Alsace Questions

First week of April should be very quiet, but you should try to call wineries that you intend to visit for tastings, to make sure they are open. Does not apply to Champagne tours, which are more organised.
It still doesn't hurt to book restaurants if there is somewhere you know you will want to go to, but you should find stuff if you do not.

If you have an interest in WWI sites, not too far from Guebwiller you have Hartmannswillerkopf, where there are some very intact trenches you can walk through - it's a very moving site. You'd also be close to the Écomusée, an outdoor living history museum, although it may or may not be open yet depending on your dates.

Haut-Koenigsbourg is likely to be a big hit with the children. This is not at all Rick Steves-y travel, but depending on their interests and if they are museum-ed out, there are several other attractions nearby - a monkey park, an eagle/birds of prey park, and a stork park. I haven't been to any of the three but have heard from young people that they enjoyed them.

In Colmar visit the Unterlinden Museum. The Bartholdi ( sculptor of Statue of Liberty ) house is also interesting. Not going to Strasbourg ?

I don't know anything about the place myself, but Monkey Mountain has been mentioned a few times on the forum. It's just west of Selestat, which is on the highway about midway between Colmar and Obernai. Half-timbered architecture really appeals to me, and I like Art Nouveau (Nancy) even more, but I'm thinking that sort of thing may not be too thrilling for your young daughters. Maybe consider seeing just two of the small towns and then Monkey Mountain--if the reviews on TripAdvisor are good? (I haven't checked.)

There's a short boat ride one can take in Colmar. (Didn't do that either.)

Obernai is touristic but very cute, so certainly worth a visit to my opinion. The children can see Haut-Koenigsburg as a fairy tale castle, anyway the view over the Rhine valley is breathtaking. You can have the same experience from the abbey of Mont Sainte Odile.

Thanks for the advice, everyone! It sounds like we won't have to worry as much about crowds, which is nice. I checked out Hartmannswillerkopf, which looks like a great option. We definitely plan to do the birds of prey demonstration at Haut-Koenigsburg and a boat ride in Colmar.

I learned on my trip through the Loire that planning too many similar things gets old (apparently there is such a thing as too many chateaus), so I did not include Strasbourg in the itinerary. Instead, I prioritized hitting Nancy on the way out of Paris, Reims on the way back, and leaving a day for Colmar. Does anyone think that it's worth fitting in somewhere? What would you get rid of to make room?

Haut-Koenigsburg is interesting and Monkey Mountain is not far from there. Do not skip it. Your girls will be enchanted, and I suspect you will be too. The site hosts a colony of about 100 'barbary apes' which are really really cute small monkeys. They roam free and you'll see venerable grandmas, playful youngsters of all ages and even moms with tiny babies clinging to them. When you enter you each get a handful of popcorn. The monkeys love it and will gently take kernels from your girls' hands.

Following since this is in my bucket list.

A little over 2 years ago we enjoyed staying in Colmar during the holiday season. We also had a great day trip visiting both Eguisheim and Kaysersberg.