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More Than A Railway Museum

March 19, 2008 | Tips from Us > Osoyoos, Museums

 My colleague and I had an extra hour before our meetings in Osoyoos began and the road signs pointing us to the Osoyoos Desert Model Railroad were so darn easy to follow, we thought, "what the heck, lets go check it out".  Off we went.  This attraction is a 5 minute drive from the Osoyoos Visitor Centre, tucked in behind an array of industrial buildings. From the outside, it appears to be a large shed, and truthfully, our expectations were modest.  But what a surprise we got once we made our way through the giftshop, up a set of stairs and through a set of double doors!  While there most certainly is a model railroad incorporated into this miniature village, it is so much more....3000 feet more including 8000 little painted people (painted by members of the family that operate the attraction), a working Ferris wheel, a ski hill complete with an operational gondola system, Euopean style houses and buildings, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, running cars, even a brothel!  In fact, the model railroad, impressive as it is, was a secondary experience to just trying to take in all the detail of the village.

While we were there, a man in his twenties asked the owner if he could take his picture because "visiting this place was in the top 5 highlights of his life".  My colleague and I planned to spend about 30 minutes...we could have stayed most of a day.  At a modest $6 entrance fee ($4 for children) this is a must-see while in Osoyoos.  You can even buy some of the little painted people and start your own village at home!  The Gift Shop is well supplied with unique stuff including some great kids toys; the attraction is wheelchair accessible, easy to find, well maintained and well cared for.  I will be back.

 

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Posted by Kathleen, Vancouver at 10:09 AM

Great Wine Podcasts

August 30, 2007 | Tips from Travellers > Osoyoos, Wineries & Vineyards
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I just discovered some great BC wine podcasts which are geared to help wine travelers explore the BC wine touring experience beyond the big wineries.  Check them out at:

http://www.bcwinecast.com/

 

 

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Posted by jacqbenimble, Vancouver at 07:43 PM

Osoyoos

August 10, 2007 | Tips from Travellers > Osoyoos, Beaches & Swimming

 Osoyoos BC on the July long weekend is such a good time for kids family and friends. There is an awesome parade where there is a huge water fight between the fire department Home Hardware employees and others in the crowd. Thousands of people show up for this event. After the parade there is a beer garden pie eating contest cherry-pit spitting contest and other fun things. You can go wine tasting boating or just lie on the beach during the day. At night there is a firework show that Osoyoos Home Hardware collects donations for all year. It is one of the best firework shows I have ever seen. Usually costs about $10000. This weekend is worth every minute in Osoyoos.

Trish

North Vancouver, BC

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Posted by chris d, Vancouver at 07:11 PM

BC's Tasty Wine Region

August 17, 2006 | Tips from Us > Osoyoos, Wineries & Vineyards
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For the second year in a row, my family and I chose to spend our vacation in Osoyoos, located in the Southern region of the Okanagan. Osoyoos is situated in Canada's only desert, which makes it a wonderful destination to enjoy the warm Osoyoos Lake and the hot sun all in a relaxing atmosphere. It is also part of BC's wine region and the wineries were calling! We decided we would tear ourselves away from the lawn chairs for a short trip. One morning when a few clouds had appeared, my cousin and I left the boys and the Dads at home to take a scenic drive to a great winery...Tinhorn Creek. The Southern Okanagan region produces some of the best award-winning British Columbia wines and is riddled with wineries offering wine tours and tastings. Neither of us had been to Tinhorn Creek before. We drove North towards Oliver through bursting fruit orchards and came upon the winery, which is set atop the hill in this beautiful valley. The vineyards were filled with grapes growing to produce, in my opinion, some delicious BC wines. When we entered the building we were greeted graciously with the offer to taste some wines. Regardless of the fact that it was 10:00 am in the morning - how could we refuse? We pondered on the deck overlooking the vineyard and the valley right down to Osoyoos Lake. What an amazing view! Did we really have to leave? We did -- the lawn chairs and hot sun were now calling - but not without a few bottles in hand to take home!

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Posted by Maria, Vancouver at 12:00 AM