Two Washington towns are among America's best fall escapes
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A street scene with a mural on a wall of a bakery in the Scandinavian-style town of Poulsbo in Kitsap County. Photo: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
Can't swing a European vacation this fall? Two Washington towns apparently offer the next best thing.
The big picture: Leavenworth and Poulsbo ranked third and fifth, respectively, among the best small U.S. destinations for a European-style fall getaway, according to a new analysis from house- and pet-sitting platform TrustedHousesitters.
Driving the news: Americans appear to be craving a getaway, with U.S. Google searches for "Europe in the fall" jumping 670% over the past month, the company said in a September email.
How it works: The company scored 16 European-inspired U.S. destinations on walkability, fall foliage, cultural attractions, autumn events, and the number of nearby cafés and bakeries.
- Leavenworth, Washington's Bavarian-inspired mountain town, scored 77 out of 100, behind only St. Augustine, Florida, and Holland, Michigan.
- Poulsbo — aka "Little Norway" — scored 72.2, boosted by its walkable waterfront downtown, Scandinavian heritage and relatively leafy surroundings.
Zoom out: California was the only other state to land two destinations in the top 10, with Solvang at No. 4 and Healdsburg at No. 6.
The bottom line: Your European fall getaway could be just a ferry ride or a drive over the Cascades away.
