ThingsThings To Do

Welcome to the Okanagan

Summerland is a small lakeside town halfway between Penticton and Kelowna, and most of what's below is within fifteen minutes of the house. Penticton — with its two lakes, its downtown and the Naramata Bench — is twenty minutes south. We've marked the places we send everyone to; the rest are well worth trying when you've exhausted our list.

Where to eat

In Summerland

• Shaughnessy's Cove our pick — a lakeside patio on the water, five minutes from the house. The place for a sunset dinner.
• Zia's Stonehouse Restaurant our pick — Italian in a historic stone house on Highway 97; book ahead on weekends.
• Cleopatra — Mediterranean and Middle Eastern, and one of the best-reviewed rooms in town.
• Just Delicious Bistro — sushi and Japanese, good for a quick lunch.
• SYC Boathouse Bar & Grill — at the yacht club, right on the lake.
• Giant's Head Brewing — brew pub with a happy hour from 3 to 5pm.
• Peacock's Perch — the neighbourhood pub; Yaki's and Murray's for pizza night.
• Beanery Cafe and Country Cafe — morning coffee, fresh pastries and a proper diner breakfast.

In Penticton

• Hooded Merganser our pick — on the lakefront at the Lakeside Resort; our choice for a nicer night out.
• Salty's Beach House our pick — casual beach dining with a Caribbean twist, steps from Okanagan Lake Beach.
• Elma — upscale Turkish-inspired dining with a view; the special-occasion spot.
• Brodo — fresh, seasonal plates on Main Street.
• The Barking Parrot — a big casual patio on Lakeshore Drive.
• Cannery Brewing — downtown taproom with food and a backyard patio.
• Ogo's and Tickleberry's — sixty-plus flavours of ice cream each, on Main Street. Settle the argument by trying both.

On the Naramata Bench

• Vista at Play Winery — fine dining looking out over Skaha Lake.
• The Restaurant at Poplar Grove — lunch among the vines.
• Bench Market — pick up picnic supplies on your way to the wineries.

Wine, cider & beer

Bottleneck Drive is Summerland's own wine route — around twenty family-run wineries, cideries and a brewery, most within ten minutes of the house. Dirty Laundry Winery our pick is the Summerland classic, with a patio and a view to match. From there, look for Okanagan Crush Pad, Lunessence, Lightning Rock (sparkling), Giant Head Estate, Silkscarf, Savard Vines and Sage Hills. For cider there's Dominion, Nomad, Summerland Heritage Cider and Millionaires' Row, and Alchemist Distiller makes small-batch spirits.

The Naramata Bench, twenty kilometres of vineyards along the east side of the lake past Penticton, has more than forty wineries. Play Winery's Vista restaurant has Skaha Lake views, Upper Bench pairs its wines with cheese from its own creamery, and Poplar Grove and Origin are both worth the stop. For craft beer, Cannery Brewing is downtown Penticton and Detonate Brewing is here in Summerland.

Please plan a designated driver or book a tour — several local companies run half- and full-day Summerland and Naramata wine tours with the tasting fees included.

On the water

Peach Orchard Park is directly across the street from the house — the beach, and the Millennium Spray Park for little ones, are as close as it gets. Sun-Oka Provincial Park is Summerland's best sandy beach, with picnic tables, fire pits and seasonal boat rentals, and Rotary, Kinsmen and Powell beaches are the quieter local swimming spots. The Summerland Waterfront Resort rents boats and offers wakeboarding lessons if you want to get out on the lake.

In Penticton, the classic summer afternoon is the channel float: drift between Okanagan and Skaha lakes on a tube. Splash BC is the inflatable water park on Okanagan Lake Beach, and Skaha Lake Beach on the south side has playgrounds and volleyball courts. The Kiwanis Walking Pier is a nice evening stroll.

Trails & views

Start with Giant's Head Mountain, the extinct volcano in the middle of town — drive or hike up for the best panorama in Summerland. The Trout Creek Trestle is a 73-metre-high wooden trestle on the old Kettle Valley Railway, with a creek hike into the canyon below, and Mount Conkle looks back over Giant's Head and Prairie Valley.

Towards Penticton, the KVR Trail from Naramata is a flat, easy walk or ride past vineyards to the Little Tunnel, with lake views the whole way. It's our favourite thing to do on our e-bikes — and if you'd like to do the same, there are a few places in Penticton that rent them. Munson Mountain is a short, flat path to a viewpoint above the city, and Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park has more than a thousand climbing routes and good hiking, with a chance of spotting bighorn sheep. The Summerland Ornamental Gardens — six hectares on the canyon edge, entry by donation — are lovely in spring.

With kids, or on a rainy day

• Kettle Valley Steam Railway — a vintage steam train through the orchards and over Trout Creek canyon, right here in Summerland (seasonal; check dates).
• Nixdorf Classic Cars — more than seventy restored vintage cars under one roof.
• Summerland Sweets — homemade jams, syrups and brittles, and a good stop for gifts.
• Summerland Arts & Cultural Centre and the Summerland Museum — a gallery with an artisan shop, and the town's story.
• SS Sicamous — the historic sternwheeler on Penticton's lakeshore.
• Penticton Ikeda Japanese Garden — koi, a red bridge, free to wander.
• Loco Landing — mini golf and adventure park; Rock n Stones for laser bowling and blacklight mini golf.
• EXIT escape rooms and Hoodoo Adventures indoor climbing gym — for when the weather doesn't cooperate.
• Penticton Art Gallery and The Bookshop — Western Canada's largest second-hand bookstore, on Main Street.

Markets & farm stands

The Summerland Sunday Market runs on Main Street from 9am to 1pm, June through September, and the Penticton Farmers' Market takes over downtown every Saturday from mid-April to late October. In between, stop at Blossoms fruit stand for whatever is in season — it's our favourite, and we find it the cheapest in the area — pick your own cherries at Dickinson Family Farm in early summer, and pull over at any of the fruit stands along Highway 97 for peaches, cherries and apricots.

Golf

Two 18-hole courses in town — Sumac Ridge Golf Club and Summerland Golf and Country Club — and plenty more within half an hour. Ron, our caretaker, is the one to ask about where to play.

Worth the drive

• Myra Canyon — the famous eighteen-trestle stretch of the KVR near Kelowna; rent bikes at the trailhead.
• Chute Lake Lodge — a historic lodge on the KVR, 45 minutes up the hill, with a restaurant.
• Osoyoos — Canada's warmest lake, the Nk'Mip Cultural Centre and Spotted Lake, about an hour south.
• Grist Mill and Gardens, Keremeos — a working 1877 flour mill.
• Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory — a self-guided tour in Kaleden, twenty minutes away.

When to come

Summer

What can't you do? The beach, the waterpark, boating, wineries, breweries, cideries, the KVR Trail, the farmers' market, hiking — and so much more. Canada Day fireworks, Peachfest in Penticton in August, and live music at Gyro Park on weekends.

Fall

Harvest season — our favourite time of year. The wineries are at their best, and so is the great outdoors. Penticton Ribfest and the Dragon Boat Festival on Skaha Lake in September; Light Up the Vines along Bottleneck Drive and Summerland's Festival of Lights in November.

Winter

The mountains are calling: Apex Mountain is 45 minutes away for skiing and snowboarding from December to early April, with a skating loop through the trees, and Big White is 75 minutes. Nickel Plate Nordic Centre is nearby for cross-country, and the Penticton Vees play at the South Okanagan Events Centre. On January 1 there's the Polar Bear Dip at Sun-Oka Beach, if you're brave.

Spring

The quiet season — a lovely time to visit the wineries and local attractions before summer gets busy. Blossoms in the Ornamental Gardens, and in June the Grand Sommelier Express (steam train plus wine; it sells out fast) and the Penticton Beach Cruise.