W E E K E N D G E T A W A Y S
S P E C I A L F E A T U R E
Fabulous Fall Getaways
Enjoy a weekend away at one of these unique B.C. destinations
F
all travel is full of perks. Crowds
have thinned out since the hot days
of summer, kids are back in school
and colour-shifting foliage makes for
breathtaking scenery. The weather
is still mild and the harvest brings an
abundance of beautiful food.
Whether it's golf, outdoor adventure,
wine tours, or pure pampering, B.C. o•ers
all kinds of weekend getaways for every
kind of traveller.
VERNON
The hub of the North Okanagan, Vernon
is surrounded by rolling hills, a trio of
lakes, and -ve provincial parks, including
SilverStar Mountain Resort, home of the
ski resort known for its hiking trails and
Champagne powder and Sparkling Hill
Resort, Canada's premiere wellness spa.
With orchards, farms and award-
winning wineries, the community is newly
part of the Sagebrush Singletrack, a multi-
destination mountain biking corridor that
o•ers a diversity of trails and terrains from
Penticton to Kamloops.
"Fall is the perfect time to come hiking
and mountain biking," says Tourism Vernon
manager Angeline Chew. "Fall is the time
for celebration and to enjoy the harvest
season. In Vernon we live our brand, which
is to activate life, to get out and enjoy all
four seasons."
The Vernon Fall Festival runs for
the whole month of October, featuring
everything from U-pick pumpkin tours
at Davison Orchards Country Village to
wild-mushroom tours. The historic O'Keefe
Ranch, founded in 1867, has a family-
friendly, twisty-turny corn maze, while
adults will never look at a scarecrow the
same way again after navigating the three
haunted mazes that make up its Field of
Screams.
New this year, experience a —ight
demonstration and close-up personal
encounter with raptors at the Allan Brooks
Nature Centre and a South Asian Dawali
Festival at the Vernon Performing Arts
Centre. Dining in Vernon features plenty of
locally grown and artisan crafted foods, and
a diversity of ethnic dining experiences to
tempt your taste buds. As the Okanagan's
oldest community, Vernon has Japanese,
Filipino, Mexican, Korean and other
restaurants making up its diverse dining
scene.
Autumn's crisp days are prime time to
follow the Libations Trail, with sips at BX
Press Cidery and Orchard, Marten Brew
Pub, Honeymoon Meadery, Okanagan
Spirits Distillery, and the Scenic Sip — Lake
Photo
by
Robb
t
homP
son
/
CouRt
esy
Cit
y
of
V
eRnon
Explore the Field of
Screams corn maze
at the historic O'Keefe
Ranch in Vernon
