Penticton Travel Guide
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80km (50 miles) N of Oliver, 60km (37 miles) S of Kelowna, 396km (246 miles) W of Vancouver via the Coquihalla Hwy.
One of the belles of the Okanagan, Penticton (pop. 41,500) is a lovely midsize city with two entirely different lakefronts. Above the town is the toe-end of vast Okanagan Lake, to the south are the upper beaches of Lake Skaha. It's a lovely setting, and a peach of a place for a recreation-dominated holiday. "Peach" has additional significance here, as Penticton is also the center for apple, peach, cherry, and grape production. But there's a lot more to Penticton than agriculture: Facilities range from hostels to world-class resorts, and the restaurants are among the best in this part of British Columbia.
The Penticton Visitor Info Centre is at 888 Westminster Ave. W. (tel. 800/663-5052 or 250/493-4055; www.penticton.org). It also houses the British Columbia Wine Information Centre and a good wine shop with all sorts of local vintages. It's open daily 9am to 6 pm.
Special Events--The town's big summer celebration is the Penticton Peach Festival, held the first week of August. It includes parades, watersports competitions, live entertainment, street dances, midway rides, and a general and pervasive air of fun.
Be the first to taste the valley's best chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot, and ice wines at the Okanagan Wine Festival (tel. 250/861-6654; www.owfs.com), during the first and second weeks in October at wineries and restaurants throughout Penticton.
