Kelowna's sunny, semi-arid climate means plans for golfing, skiing, hiking, fishing or paddling excursions rarely have to be changed due to inclement weather. Choose from 15 golf courses, four ski hills (within a two-hour drive), myriad hiking trails and more than 200 local lakes. There are also many beautiful orchards and vineyards nearby that welcome visitors for tours, tastings and, in some cases, a gourmet meal prepared with fresh, local ingredients and paired with local wines.
Kelowna is the epicentre of the Thompson Okanagan cultural scene. It enjoys high-calibre public art exhibits, ballet and theatre productions as well as symphony concerts. The city has also done an excellent job of preserving sites of historical interest for the enjoyment of the public. The Guisachan Heritage Park and the Father Pandosy Mission are two notable examples. You can take guided walking or biking tours of most heritage sites throughout the city. The BC Orchard Industry Museum also offers tours.
Finally, no other city in the region has as many shopping options as Kelowna. They range from large chain stores to eclectic boutiques.
Reliably sunny weather and beautiful scenery make Kelowna a particularly good place for pursuing outdoor pleasures. The countryside, which consists of orchards and vineyards, desert terrain, rolling hills as well as lakes and canyons, is made for walking and hiking. There are trails here to suit all skill levels. The most famous, perhaps, is the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) Trail, which is also used by cyclists. It traces an old railway line through provincial parks as well as recreation and protected areas. It currently bypasses the Myra Canyon trestles, which were destroyed in a 2003 wildfire (reconstruction of the trestles is underway).
Golf is popular with locals and visitors in Kelowna, both of whom make the most of the area's sunshine, long season and 15 quality courses. Other popular pastimes include horseback riding, parasailing, hot-air ballooning, camping, fruit picking, sightseeing by scooter or motorcycle, tennis and in-line skating.
As Kelowna is a water-oriented city, it's only natural that its stand-out structures should be water-oriented, too. They include the Okanagan Lake Floating Bridge, which links Kelowna with the western shore of Okanagan Lake; the 12-m (40-ft) high Spirit of the Sails sculpture on downtown Kelowna's waterfront; and the Ogopogo (lake monster) statue in Kerry Park, also downtown.
Visit Kelowna and you'll quickly understand why it was named a Cultural Capital of Canada in 2004. Just about every cultural institution you'd expect to find in a larger, urban centre operates here: a public art gallery; a symphony orchestra; a theatre company; and a large, multi-purpose arts complex. A number of its private galleries feature superb First Nations art and craftwork. Specialty shops and fine-dining restaurants abound, while festivals of various kinds are held throughout the year.
Much of the city's cultural activity is concentrated along a six-block stretch of the downtown waterfront that is studded with 11 major pieces of public art. This area is referred to as the Kelowna Cultural District.
Kelowna museums and heritage sites of note include the Father Pandosy Mission, Guisachan Heritage Park, the BC Orchard Industry Museum and the Kelowna City Cemetery. There is also a fascinating Clifford Pettman carving in Towne Central Mall. It represents the eagle, grizzly, deer, goose, wolf, Aboriginal, voyageur, mother and child - all things the cottonwood it was fashioned from saw in its long life.
As a vacation destination, Kelowna has a lot to offer: natural beauty, sunny weather and scores of interesting attractions that will keep your whole family endlessly amused. The city's public flower gardens are definitely not to be missed. They win prestigious national and international competitions year after year. There are also Xeriscape (drought-resistant), English and Japanese gardens as well as orchards, vineyards and even a lavender farm, all of which are open to the public.
The Okanagan Nature Centre offers educational tours that examine the bio-diversity of the Okanagan Basin through innovative displays, exhibits, live specimens, murals, photo galleries, art, living ecosystems and personal interpretation services. Recreation facilities in the city include a waterslide, amusement centres, mini-golf course, putting greens, bowling alley, paintball field, laser-tag arena and climbing walls. Finally, Kelowna has something very few cities do: a lake monster! A statue of the elusive Ogopogo stands in downtown's Kerry Park.
Kelowna has a long list of indoor and outdoor sports and entertainment options for your viewing pleasure. Its major arts venues, the Visual and Performing Arts Centre and the Kelowna Community Theatre, stage productions by the Sunshine Theatre Company, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and Ballet Kelowna. There are free concerts in the park in summer, special concerts in conjunction with local events throughout the year, and international entertainers at Prospera Place. Local sports teams include the Okanagan Sun (Canadian Junior Football League) and the Kelowna Rockets (Western Hockey League).
Kelowna's shopping options include many large chain stores; eclectic boutique shopping on Spall Road, Pandosy Street and in Tutt Street Square; and superb Aboriginal arts and crafts shopping in the Kelowna Cultural District.
The Kelowna area is ecologically diverse, so be sure to set aside lots of time for enjoying its parks and nature trails. One of the most popular is the Mission Creek Greenway, a seven-km (4-mi) multi-use trail that is wheelchair accessible. It features interpretive kiosks and signs, a wetland boardwalk and a kokanee spawning channel. Bear Creek Provincial Park offers a wilderness hike in addition to a popular day-use area. Bertram Creek Regional Park has a number of walking trails, a beautiful beach, a grassy picnic area as well as a playground and boat dock. In all, Kelowna has 28 regional parks, 171 municipal parks and several provincial parks within an hour's drive.
There comes a point in every vacation when you want to take a break from the sightseeing, hiking, biking and skiing, find a peaceful spot and stay put for a while. Kelowna, with its 22 lakefront access parks, makes this easy. Most have a grassy picnic area close to the beach and at least one walking trail. The city also has several day spas that offer a wide range of services, including "vinotherapy," a wine-based massage that uses products containing antioxidant-rich grape seeds, stems and skins.
Kelowna sits on the edge of Okanagan Lake, which is suitable for swimming, fishing and a variety of other water sports. You can rent almost any kind of aquatic sports equipment: canoes, kayaks, pedal boats, motor boats, Sea Doos®, sailboats, windsurfers, water skis, wetsuits, kneeboards, wakeboards, life jackets, ski tubes and more. You can also rent houseboats.
Many anglers use Kelowna as a home base for fishing excursions to the area's more than 200 lakes. Rainbow trout, kokanee, whitefish, burbot and carp are some of the more sought-after catches. For children, there are several whimsical water parks.
Kelowna is situated amidst the Monashee Mountain Range. These mountains get more than 2,000 hours of sunshine each year and abundant snowfall of up to 7.5 m (24.5 ft). There are four ski hills within an hour's drive that offer superb skiing and snowboarding as well as many other activities and amenities. The largest of them is
Big White Ski Resort. Ski seasons vary slightly from hill to hill but the time frame is roughly mid-November to mid-April.
Other winter sports and activities available in Kelowna include snowshoeing, dogsledding, snowmobiling, skating, curling, ice fishing, power sledding and horse-drawn sleigh rides. Winter is also the time to catch a Kelowna Rockets (Western Hockey League) home game.