Kelowna Sites: Wineries, the Railway and Other Sites

Tours

Self-Guided Walking Tour

After touring a Kelowna, BC, Canada winery, taking a self-guided walking tour of Kelowna is a great way to spend time while waiting to take a boat cruise on Lake Okanagan. It’s also great exercise for working-off lunch or dinner at one of Kelowna’s fine restaurants. The tour has 32 stops, including a number of art galleries and shops in Kelowna’s Cultural District near the BC Wine Museum & VQA Wine Shop. Waterfront Park and City Park are also part of the tour, both of which come alive with buskers, artisans and music in the Summer. On the tour, one can also find several Outdoor Public Art sculptures on display crafted by well-known artists using bronze, wood and other materials. A self-guided walking tour is a year-round opportunity to see and learn about Kelowna’s culture, and it’s a relaxing way to spend a Sunny Winter day when not skiing in the mountains.

Heritage Driving Tour

History buffs can pack over a Century of history into one afternoon by taking a Heritage Driving Tour of Kelowna. On a Sunny Okanagan day, pack family, friends and a lunch into the car to explore as many of Kelowna’s 19 heritage and historic sites as possible. The Laurel Packinghouse and Okanagan Heritage Museum, located in Kelowna’s Cultural District, are full of history about life in the Okanagan over the past Century. Nearby Knox Mountain Park and Waterfront Park are dedicated to two individuals who played an important role in Kelowna’s Development as a community. The drive out Lakeshore Road from the Abbott Street Conservation Area leads past some of Kelowna’s finest wineries to Okanagan Mountain Park’s hiking trails and beaches. On the way back, don’t forget to stop at the Mission Creek Greenway, take a nice stroll and stop to eat a snack amid the towering trees and running waters of Mission Creek. The route via KLO Road to East Kelowna Community Hall and McCulloch Station from the Mission is one that leads by several interesting golf courses. The Father Pandosy Mission on Benvoulin Road can be visited on the way back to downtown Kelowna’s heritage storefronts on Bernard Avenue, named after the city’s founder.

Railway

The Kettle Valley Steam Railway

The Kettle Valley Steam Railway (KVSR) was built from 1910-1915, and it became an important route for transporting silver, fruits and passengers from the Kootenays to the west coast. Today, the 600 kilometres of railway tracks have been replaced with the Trans-Canada recreational bike trail cutting through mountains, canyons, orchards, vineyards, lakes, and sandy beaches. Biking enthusiasts can access the Trans-Canada Trail at the Myra Canyon Trestles, located east of Kelowna on the other side of Lake Okanagan. The Kettle Valley Steam Railway Society also operates a ten-mile section of the railway for those seeking a more relaxed trip through the valley. Visitors to Kelowna may make a reservation to take a 90-minute open-air passenger car ride on the restored 1912 steam locomotive, the ‘3716’. The ‘3716’ travels from the Prairie Valley Station to the Trout Creek Trestle Bridge and back.

Other Sites

Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan (EECO)

Bikers and walkers can stop at the Environmental Education Centre for the Okanagan (EECO) to re-fill their water bottle before completing the Mission Creek Greenway trail. Visitors may also soak-up knowledge about topics such as climate change, water and Okanagan wildlife by viewing the centre’s fun exhibits. While there are no wine-making displays, it is possible to learn about composting and how to grow plants suited for the dry Okanagan climate. The centre also plays educational videos on important Okanagan environmental events such as the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park fires. The EECO is located in the Springfield Spall real estate neighbourhood near or on the way to several Kelowna golf courses.

Father Pandosy Mission

According to the Okanagan Historical Society, in 1859 a priest by the name of Father Pandosy established the first white settlement in the Okanagan Valley. The Pandosy Mission site is located on Benvoulin Road in Kelowna and it contains four buildings: a chapel, root-house, barn and Brothers’ house. It is listed as one of BC’s oldest buildings according to a November 5th, 2008 Vancouver Sun article ‘A Top 40 list of B.C.’s Oldest Buildings’ written by John Mackie. Members of the public may visit the Pandosy Mission site between Easter and Thanksgiving and are asked to make a small donation on entry. Today, visitors to Kelowna are often so impressed with the area that they wish to purchase a summer home or other real estate.

Parrot Island Sanctuary

In about 1996, two individuals realized that some visitors to Kelowna weren’t enjoying their stay, and so they created the Parrot Island Sanctuary. Abused, abandoned and homeless parrots at the sanctuary receive much the same care as those who stay at one of Kelowna’s fine hotels: pampering, great food and plenty of opportunities for social interaction. Parrots bond with only one person, from which they require a great deal of emotional and physical attention to remain healthy. However, parrots at the sanctuary love interacting with visitors, and that’s why the Parrot Island Sanctuary is such a wonderful place to bring children. The sanctuary and on-site gift shop are open year-round, and donations from visitors are welcome. After watching for eagles while in one of Kelowna’s many parks, visit the sanctuary for a conversation with some residents who just can’t wait to entertain.

The Okanagan Lake Bridge

The Okanagan Lake pontoon bridge was built across Lake Okanagan in July 1958. It connected Kelowna with Westbank, Penticton and other southern Okanagan communities; it was an important link to the Coquihalla Highway that winds through the Rocky Mountains to Vancouver. Twelve pontoons supported by anchors embedded 25 feet into the lake bottom kept the bridge afloat. A 70-ton anchor sits at the intersection of Harvey Avenue and Ellis Street in Kelowna for travelers to view. Below are key facts about the old Okanagan Lake pontoon bridge:

• 7/8 of a mile in length from shore to shore
• three traffic lanes
• 265 feet long raise-able section to provide 60 feet vertical clearance
• supported by ten 200 foot pontoons and two 50 foot pontoons
• typical pontoon 50 feet wide and 15 feet in depth
• each pontoon submerged about 8 feet under normal conditions
• pontoons connected together as a continuous unit, 2100 feet long
• one anchor on each side of pontoon

The five-lane William R. Bennett Bridge opened in June 2008 and replaced the Okanagan Lake pontoon bridge. It is named after a resident of Kelowna who served as the Premier of BC. The William R. Bennett Bridge was built to relieve traffic congestion on Highway 97 which is a major highway leading from Kelowna to communities in the West Kelowna real estate neighbourhood and Westbank real estate neighbourhood.

Sculpture Gardens and Gallery

Internationally acclaimed Gert Maas has been living in Kelowna, BC for over 30 years. On sunny Okanagan days, his ‘On the Beach’ bronze statue of sunbathers ‘catch some rays’ on the Waterfront Park beach. Maas’ Sculpture Gardens and Gallery features one of the largest collections of bronze sculptures in Canada, and it is a must see for art lovers who visit Kelowna. Curious creative minds may drop-in year-round to appreciate Maas’ two and three-dimensional works made from bronze, aluminum, stainless steel, and other materials.

The Bluff

In 1994, rock legends ZZ Top headlined the ‘Rock the Bluff’ concert, but it’s the view of Kelowna from The Bluff that really rocks. Located just over the Okanagan Lake Bridge, The Bluff is an unusual concert venue that provides an awesome view of Kelowna and Lake Okanagan. It is located on land owned by the Westbank First Nations, and it can be identified when walking in City Park or Waterfront Park by the presence of big white letters that spell ‘The Bluff’. Perched on a cliff overlooking Lake Okanagan, The Bluff provides a picturesque view of Kelowna’s shoreline and beaches. The Sun rises over Knox Mountain Park to the left and Okanagan Mountain Park in the distance to the right, and the Sun sets just in time for The Bluff to rock.