The Vaseux Lake area is a fine spot to view pictographs—often depicting human, animal and abstract figures--dating back thousands of years.
The Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre offers tours, programs and interactive displays, guiding visitors through thousands of years of Aboriginal habitation of the Nk'Mip Desert.
Giant’s Head Mountain is visible from just about anywhere in Summerland and the 360-degree view from its summit is arguably the area’s best. You can reach the viewpoint in one of three ways: hike a 3-km (1.9-mi) trail accessible from Giant’s Head Road or drive to a parking lot 1 km (0.6 mi) from the summit and hike the rest of the way along either the steep Confederation Trail or the more manageable Centennial Trail. Other popular trails include the 4.5-km (2.8-mi) Peach Orchard Loop and the 6-km (3.7-mi) Lakeshore Loop, both of which start off tracing the lakeshore and then veer off into the surrounding hills.
Many visitors come to take advantage of the area’s excellent golf, camping and horseback riding opportunities. The nearest golf courses are the 18-hole Summerland Golf and Country Club and the 9-hole Sumac Ridge Golf Club. Okanagan Lake Provincial Park has 168 campsites in two campgrounds and there a few private campgrounds in the vicinity as well. Local riding trails feature spectacular viewpoints overlooking Okanagan Lake. Horses and guides are available for hire.
There’s nothing boring or stuffy about the Summerland Museum, which chronicles local history from pre-settlement times to the mid-20th century. Among its many unique displays are a 15-m (50-ft) mural depicting the transition of the local landscape from semi-arid grasslands to lush orchards; a fruit-packing house; an original Kettle Valley Railway ticket booth; and a scale model railway of Summerland around 1950. Pick up a self-guided heritage walking tour brochure at the museum. It contains a map and information on three dozen heritage sites in town.
Work by local artists is always on display at the Art Centre and Gallery. It mounts nine exhibitions throughout the year and has a small permanent collection as well. There’s an interesting pottery frieze depicting Shakespearean characters on its exterior. Art lovers should make a point of seeing three notable sculptures around town: “Voice of Mother Earth” by Stewart Steinhauer (beside the museum), “Fruit of the Earth” by Wally Frankoski (beside Municipal Hall), and “Standing Man” by Michael Hermesh (at the Ornamental Gardens).
Most of Summerland’s many attractions are suitable for the whole family. On a two-hour Kettle Valley Steam Railway tour you’ll enjoy live banjo music, beautiful scenery and live historical commentary while riding in a vintage car pulled by a restored early 1900 locomotive. Some tours include a mock train robbery. The self-guided Summerland Trout Hatchery tour is very popular with families, as are tours of the Summerland Sweets factory, which produces jams, syrups and fruit jellies. Summerland Ornamental Gardens features 6 ha (15 ac) of tree-lined walks, manicured lawns, meadows, a rose garden and a xeriscape demonstration garden. The 85 vintage cars on display at Nixdorf Classic Cars will get any classic car lover’s motor running.
Orchards and wineries abound around Summerland and many offer tours, tastings and on-site shopping. Some orchards offer “u-pick” and/or picnic areas.
Summerland hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including the Good Will Shakespeare Festival (May), the Art Walk (August) and a variety of Okanagan Wine Festival events (spring, summer, winter and fall). A local theatre group, the Summerland Singers and Players, stages one or two plays a year. Most visitors find shopping in the Old English-style downtown delightful. Boutiques, specialty stores and antique shops, not chain stores, are the norm and the streets are lined with graceful, old-fashioned lampposts adorned with flower baskets and art banners in summer.
There are three provincial parks near Summerland. Okanagan Lake Provincial Park is known for water activities and camping. Its terrain consists mainly of sand/pebble beaches along the lake, ponderosa pine around it and dry, sagebrush-covered hills beyond. Interpretive programs and a concession operate in summer. Kickininee Provincial Park is popular with swimmers and picnickers. It has three tiny picnic areas and a boat launch. The sandy beach at Sun-Oka Provincial Park, with its lovely views down the lake, is ideally situated for swimming. It has a summertime concession and is considered one of the area’s best beaches.
Imposing Giant’s Head Mountain is visible from any point in Summerland. A remnant of a volcanic blast, it gets its name from the bluff on its southeast side that resembles a man’s profile. The hike up to its summit is well worth the effort: you’ll enjoy a 360-degree view of Summerland, Okanagan Lake,
Naramata and
Penticton.
Okanagan Lake is a summer playground. You can explore miles of scenic shoreline in a canoe or kayak, cruise in a rented houseboat or power boat, or spread a towel on one of several sandy beaches and spend an afternoon enjoying idyllic swimming conditions. Nearby lakes, such as Darke Lake and Osprey Lake, offer great fishing. Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Brook Trout, Lake Whitefish, Burbot and Yellow Perch are the most common catches.
Cross-country skiers and snowmobilers can pursue their passions in the hills around Summerland but downhill skiers and snowboarders must travel a little farther afield, to
Apex Mountain Resort. For skiers, Apex offers black diamond mogul runs, gladed chutes, powder bowls, vast intermediate-level terrain and a snow school for beginners. Boarders have a purpose-built terrain park and half-pipe all to themselves and there’s plenty of ski-in, ski-out accommodation for everyone in the resort’s wild west-themed village.