Kelowna's Juicy Tips

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Here’s something I’ve found really handy to develop for entertaining my guests: 1-2-3 Tours (that’s a technical term).  A 1-2-3 Tour would be 3 attractions that are relatively close to one another that I can visit with company for a  memorable experience. It could also be just 2 locations, but I like the balance of 3. On the radio show, we’ll be talking about many different 1-2-3 Tours, but on today’s show, I start with one that’s ideal if you have guests coming in on a Friday and you want to start touring on Saturday morning.

The first stop would have to be the Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market. The Farmers’ Market is on every Saturday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner of Dilworth and Springfield.  As of last week, they’ve opened the Thursday evening Market in the Cultural District across from Prospera Place, next to the Dolphins fountain. People are always amazed to hear that the Kelowna Farmers’ Market is the biggest Farmers’ Market in BC and has over 165 stands at the height of the season.Here you can pick up things to make for dinner – that’s always a nice experience, and tends to work its way into dinner conversation.

From there, head into orchard country along East Kelowna Rd. There’s a new winery there – set to open on June 13 officially – called Camelot Vineyards. Very interesting spot with a neat story behind it. Right now they have Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer available, with their Chardonnay coming soon, followed this September by Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Here you can do a wine tasting and pick up your wine for dinner. Just make sure you’ve designated a driver who isn’t tasting!

After you’ve picked up your food for the evening at the Farmers’ Market and your wine for your dinner, you can head over to Kelowna Land & Orchard Co., which is about a 2 minute drive from Camelot Vineyards down Dunster Rd. This is a real gem of a stop – I’ve taken lots of guests of all ages there and everyone just loves it.

After all that touring, you’ll be hungry, and you can have lunch at their Ridge Restaurant. It’s a tucked away restaurant in a heritage house on the orchard. The food is unfussy and fantastic, and the prices are really reasonable. Tip of the day: whatever you’re eating, have the apple juice. It’s incredible!

They’ve also got goats, chickens, and rabbits that kids love to watch – who am I kidding, even adults enjoy it! There’s also a country market stocked with tons of locally-made products. In the summer they’ll have whatever fruit is in season for sale.

And here’s the best part: they produce 4 still apple ciders and one still pear cider (yum!) through their Raven Ridge Cidery. Perfect – dessert! Basically, they’ve let the fruit freeze on the tree (just like Icewine production), and once frozen, pressed the sweet and tart essence of it for the Iced Cider. You can do a tasting of all 5 at the counter, which is always fun and a good way to know which of the Ciders you want for dessert later on.

Enjoy the sunshine this weekend, and happy touring!