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Armstrong is located in the Spallumcheen Valley in BC’s sunny North Okanagan region. Here you’ll enjoy four seasons of family fun and adventure.
Enjoy a tour and tasting at the Hunting Hawk winery, then top off your experience with a sampling at the Village Cheese Company.
The Armstrong/Spallumcheen Museum & Art Gallery captures the area’s railway and agricultural history. Catch the Interior Provincial Exhibition and Stampede in the fall. This event is in the summer (beginning of September).
Wildlife lovers can spot diverse bird species in area parks, wildlife and ecological reserves.
In winter, Silver Star Provincial Park has great cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. In summer, you can cycle or walk these popular trails for views of the Okanagan Valley as well as the Monashee Mountains.
Bordering Silver Star Provincial Park is Silver Star Resort that features a family-friendly ski resort in winter, complete with Victorian-styled village, and mountain biking trails in summer. You can also take guided wildlife tours, snowmobile tours, and enjoy sleigh rides, skating, dogsledding and snowshoeing.
For summer and winter adventures, head to Silver Star Provincial Park, about one hour’s drive from Armstrong. Cross-country skiers can set off on over 50 km (31 mi) of trails, while snowmobilers can point their sleds along the park’s 50 km (31 mi) of snowmobile trails. In summer, you can bike or walk moderate grade trails for fine valley and mountain views.
Improve your strokes at Armstrong’s skill-challenging nine-hole golf course or 27-hole course. Numerous golf courses surrounding Armstrong can also challenge players of all skill levels.
Also an hour’s drive from Armstrong, Silver Star Mountain Resort has a chairlift that can access the16 mountain bike trails and bike park.
The Armstrong/Spallumcheen Museum & Art Gallery, featuring colourful displays of area heritage and development. Farming, lumbering and market gardening were the basis of Armstrong Spallumcheen's success. Museum exhibits include reproductions of a train station, school room, blacksmith shop and general store. There are also numerous artifacts and memorabilia on display. You’ll find 70 works by talented artists on display at the gallery. The gallery also hosts traditional and contemporary art shows, from sculpture and textiles to photography.
Though its gelding and mare feature attractions may be small, Chickadee Ridge Miniatures is the largest miniature horse farm in Canada. You’ll see nearly 200 miniature horses on the grounds. Feel free to hug your favourite.
Across the ridge’s vast acreage, you can also see bird species from tiny quail and doves to larger emus. There are also Pot-bellied Pigs, Miniature Cattle, Ring-tailed Lemurs, as well as the chance to feed Fallow Deer.
The Hunting Hawk Winery, north of Armstrong, offers tours and tasting of award winning wines as well as workshops and hands-on demonstrations. The vineyard’s art gallery also displays works of emerging and established artists. See also Hunting Hawk’s second winery at the O’keefe Ranch.
To accompany your wine, The Village Cheese Company is a micro cheese plant where you can sample tangy or subtly flavoured cheese wedges. Village cheeses are handcrafted in small batches using traditional production methods right near the farm.
Established in 1867, the historic O’Keefe Ranch is located between Armstrong and Vernon. You can visit this heritage site from June to September to buy candy in the general store, inspect antique farm equipment, tour the O'Keefe family mansion or enjoy a ranch-style meal in the restaurant. Have a picnic in the ranch’s park-like setting then see the huge model railway and rare-breed farm animal collection.
The Caravan Farm Theatre entertains audiences of all ages with high-energy professional theatre events staged outdoors--in the farm field, barn, or even the riding ring. Shows range from full-length musicals in summer to Shakespeare and contemporary classics. Don’t miss the popular winter sleigh ride show in December.
During Christmas season and each spring, the local Asparagus Community Theatre stages a live theatre production.
For colourful birdwatching, visit the Thomas Hayes Ecological Reserve and Otter Lake Wildlife Reserve.
Black Bear, moose, Mule Deer, White-tailed Deer, cougar, lynx as well as grouse, crossbills, owls and raptors are just some of the intriguing species you might spot inhabiting Silver Star Provincial Park.
A host of wildlife tours are available through Silver Star Mountain Resort. The Mountain Wildflower Tours will take you along wildflower meadows and berry patches to spectacular viewpoints of the Okanagan Valley and Monashee Mountains. A naturalist guide will share insights into the lives of sub-alpine birds during the Mountain Birding tour.
Enjoy a summer picnic lunch at Memorial Park or take a refreshing swim in the park’s public outdoor pool. Kids can also play in the heated wading pool at Armstrong's shaded park.
Enjoy a soothing, rejuvenating body treatment from one of Armstrong’s registered massage therapists, naturopaths, or reike practitioners.
Family-oriented Silver Star Mountain Resort features a Victorian-styled, pedestrian-only village with ski-in, ski-out access. Beginner to expert can choose wide-open runs, steep and deep or intermediate glade terrain. You can also take guided snowmobile tours, horse-drawn sleigh rides, skating, dogsledding and snowshoeing. Shuttle service to Big White ski hill is also available.
Sovereign Lakes Nordic Centre features 50 km (31 mi) of groomed ski trails. Located in beautiful Silver Star Provincial Park, the centre hosted the World Cup in 2005.
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