AMA Insider Spring 2016 | Page 42

AMAinsider.com Family Fun It’s not all wining and dining in the South Okanagan. Kids can fill up on fun too Andy’s Animal Acres (1154 Three Mile Rd.) At this quirky petting farm along Naramata Road, kids of all ages will want to meet Dudley the Pig, the farm’s resident movie star, featured in the upcoming indie film The Orchard. Sun n’ Sup (151-176 Robinson Ave., sunnsup.com) This is the hub of the area’s standup paddleboarding and kayaking community. It’s located in the heart of Naramata Village, just steps from both Wharf Park and Manitou Beach. You can take a lesson or rent equipment for the day. 42 SPRING 2016 AMA INSIDER Summerland “This should take care of a few calories,” I pant as I lean into the steady incline of Giant’s Head Mountain trail. Summerland, on the west side of Okanagan Lake, catches early morning rays on its beautiful beaches (Sun-Oka, Peach Orchard, Rotary, Kinsmen and Powell). Other must-sees include quaint European half-timber buildings and its signature landform, Giant’s Head. Before our morning trek, we caffeinate at Good Omens Coffee House (13616 Kelly Ave., goodomens.ca) and duck into True Grain Bread (10108 Main St., truegrain.ca) for traditional pastries made from Okanagan-grown organic wheat. So the 15-minute walk from the mountain’s parking lot to the summit is very necessary! The sweeping vistas at the summit—some 500 metres above the valley floor—make the hike well worth it. From here, we spot the the 1912 KVR locomotive rumbling along the track. For lunch, we literally eat and drink in our lovely view at Local Lounge and Grille’s lakeside patio (12817 Lakeshore Dr. S., thelocalgroup.ca). We then explore the wineries and cideries along Summerland’s wine route—cheekily named Bottleneck Drive (bottleneckdrive.com). Our first stop is Sumac Ridge Estate Winery Okanagan Falls “This view should be hanging in the Louvre,” I whisper to our server as she pours me a glass of Liquidity Winery’s rosé. The wine’s the colour of a sunrise and made from 100-percent Dornfelder grapes, a rarity in the valley. And the view? I wonder how my careful pourer doesn’t constantly lose herself in these panoramic surroundings. There’s the sleek, modern tasting room, itself a reason that Liquidity (4720 Allendale Rd., liquiditywines. com) is a must-stop destination in Okanagan Falls. As you relax on the A vintage locomotive on the Kettle Valley Railway PHOTO CREDIT Want more Okanagan? Plan a Kelowna road trip at (17403 Hwy 97 N., sumacridge.com). Founded in 1979, it’s B.C.’s oldest operating estate winery. The recently renovated tasting room is the ideal setting to sample Stellar’s Jay Brut sparkling white and Black Sage zinfandel red. For something completely different, we zip over to an improbable location for great wine: a bay in an industrial park. This is where Tyler Harlton’s TH Wines (1–9576 Cedar Ave., thwines.com) set up shop to craft handmade vintages in very small batches. TOP: KELLY FUNK/GETTY IMAGES; BOTTOM: DANITA DELIMONT/GETTY IMAGES A morning hike up Giant’s Head Mountain reveals lush landscapes