OSOYOOS OFFICIAL VISITORS GUIDE 2020 ROAD TRIPS FAMILY FUN CULTURE Travel through our valleys and Osoyoos and families go hand in Our arts, history, and culture are vistas to discover an unbridled hand. We are, in fact, a paradise for best experienced firsthand with a wilderness with adventures as the young and the young at heart. visit to one of our local museums, wide as our western skies. art galleries, or interpretive centres. BREATHTAKING VIEW, NO CHARGE. The Okanagan Valley’s hottest stretch of private sand and luxe suites. The best place to hit the sandy beach in the Okanagan Valley is, undoubtedly, Walnut Beach Resort, the swankiest scene in Osoyoos. Stretch out on a secluded private beach along Canada’s warmest lake. Or lounge on the expansive sundeck around an impressive outdoor heated pool, sipping reds and whites from the wine bar. Inside, 100 carefully crafted designer suites give you luxurious comforts of home and then some. When you’re ready to explore, the area’s renowned wineries are just minutes away. It’s the kind of getaway you crave. Plan your ultimate Okanagan stay today. 4200 Lakeshore Drive Osoyoos . British Columbia walnutbeachresort.com 1.855.936.5400 TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 CANADAS WARMEST WELCOME 30 DOWNTOWN 5 GETTING HERE 34 AREA MAPS 6 CULTURAL ITINNERARY 36 EARLIEST FRUIT IN CANADA 8 LANDS, LANGUAGE & LEGENDS 38 WATERMARK 14 SPIRIT RIDGE RESORT 42 OSOYOOS WINE MAP 17 TAKE THE RIDE 43 SIMILKAMEEN WINE MAP 18 BIKING & CYCLE TOURING 44 CHECKMATE 19 DISCOVER WALKS, TALKS & TRAILS 48 CHURCH & STATE 20 YOUR BIG YEAR 50 GETAWAYS & WEDDINGS 21 TEE TIME 52 WINTER 22 ROAD TRIP 54 EVENTS 24 ADVENTURES IN AMERICA 56 RELOCATION 26 FAMILY FUN! SUPER DELUXE CREATIVE GROUP superdeluxe.ca LAYOUT PHOTO EDITOR Paul Higgins Cody Gannon ART DIRECTOR WRITERS Skyler Punnett Anthony Davis & Katya Irwin On the Cover: Enjoying the view of Osoyoos BC from Anarchist Mountain on Highway 3 East. Use #OsoyoosBC to share your photos with us on social! DESTINATION OSOYOOS 9912 BC-3, P.O. BOX 500 OSOYOOS, BC CANADA V0H 1V0 1.888.OSOYOOS OR 250.495.5070 WWW.DESTINATIONOSOYOOS.COM @OSOYOOSBC /DESTINATIONOSOYOOS OFFICIAL VISITORS CANADA’S WARMEST WELCOME Welcome to Canada’s desert. Turn these pages and immerse yourself in the valley of stunning beauty with unlimited vistas awaiting you. But, there’s more to us than just bright skies and wineries set against gentle sloping hills. While we embrace and proudly weddings, weekend escapes Once downtown, experience showcase our vintner industry, and recreation. And there’s a our eclectic cafes and colourful we also have sophisticated reason for that. Osoyoos does art galleries, or shop for a resorts, championship golf have it all– golf, spas, beaches, one-of-a-kind treasure found courses, the nation’s warmest wineries, orchards, culinary in our many quaint boutiques. lake and a wide range of delights, Indigenous culture Osoyoos Lake is easily accessed cultural, ecological, and and eco-desert experiences are from downtown for fishing, artistic experiences. Our yours to enjoy. We are set on sightseeing or water activities. friendly and intimate resort a vast and rugged landscape Whether you’re visiting for a town, rich in unique culture of hills and grasslands that day, a week, or even longer, one and colourful desert history, invite hiking, mountain biking thing is for certain: Osoyoos is also a notable centre for and wildlife viewing within will leave you with special business meetings, conferences, easy access to the town centre. memories that last a lifetime. destinationosoyoos.com 4 GUIDE 2020 To Kelowna GETTING International Airport 124 km | 77 miles HERE Osoyoos is located at the junction of Highways 97 and 3, the major north-south and east-west corridors through BC’s Interior. AIRPORTS: PENTICTON AIRPORT (YYF) 63 km (39 Mi) to Osoyoos PENTICTON 63 km | 39 miles KELOWNA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (YLW) 136 km (84 Mi) to Osoyoos Car rentals from major agencies are available at both airports. Let’s Go Transportation provides an airport shuttle to and from the Penticton and Kelowna airports. To VANCOUVER 1-778-821-0101 or www.letsgotransportation.ca International Airport 401 km | 249 miles OSOYOOS AIRPORT Osoyoos’ local airport at 10800 BC-3, has a 2,800 ft. paved runway serving private fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. BC transit offers scheduled service to Osoyoos from Kelowna To CALGARY and Penticton. Visit bctransit.com or International call 1-844-442-2212 for schedule information. Community information can be heard on Airport CIRO (pronounced Cairo) at 106.5 FM. 730 km 453 miles OSOYOOS VISITOR’S CENTRE: Be sure to head to the Osoyoos Visitor‘s Centre at 9912 BC-3 for accommodation information, trip planning, local events and more. To SPOKANE, WA Visit online at destinationosoyoos.com International Airport @osoyoosbc : Instagram/twitter To SEATTLE, WA 307 km | 191 miles /DestinationOsoyoos: Facebook International Airport 467 km | 290 miles For road conditions, visit Drive BC: drivebc.ca or 1-800-550-4997 @drivebc on twitter destinationosoyoos.com 5 OFFICIAL VISITORS Osoyoos Museum & Archives 8702 Main Street | 250-495-2582 Exhibits and collections trace the impact that successive waves of traders, farmers, ranchers, builders, and vintners had on the original environment of Osoyoos. You’ll be able to see how the city grew from a customs post near the US/Canada border to a 21st Century town. Okanagan Art Gallery 8302 Main Street | 778-437-2238 This Gallery is a hidden gem on bustling Main Street in Osoyoos. The doorway to the Gallery is almost hidden but most people who venture in, can’t believe the size of the Gallery and quality of artwork. Each room in the Gallery has a skylight letting in amazing natural light. The Gallery is an Artists Co-op of about 25 artists, mainly painters (acrylic, oil and watercolour) but also includes sculptors and photographers. The Gallery is run by the destinationosoyoos.com 6 GUIDE 2020 CULTURAL artists so when you visit, there will always be an artist or two in residence. The Gallery also runs workshops periodically which are open to ITINERARY the public. In addition, there a few Open House events each year as well as receptions for special shows. Don’t miss seeing this unique Gallery! With a rich history, vibrant arts Osoyoos Art Gallery community and many cultural 8713 Main Street | 250-495-2800 traditions, activities and amenities, Established in 1990 as a non-profit Osoyoos has much to explore organization, and now governed by the and discover. Our arts, history, Osoyoos & District Arts Council, The Osoyoos and culture are best experienced Art Gallery is situated at the corner of Main firsthand with a visit to one of our Street and 89th in Osoyoos and offers local museums, art galleries, or original art produced by artists and artisans. interpretive centres. The gallery features guest artists, local and non-local, throughout the year. Osoyoos Desert Centre 14580 146 Avenue | 1-877-899-0897 At the Osoyoos Desert Centre, you can experience the beauty of Canada’s unique desert. The 67-acre nature interpretive facility, a registered part of the North American Bluebird Trail, offers guided and self-guided tours through the desert along its spectacular 1.5- kilometre wooden boardwalk. There’s also an indoor interpretive centre, with hands-on exhibits and fun facts to discover about the local ecology and wildlife, and a native plant demonstration garden to explore. Trained interpretive staff and friendly volunteers are on hand to share information, answer questions, and explain what’s being done to save the unique desert habitat. Desert Centre admissions are used to support the habitat restoration, conservation and education efforts of the Osoyoos Desert Society, a The Desert Centre, located three kilometres north of Osoyoos, October. early through April late from annually open is non-profit society dedicated to saving British Columbia’s biologically-rich habitats. destinationosoyoos.com 7 OFFICIAL VISITORS kanagan (syilx) Nation: OThe syilx people occupy an area which extends over approximately 69,000 square kilometers. The northern area of this territory is close to the area of Mica Creek, just north of Revelstoke, BC, and the eastern boundary is Kootenay Lake. The southern boundary extends to the vicinity of Wilbur, Washington and the western border extends into the Nicola Valley. The Osoyoos Indian Band is one of seven bands of the Syilx nation. South Okanagan: The Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) traditional territory extends throughout the South Okanagan from The Osoyoos Indian Band owns over 32,000 acres of some of the most Okanagan Falls to south of the desirable urban industrial commercial land in the South Okanagan. United States Border. With Corporations, entrepreneurs and Band owned businesses capitalize on the centuries of living in this unique economic development potential. Established leases include brands like desert environment the OIB Arterra Wines Canada, Hyatt and many more. people have always had a special connection to the land. Since has evolved to survive in modern times by being leaders in first nation’s the arrival of the settlers OIB economic development through agriculture and tourism development. Today, the OIB now has over 1200 acres of vineyards planted on the reserve which makes up 12% of Okanagan Valleys vines. In 1975 the Osoyoos Indian band established the first commercial vineyard dedicated to vinifera varieties with plantings of Riesling, Ehrenfelser and Scheurebe. The Okanagan Valley is the second largest Today, the Osoyoos Indian Band has wine region in Canada, 540 members. Because of their work and our 4,000 hectares ethic and diversified investments, (9,900 acres) of vineyards unemployment on the reserve is account for more than 90% of all wine produced not only less than 3%, but 20% of in British Columbia.