OKANAGAN VALLEY - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 379

SIGHTS
Along the waterfront, City Park is the largest of Kelowna's many parks. Its 14 hectares (35
acres) hold lots of flowers and large shady trees, expansive lawns, and a long sandy beach.
You can rent a boat, houseboat, and fishing equipment at one of several marinas. Near the
entrance to the park is the large, sparkling-white, attention-grabbing Dow Reid sculpture
Sails, as well as a replica of the famed lake-dwelling serpent, Ogopogo.
A promenade leads north from the Ogopogo statue past a large marina and a prime
waterfront site undergoing redevelopment. Beyond the construction is the Delta Grand
Okanagan Resort, the Okanagan's most luxurious accommodation. Even if you can't af-
ford a lakefront suite, the resort holds a bar and restaurant with water views and full spa
services. Beyond the resort, the promenade crosses a small lock, which allows boaters to
travel between the higher water level of an artificial lagoon and the lake itself.
Okanagan Heritage Museum (470 Queensway Ave., 250/763-2417, 10am-5pm Mon.-
Fri., 10am-4pm Sat., donation) is opposite the post office. The museum holds a mishmash
of fascinating displays, including horse-drawn carriages; fossils found in the Princeton area;
indigenous arts, crafts, clothing, jewelry, beads, and furs; children's books and games; radio
equipment; pioneer artifacts; re-creations of an 1861 Kelowna trading post and a Chinese
store; and a display of the interior of a Salish winter dwelling. Behind the museum are the
Kasugai Gardens. Built with the cooperation of Kelowna's Japanese sister city, Kasugai,
the gardens are a quiet retreat from the downtown business district; admission is free and
the gates are locked at dusk.
In an old downtown packing house that saw renovations completed in 2010, complete
with exposed red-brick walls and hand-hewn wooden beams, the British Columbia Orch-
ard Industry Museum (1304 Ellis St., 250/763-0433, 10am-5pm Tues.-Fri., 10am-4pm
Sat., donation) tells the story of the local orchard industry through rare photographs, dis-
plays, and a hands-on discovery corner. In the same building, the BC Wine Museum (250/
868-0441, 10am-5pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-5pm Sun., free) has information on local wineries
and tours, and sells the finished product.
Benvoulin Heritage Park (east of downtown at 2279 Benvoulin Rd.) surrounds the
Gothic-revival Benvoulin Church, which dates to 1892. The church and a historic residence
also within the grounds are closed to the public, but the garden holds the most interest. It is
a xeriscape garden, designed to take advantage of the local climate and environment. In this
case, plants grown here require little moisture, reflecting problems encountered by profes-
sional and amateur gardeners along the entire valley.