast Bell Museum to the pick-your-own experience at Lannon Sunflower Farm.
At Sila Lydia Bast Bell Museum, you can see bells worldwide, including a giant bell weighing over 1,000 pounds. And after working up an appetite, stop by the heart and soul of Germantown, Von Rothenburg Bier Stube and Garten.
This special US Bavarian village will lift your spirits and make you sing “Ein Prosit” before you even know what you’re doing! Besides the indoor restaurant, there’s an outdoor beer garden, excellent for the days when the warm sun and cold beer go perfectly together.
You’ll see plenty of lederhosen and dirndls and even live band outside. Their menu includes Bavarian favorites and an excellent selection of authentic beer.
You should have included Helvetia, WV. It’s a Swiss-German inspired town that has a yearly festival called Fasnacht where people don masks and march around town, ending in a bonfire to burn an ‘old man winter’ effigy.
I HAVE BEEN TO HELEN GA, A FEW TIMES MY FAMILY AND ME ARE GOING BACK AGAIN WE LOVED EVERY IT, EVERY TIME WE GO
We found Hermann, MO, by chance years ago on our first cross-country trip west (where we’d moved) to east (where we are from & where all relatives reside). We were looking for an interesting place for gas & lunch. We ended up spending half the day there, soaking in the architecture/ambiance, & lunching on best ever home-made loose sausage sandwiches(& that’s sayin’ something b/c I grew up in Amish country in PA) & a split of local wine, with best sparkling grape juice ever for our kids. We all still recall it fondly years later. Would make it a destination in a heartbeat.
Dont forget to Mention Sugarcreek Ohio which is a German Swiss style town also with an Amish Mennonite Flair and Holmes County Ohio.
Leavenworth! WA! I am 90 miles West of this place and Yes I been there More than a few times, very cute! Close to Lake Wenatchee as well thee BEST PLACE to camp in the PNW! The thing I do not like about the situation is that its really kool to visit here for christmas BUT the mountain Pass is treacherous! ALSO Shops charge a killing for stuff! Still I love this town!