A Rainy Day in the Okanagan
The Okanagan is famous for sunshine, but grey days happen, especially in the shoulder seasons and winter. The good news: the valley has plenty to do indoors, from a restored 1914 sternwheeler and a planetarium to an indoor waterpark, floating lakeside saunas and a 1929 movie house.
Here's where to go, grouped by the kind of rainy day you're having. Each place shows its town.
Museums and a bit of history
- SS Sicamous Museum & Heritage Park (Penticton): a restored 1914 sternwheeler beached at Okanagan Beach. Explore it deck by deck, from the cabins and dining saloon to the wheelhouse.
- Okanagan Heritage Museum (Kelowna): the natural and human history of the Okanagan, from syilx culture to settler life, with exhibits such as Dinosaurs of BC.
- Okanagan Wine & Orchard Museum (Kelowna): how orchards and vineyards shaped the valley, in the historic 1918 Laurel Packinghouse.
- Sncewips Heritage Museum (West Kelowna): Westbank First Nation's living museum of syilx history, language and present-day culture. Drop in or book a guided tour.
- Summerland Museum & Archives (Summerland): Syilx history, early orchard farming and a detailed scale model of the Kettle Valley Railway through town.
- KF Aerospace Centre for Excellence (Kelowna): nine vintage aircraft, including a DC-3, a Mosquito and a CF-104 Starfighter, in a working hangar near the airport, plus a flight simulator.
- Nixdorf Classic Cars (Summerland): a 14,000 sq ft showroom of restored 1930s–1970s cars, each with its restoration story. Admission supports charities for children with disabilities.
Science and the stars
- Okanagan Science Centre (Vernon): hands-on exhibits, planetarium shows and live animals in Polson Park.
- Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (Kaleden): free one-hour guided tours of the National Research Council's radio telescopes in the White Lake valley.
- Canadian Wildlife Museum (Vernon): more than 350 mounted specimens, from mice to bison, in life-like dioramas.
Art galleries
- Kelowna Art Gallery (Kelowna): rotating contemporary and historical exhibitions in the downtown Cultural District, with family programs.
- Penticton Art Gallery (Penticton): rotating exhibitions on the waterfront by Okanagan Beach.
- Vernon Public Art Gallery (Vernon): the largest public art gallery in the North Okanagan, with hands-on art activities for all ages.
- Cardiff Miller Art Warehouse (Enderby): about ten large sound and installation works by internationally known artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller.
- Geert Maas Sculpture Gardens & Gallery (Kelowna): hundreds of works, including one of Canada's largest collections of bronze sculpture.
Let the kids burn off energy
- H2O Adventure + Fitness Centre (Kelowna): an indoor waterpark with waterslides, a FlowRider, a wave pool, a lazy river and a splash park, plus a hot tub and steam room for the grown-ups.
- Energyplex (Kelowna): laser tag, a 30-foot climbing wall, a laser maze, an arcade with 35+ games and a kids' zone, plus a licensed lounge.
- Springers Gymnastics (Penticton): drop-in sessions to tumble, bounce and climb on proper gym equipment.
- Elodie's Playhouse Cafe (Vernon): real toys for babies and toddlers, and good coffee for the parents.
Games, escape rooms and climbing
- Kelowna Escape Room by Omni (Kelowna): a downtown escape game across several themed rooms, with live actors. Ages 7 and up.
- Beyond Belief Escape Rooms (Vernon): six themed rooms, from Lost Island to Wizards Academy, for teams of 2 to 8.
- McCurdy Bowling Centre (Kelowna): 24 ten-pin and 6 five-pin lanes, cosmic bowling, and food and drinks from the attached brewpub.
- BNA Brewing Vernon (Vernon): bowling lanes and arcade games alongside the beer list.
- Gneiss Climbing (Kelowna): bouldering with regularly reset problems, day passes for all ages and a cheap twilight pass after 9 pm.
- The Rock Garden Climbing Centre (Vernon): bouldering and roped routes, with rentals and intro lessons for beginners.
Make something
- Work of Art Pottery Studio (Kelowna): paint-your-own pottery with no experience needed, plus build-a-mug workshops.
- Donut House Studios (Penticton): bookable workshops like mug making and lino printing, plus wheel-throwing courses.
Warm up: saunas and spas
- Löyly Floating Sauna (Kelowna): a Finnish-style cedar sauna floating at the Downtown Marina, with a lake cold plunge and a warm solarium lounge.
- Shelter Floating Sauna (Penticton): a cedar sauna floating on Okanagan Lake. Cycle between heat, a cold plunge in the lake and rest.
- Cleopatra's Rituals Thermal Spa and Steam (Kelowna): a hot-cold circuit of sauna, steam, thermal showers and a falling-snow room.
A show or a movie
- Vernon Towne Theatre (Vernon): a historic 1929 cinema showing new releases, classics, indie films, concerts and comedy. Named Canada's top independent theatre in 2023.
- Oliver Theatre (Oliver): a single-screen movie house showing films since 1947, with family matinees on weekends.
- Kelowna Actors Studio (Kelowna): Broadway-style musical theatre, with dinner-theatre or show-only seating.
- Bernie's Supper Club & Cinema (Kelowna): a speakeasy-style supper club with an upstairs theatre for a show after dinner.
- Kelowna Comedy Club at Dakoda's (Kelowna): touring and local comics every Friday and Saturday night.
- The Dream (Penticton): a 135-seat listening room for folk, blues, rock and jazz.
Quick picks
| If you want… | Go to |
|---|---|
| Something unique to the Okanagan | SS Sicamous, Okanagan Wine & Orchard Museum |
| To tire out the kids | H2O Adventure + Fitness Centre, Energyplex |
| Something free | DRAO guided tours (Kaleden) |
| To warm up after the cold | Löyly, Shelter floating saunas |
| A night out | Kelowna Actors Studio, Vernon Towne Theatre |
See everything: Indoor & Rainy Day across the valley, by museums & galleries, family fun, games, spas and theatre.