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- Wineries
- There are incredible wineries around
Penticton and the surrounding Okanagan Valley. Some
great wineries right outside of Penticton
include Red Rooster, Hillside, Lake
Breeze and Elephant Island fruit
wines, which
are all located on the Naramata bench. There are many great wineries
south in the Oliver area including Burrowing
Owl, Tinhorn Creek and Inniskillin.
In Summerland there is great wine at Sumac
Ridge and Thornhaven. The
Kelowna area has Summerhill, Cedar Creek
and probably the most spectacular winery, Mission
Hill, located in Westbank.
If you are at all interested in
Okanagan Wines you must go to the Wine
Information & Tourist Centre near the
Memorial arena in Penticton - look for the building with
grapevines painted on the side. When
visiting the local wineries don't forget to
try the local specialty: Ice Wine,
served in a chocolate cup.
- Restaurants
- Penticton offers a variety of great
restaurants and lakeshore patios. There are many lakefront
places on Lakeshore Drive, particularly Salty's
Beachouse or the Hooded Merganser, in the Lakeside Resort,
which has a great patio to
enjoy. For Greek cuisine there is La
Casa Ouzeria and Theo's - both are
excellent. If you are looking for simple
Japanese food go to Lee's Overseas Delights
or the Isshin Japanese Deli
on Main St. The
Dream
Cafe
on Front St. is a cozy spot for live music
and vegetarian dishes. For
some good Italian food go to the Villa Rosa
or the Pasta Factory. If
you want to take a drive, go to the Gasthaus
Pub & Restaurant in Peachland -
great patio and atmosphere on the lakefront.
To experience a more gourmet meal try the Sonora
Room at the Burrowing Owl Winery in Oliver
or make a reservation in the dining room at
the Naramata Inn.
If you
are just looking to have a drink and snack, head to the Barking
Parrot in the Lakeside Resort, the Black
Pearl Oyster Bar above Salty's Beachouse or
Martini's on Martin. For more
drinks later in the evening the Blue Mule
is popular nightclub along with Nite Moves and
the Element for the younger crowd.
- Outdoor
Activities
- With the lakes and mountain surrounding
Penticton there are endless activities. If you looking to
play some golf
there are many great options. To
practice your swing go to the Sage Mesa
Driving Range ( it also has the best view
in town); there are 2 small 9-hole golf courses
in the same area as well. The Penticton Golf &
Country Club is a great course, as is
the Inkameep Canyon Desert Golf Course
in Oliver. If you are looking for the
best golf in the Okanagan Valley, try to book a tee
time at Predator Ridge outside of
Vernon. If you are looking for a nice
place to walk, bike, or run, the Channel
Parkway has a great pathway that stretches
between Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake.
The channel also offers a great afternoon
float in the sun - contact Coyote Cruises. For more adventurous bikers
head towards Carmi Mountain, Apex Mountain or
"The 3 Blind Mice" in Naramata for
excellent mountain biking - contact the Bike
Barn for more details and/or equipment. For rock
climbers, you want to go towards the Skaha
Bluffs; ask for directions at any local
sports store. Of course there are also
the beaches....the 2 big ones are Okanagan
Beach and Skaha Beach at both ends
of Penticton. There are also nice ones
located in Naramata and Okanagan Falls, as
well as beautiful Sunoka Beach in
Summerland. There are many
other quiet hidden beaches throughout the
Okanagan but we won't mention them here, to keep them
quiet! If you are boating
there are marina/boat launches at both ends of
Penticton on Okanagan and Skaha Lakes, as well
as a nice boat launch in Summerland at Rotary
Beach. If you are hoping to take some
nice valley/lake photos here is where you want
to go - Munson Mountain (it has the
Penticton sign on it), the Trans Canada
Trail off Vancouver Ave. or Giants Head
Mountain in Summerland; all have incredible
views.
- Tourist
Attractions
- There are many fun things to do in and
around Penticton. For kids there is a
good mini-golf course called Loco Landing near the SS Sicamous on
Okanagan Beach. Across the street from
the mini-golf is the location to rent
4-wheeled bikes, kayaks as well as get a tasty
ice
cream! If you want to try the action of parasailing
or seadoo rentals go to the beach
in front of the Lakeside Resort. In the middle of Lakeshore Drive
there is Lakawanna Park with a children's water & adventure
park - perfect for a family afternoon.
Of course you must visit the Peach on the
Beach concession stand right on Okanagan
Beach. There are go-karts &
arcade at Okanagan Amusements,
just past the
airport on Skaha Lake. A neat outing
is the Kettle Valley Steam Train in
Summerland; they take you on a train ride
through orchards/vineyards and end
up at the Trout Creek Canyon trestle to buy
local treats at Summerland Sweets. If
you are just looking to relax book a
treatment or massage at the Aveda Concept Heirloom Spa
in the Naramata Inn. To finish off your
day try your luck at the Lakeside Casino
located in the Lakeside Resort.
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