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That said, the lakefront and beaches, though heavily
developed, aren't too bad, and off-season Kelowna's undeniably
pretty downtown can make a good couple of days'
respite from mountains and forests. Its attractions are increasingly
well-known across BC and remarkable jumps in population have taken
place over the last few years: 37,000 people, many of them retirees,
have moved here since 1990, creating something of a development
nightmare for local planners. Main attractions are the public
beach off City Park , a lovely green space that
fronts downtown, and the strips along Lakeshore Road south of
Kelowna's famed pontoon bridge, which tend to attract a younger,
trendier crowd - Rotary Beach here is a windsurfers'
hangout, and Boyce Gyro Park , just north, is
where the town's teenagers practice their preening. Across the
bridge and 2km and 14km respectively up the lake's west bank,
Bear Creek and Fintry Provincial Parks
are lovely spots with great beaches and campsites, but
they are also horrendously popular (reservations possible at both
).
Kelowna owes its prosperity primarily to one man,
Father Pandosy, a French priest who founded a mission here in
1859 and planted a couple of apple trees two years later. Much
of Canada's fruit is now grown in the area -
including virtually all the apricots, half the pears and plums,
and a third of the country's apples. The infocentre can point
you to dozens of juice, fruit, food and forestry tours, but if
you feel like sampling the more hedonistic fruits of Father Pandosy's
labours, consider visiting one of the local vineyards
, all of them known for their open-handed generosity with free
samples after a tour of the premises. You can choose from a variety
of whites and reds as the valley's microclimates and soil types
allow neighbouring vineyards to produce completely different wines.
At one time most were crisp, fruity German-style white wines and
dessert wines, but now successful red wines and drier whites are
emerging. There's even organic champagne at Summerhill
Estate Winery , 4870 Chute Lake Rd (tel 764-8000 or 1-800/667-3538),
in a beautiful spot near some hot springs, or try Calona
Wines , Canada's second-biggest commercial winery and
the Okanagan's oldest (founded 1932), just six blocks off Hwy
97 at 1125 Richter Ave (daily: May-Sept 11am-5pm, tours every
2 hours; Oct-April tour at 2pm; tel 762-3332). The infocentre
can provide a full rundown of smaller, more far-flung estates.
All of the wineries join together in May and late September to
lay on the region's annual spring and autumn wine festivals
(tel 861-6654, www.owfs.com ) when free wine tastings, gourmet
dinners, grape stomps and vineyard picnics take place to lure
the connoisseur and beginner alike. More context can be found
at the Wine Museum , 1304 Ellis St (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm,
Sun noon-5pm), which is basically a glorified shop with a few
exhibits, like a 3000-year-old clay drinking horn from Iran.
Getting away from Kelowna's crowds isn't easy, but
the closest you'll come to shaking them off is by climbing Knox
Mountain , the high knoll that overlooks the city to
the north, just five-minutes' drive (or 30min walk) from downtown.
It offers lovely views over the lake and town, particularly at
sunset, and there's a wooden observation tower to make the most
of the panorama. RVs are kept out of the area by a barrier dropped
at dusk, but if you take a sleeping bag up - though perhaps not
a tent - you might get away with an undisturbed night.
