Visiting Kelowna BC Canada

Kelowna British Columbia

Years ago, traveling to Kelowna BC - sometimes mispelled 'Kalowna' - was a big summer family vacation for us.

We always stayed with family, where peach trees grew in their backyard and their swimming pool was something of a dream for us 'prairie' folks.

The city of Kelowna itself was, of course, much smaller.

I remember visiting the old Flintstone's amusement park, with the giant Fred Flinstone at the gate, that is now long gone. Many attractions we enjoyed - way back ;-) then - are now replaced with shopping centers and malls and residential areas.

These days, Kelowna is a growing, busy, thriving city, home to many wonderful things that bring visitors back to visit and for vacations year after year.

Kelowna is the largest city in the Okanagan Valley, in the Central Okanagan Regional District, and the main hub for almost everything in the region, including air travel.

What you'll find:

- great places to eat
- fun things to see and do for everyone
- entertainment for every age
- wonderful places to stay from luxury waterfront resorts to cozy and friendly vacation oriented accommodations to comfortable bed and breakfasts.

And, if you're thinking about retiring here, you'll also find some of the best retirement communities in the Okanagan Valley.

Beaches, Parks, Waterparks & Waterfront Boardwalks

Kelowna's beaches are fantastic - 9 beaches in all! Lots of grass areas, shade, picnic areas, concession stands, tennis and volleyball, as well as playgrounds and washrooms are either along or within an easy distance from most of the beaches.

And in addition to the beaches there are several kid's waterparks, and waterfront walkways for strolling along and admiring the views.

Kelowna has many beautiful parks to explore. Whether you want to hike, bike, picnic, or just walk among nature, there are many opportunties to do this. Knox Mountain, for example, is the city's largest natural park and a wonderful place to visit.

Kelowna Shopping

Shopping is the best in the Okanagan Valley, and you'll find an enormous variety of shops, boutiques and shopping malls!

Orchard Park Mall - the main shopping mall in the city. Everything from department stores to upscale boutiques.

Downtown Bernard Avenue Lots of unique gift shops, boutiques, specialty bakeries, coffee houses, and art galleries.

Pandosy Village Boutique shoppers heaven with designer clothing, fine teas, organics, ethnic dining, a bakery for dogs and cats and art shoppe.

Festivals in Kelowna BC

Fun for everyone, families, children and sporting festivals and events throughout the summer. These are just a few of the fun events...

Fat Cat Children's Festival A fun family event, takes place at Waterfront Park in downtown Kelowna. There are scheduled shows and also a variety of shows and entertainment on the festival site.

Center of Gravity The Center of Gravity is one of the largest multi-sports festivals in British Columbia! This is a great family event, and offers activities including a Kid's Zone and an Exhibitor's Village.

Dragonboat Festival Over 160 dragon boat teams compete, plus a concert, events and live entertainment.

Summer Sports & Outdoor Adventure

Whether it's golf, mountain biking, cycling the Kettle Valley Trail, back country hiking, fishing or an ATV adventure, summer sports and recreation is one of the main draws to Kelowna BC and the entire Okanagan Valley.

Winter Sports & Recreation

You'll find ample opportunity for winter recreation including skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, cross country skiing and snow shoeing.

Big White Ski Resort the closest to the city of Kelowna (45 minutes).

Silver Star Ski Resort in Vernon.

Crystal Mountain in Westbank.

Apex Ski Resort in Penticton.

Mount Baldy Ski Resort in Oliver BC.

Kelowna BC & the Okanagan Valley Wine Industry

This is where it all began, really.

The BC Wine Museum inside the Laurel Packinghouse, downtown Kelowna, offers insight into the culture and history of wine industry in British Columbia.

The city Kelowna BC has over a dozen wineries itself to try out wine tasting, tours, and fine cuisine for a complete experience!

With more than a hundred wineries throughout the Okanagan Valley, there's simply not enough time to visit them all on one vacation! A wine tour in Kelowna is a great way to learn about and enjoy the fine Okanagan wine.

Kelowna is also host to a number of events during the Okanagan Wine Festival. The Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter Wine Festivals...starts in January, ends in October. Lots of special events.

There's just so much to explore and enjoy in and around the city of Kelowna BC. Whatever you love to do, we know you'll find activities and great family friendly attractions in this beautiful city to fit your own definition of leisure and recreation, and easily make your vacation plans come together to create the perfect summer or winter holiday. Visit our top kid's My Okanagan page to see some great family and kid friendly attractions and get more summer vacation ideas for the area.

More Information About Visiting Kelowna

Flights To Kelowna BC
Kelowna Airport Information
Kelowna News Papers
Kelowna British Columbia Golf
Downtown Kelowna Hotels
Hotels in East Kelowna

Love The Okanagan? :-)