Discovering Kelowna In Three Days

Before I moved to Vancouver I was living in a small town called North Bay. North Bay has the best sunsets, is perfect for a summer at the cottage, and awesome people. One of those people is my friend Casey. We met through my boyfriend and work, and became fast friends. She moved to British Columbia a few months before Scott and I did, and of course we’ve stayed in touch. She has always come to Vancouver to visit us, so while Scott was gone I decided it was the perfect time to go visit Casey and her boyfriend. And her perfectly fluffy cat!

Another reason I chose the end of September to visit Kelowna? It wasn’t too hot, because I’ve heard that the summers there are very hot, and the Greyhound bus line was running.

The Greyhound bus line will not be running between Vancouver and Kelowna soon, and I really wanted the chance to drive through the province and see more of my beautiful surroundings.

I know I could have flown, it would only have been about $50 more, and I could have gotten there much quicker, but I have always loved a road trip. Waking up at 5 a.m was so worth it. Seeing the sunrise through the mountains was just incredible, and something I’m not likely to forget anytime soon.

The bus ride was just over 6 hours, and made several stops. My favorite was in the most charming little town of Hope. I wish I had more time to walk the main street of Hope. There was lots of wooden statues, views of the lake and the mountains. Small town goals!

When I finally arrived in Kelowna, Casey had coffee waiting for me. She knows me so well. Or maybe it was the 50 texts I sent her saying I was so tired. Who knows? While I downed my coffee we waited for a bus to take us to her place.

Her house is gorgeous! And I got to finally meet her cat Sunny. Shy and beautiful, I think Sunny finally warmed up to me as I was leaving my final day.

After saying a quick hello to her boyfriend, we headed out to her favorite sushi spot. I’ll be doing a whole other post on dining in Kelowna, so watch out for that!

After sushi we walked about ten minutes to Gyro beach. This beach was beautiful! I can understand why Kelowna is such a popular summer time destination. Despite the heat and humidity, the beaches there are perfect. You have ducks swimming, water sports and mountain views.

Something I found so fun was all the fruit statues through out the city. At Gyro beach there was this Apple stand. At the mall each parking lot was a different fruit. Walking around downtown there were fruit photos and flags all over. It was fun to walk around playing Spot The Fruit.

After helping a grouchy lost dog back to his unresponsive and irritable owners, we admired the beach views and headed back to her house. We stopped at a Movie store called Leo’s Videos (rent some, buy some) beside the sushi restaurant and purchased lots of 5 cent candy! It felt so cool, just like childhood. Something I want to mention is how they made it very clear which candies were vegan. Very cool.

We then spent the evening catching up and watching Rocky Horror Picture Show and Mulan. Thank you Casey and Dylan for putting up with my singing belting at the top of my lungs.

The next morning Casey and I headed to the Farmer’s Market. It was fun wandering the stalls and imagining the produce I would have purchased if I didn’t have to fly home. We both made a few small purchases then headed for a hike close by. About a ten minute walk from the Farmer’s Market is Mission Creek. This is a lovely park, very clean, and lots of doggies so excited to go for a hike! I pet many a dog on this hike, so basically it was the best hike ever. We decided to do a short hike since we had a lot planned for the day. We hiked to the Turtle Pond. Unfortunately there were no turtles to be found, but lots of ducks! We stood in peace for a while, then decided to head back out. We stumbled upon some sort of race, so most of the hike back was us trying to dodge out of the runners ways.

After a quick lunch we spent a while at Hot Topic! As a girl who loves many a fandom, I of course love Hot Topic.

After Hot Topic it was time to bus down town. We wandered the streets, walked the Gardens (more about that in another post) and got some coffee!

Before dinner we walked along the marina and oh my goodness! The area was so active and beautiful. There is something so magical about being surrounded by mountains.

We had dinner at Kelly O’Bryan’s, and then it was time for the big event! Potted Potter!

This show was so much fun. I love how they had lots of audience participation, and how apparently every performance is a bit different. I want to see the show again!

After the performance we got a ride home in a taxi that was a TESLA. It was so cool. We spent the evening watching The VVitch and A Very Potter Musical online.

The next day it was sadly time for me to leave. Before I left we went out for one of the most delicious breakfasts I’ve ever had at The Bohemian Cafe. Highly recommend if you’re ever in Kelowna!

And then it was time for me to catch my flight home. I had such an amazing time in Kelowna and I cannot wait to write up my other posts. Oh, and go back!

Have you ever been to Kelowna?