A Weekend in Kelowna: The Lakefront, a Winery and a Farm Cidery

Plan my Kelowna weekend · What's on this weekend

Find a place to stay in Kelowna

Two days in Kelowna, mostly on foot on the first and mostly at a tasting bar on the second. Day 1 stays downtown, in the cultural district on Water Street and along the lake. Day 2 drives up to the East Kelowna benches for a winery, a honey winery and a farm cidery, then comes back to the North End for dinner. It works in the cooler months, when the tasting rooms and taprooms are the main event.

Begin at Frannie's Coffee on Water Street, a café for espresso and fresh pastries that also sells whole-bean coffee roasted in the Okanagan. Take a cup with you, because the next two stops are on the same street.

Kelowna Art Gallery is across the road, with changing exhibitions and a shop. You can browse its collection online before you go.

Lunch is a few doors along at Kelowna Beer Institute. Beer is brewed in small batches on site and served unfiltered from tank to tap, and the kitchen works with the brewer so each dish pairs with a pint. Order a flight and ask what is freshest.

Walk it off in Kelowna City Park, the lakefront park with a promenade along the shore. The Point, where Hot Sands and Cold Sands beaches meet, is the place to stand and look down the lake.

Come back up to Bernard Avenue for Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery, a distillery and cocktail lounge making whiskies, gins and fruit liqueurs from BC grain and fruit. The tasting bar takes drop-ins, so it fits between the lake and dinner.

Dinner is wood-fired pizza and beer at Red Bird Brewing on Richter Street. It runs live music on its own calendar, so see who is playing before you sit down.

Find a place to stay in Kelowna

Start at Rustic Reel Brewing Company on Vaughan Avenue. It is a brewery and taproom with a coffee bar and a brunch menu, so coffee and a proper breakfast come from the same room before you drive out of town.

Head up to the benches and The View Winery & Vineyard on Ward Road, a family estate winery in a former apple packinghouse. Tastings run all year and walk-ins are welcome. It also makes Wards Cider, a nod to the building's first job.

A short drive on is Meadow Vista Honey Wines on June Springs Road, a bee farm and honey winery. The meads are made with BC honey and local fruit, light and dry to off-dry, and the wine shop pours walk-in tastings every day of the year.

Then Soma Craft Cidery on Sallows Road, where the ciders are made from apples grown on the farm. The tasting room pours a flight, the bottle shop sells them to take home, and the lounge serves a meal. There are alpacas on the property too.

Finish back in the North End at Vice & Virtue Brewing Co. on Richter Street, a brewery and kitchen pouring sours and IPAs, with wine and cider for the table that does not want a pint.

• Day 1 is a walking day: the café, the gallery and the brewery share Water Street, and the park and the distillery are a few blocks south.
• Day 2 needs a car and someone to drive it. The winery, the honey winery and the cidery are on farm roads above the city.
• Staying longer? Add a weekend in Summerland, down the lake, or a weekend in Osoyoos at the south end of the valley.

Start from this plan, set your dates and swap any stop you like.

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