As we are now in the middle-end of August I wanted to share some ideas to help you take full advantage of all the summer time weather or vacation you have left.
For another unique idea we have the Guided Mural Tours which are held twice a week at 9 am (to beat the heat). You are guided around downtown Vernon, listening to all the scandals and secrets behind the beautiful murals we see as residents on a daily basis.
Kangaroo Creek Farm in Lake Country is a wonderful gem located just off the highway and in a nice shaded spot. I really enjoyed visiting the farm because it is not like a zoo atmosphere and much more like a sanctuary, as the animals are in a big open field area. As a visitor you can walk up to any of the animals and gently pet them, also usually there is an opportunity to hold a baby kangaroo!
Another 'Gem' of the area would be The Starlight Drive-In located in Enderby-approximately 30 mins from Vernon is really a place for summertime memories to be made, watching movies under the stars! Two movies for one low price!
As you are making your way to different unique and interesting stops around Vernon and the Okanagan, make sure you remember to look for charms for the Bead Trail bracelets! What a fun way to see local sights & attractions in your own town, while showing a visitor around town to your favorite stops or visiting getting yourself a unique souvenir.
Right in town we currently do not have any wineries to tour but only 20 mins south of Vernon, in Lake Country there are 7 wineries to tour. They are pretty close together so it makes for a nice afternoon drive, while spending the majority of your time enjoying the wineries and not in the car trying to get to the locations.
In Vernon we do have a distillery, a meadery and a cidery to visit and enjoy tastings at. BX Press Cidery hosts tastings of their ciders every 1/2 hour and also talks about the history of Vernon and how they came to be where they are today.
Planet Bee -Meadery was established in 2011 and you can enjoy a tasting of their hand crafted meads, made right there in the honey farm. Tastings are available daily from 9am – 4pm with complimentary tastings, or by donation. Donations go to the Rail Trail initiative collecting donations for the multi-use recreational trail linking Vernon and Kelowna in lieu of tasting charges.
At the very beginning of September you can take in the 8th annual Kalamalka SUP Classic on Kalamalka Lake. The 'Kal Classic' features events for all ages, both recreational and competitive. Some events are just for beginners or intermediate paddlers while others will challenge even the fittest of athletes. This yearly event is a truly family friendly event, fun for all ages!
Throughout the year in any season you can visit our events calendar to see if there are any local events that you wouldn't want to miss! This can be a really great resource to find new events in your community, to refresh your memory of a favorite event, or if you're showing someone around who is visiting around town fun things to do/see.
Fall in the Okanagan and specifically Vernon is a really beautiful time with so much to see & do! You can feel the change in the air, and see it as the seasons start to change.
The September long weekend which brings the annual I.P.E (Interior Provincial Exhibition) , although technically it is still summer, it feels like the 'kick-off' to the fall season.
At Davison Orchards at the beginning of September is the start of their apple festival. They take the entire month to celebrate the fruit that gave the orchard it's start! With U-Pick apple tours every weekend there is plenty of chances to find your favorite kind of delicious apple to enjoy. Into October Davison Orchards also gets very festive in the way of pumpkins, it is the place to go for tractor rides to go get a pumpkin! The selection volume of pumpkins, little gourds and smaller decorative items is incredible!
If you are visiting Vernon in the month of October, a 'must-see' stop is definitely the Historic O'Keefe Ranch. The largest annual fundraiser for the ranch field of screams is a haunted corn maze not for the faint of heart, also not recommended for children. There is family daze corn maze during the day that is encouraged for children and families.There are also ghost tours around O'Keefe and hear the chilling stories of many years ago on the ranch.
In October the Downtown Vernon Association (PC) hosts a truly local & unique downtown dining experience Dine Around Downtown. For a limited time you can sample a variety of 3-course, fixed price menus from local restaurants from your favorite chefs! Each menu will be specially prepared to showcase local ingredients available in the North Okanagan.
With a wide variety to see & do in the Vernon area we know there will not be a shortage of activities to interest pretty much all ages! If you need further ideas please see our website at TourismVernon.com or come in to see us at the Visitor Centre where we would be happy to assist!