Penticton

Penticton is located in the south central region of British Columbia, in an area known collectively as the Okanagan Valley. With over 2100 hours of sunshine, and only 15 inches or rain annually, the area has a comfortable climate year round.

The City is surrounded by two fresh water lakes and gentle rolling mountains. A wide variety of outdoor recreational activities is augmented by amentities such as a newly renovated Community Centre containing two indoor pools, 4 sheets of ice, tennis courts, a curling rink, and a state of the art South Okanagan Events Centre housing the Penticton Vees hockey team.

Activities:
Lots of stuff to do here, especially if you like the outdoors. Plenty of golf, wineries, hiking and beaches are located in and around Penticton. Float down the canal in either a rented tube from Coyote Cruises for $5 or bring your own. Coyote Cruises also offers rides back up the channel for $5. Mini golf, bumber boats and a large floating playground in Okanagan Lake fill the summer days. Skiing is close by at Apex Mountain.
4.0/5

Events:
Plenty of Summer events are held hear including both local events like Peach Fest and regional and provincial events like triathalons and even Canucks training camps.
3.5/5

View:
Rolling sage hills and 2 spectacular lakes this place has lots too see. The Kettle Valley Railway also has great historic value to the area and you can walk or cycle along the old route up to Naramata and even on to Kelowna.
2.0/5

Accommodations:
Lots of camping in and very close by to the city itself. B&B's and hostels also offer some variety to you accommodations and there are plenty of long-term and short-term hotels, motels and apartments for rent. Penticton Lakeside Resort, Convention Centre & Casino can give you the more luxurious stay you might be looking for as well.
3.5/5

Dinning & Shopping:
Plenty of restaurants and a good variety of food types makes this a visitors paradise. The down town area offers quite a few specialty and tourist shops while the larger Cherry Lane mall gives you the regular shopping need you might have. Larger stores like Wal-Mart have also started to move in giving people another place to get their daily items.
3.0/5

Visit-ability:
A great place to spend some time in the summer. Always something to do or see and there is always a spot on the beach for you.
4.0/5

Total Rating: 20/30

Thoughts:
I love it here and could spend most of the summer in the warm sun. The activities here have great "re-play" value and even if you happen to get bored of them there is usually some sort of event or festival going on. Being a small city and not as busy as nearby Kelowna, Penticton is a must visit place in my books.

Website: http://www.penticton.ca/

Jericho Beach: Vancouver

Overview: 
Jericho Beach is located on the north side of Jericho Park at the west end of Point Grey Rd. The east side of the beach caters to swimmers and the west side to sailboats and windsurfers.

Thoughts:
A nice beach area and plenty of facilities for users.  There is also plenty of free street parking in addition to the large pay parking lot.  The concession has a good variety but is also a little bit pricey.

The water seems warmer than the beaches to the west (Lacarno and Spanish Banks), but the beach itself is quite rocky and full of shells near the shoreline.

Pros:
Lots of facilities, parking and sand area to site and play in.  Fields and a large pond offer areas to walk as well.

Cons: 
Rocky shoreline and expensive concession.

Features:

• Concession
• Public washrooms
• Playing fields
• Tennis courts
• Picnic tables
• Swimming raft
• Pay parking
• Lifeguards between Victoria Day and Labour Day (late May to early September)
• Beach wheelchair for persons with physical disabilities
• Jericho Sailing Centre 
• Vancouver Youth Hostel

Honeybee Centre: Surrey

Overview:

Honeybee Centre is home to the Bees & Bugs Lab which offers an interactive exhibit full of live invertebrates & bees, hands-on activities, honey tasting and more!  Self-guided tours are perfect for families, or book a guided tour for your school field trip or group.

Thoughts:
Kind of a cool idea with the bug lab and bee hive tour to do with the kids but if you don't get there for the tour you can still self guide yourself through. This is both good and bad. You pay full price and if you don't know that much about what you are looking at it can be overwhelming.  Some of the bugs were impossible to find and the free samples you got as part of the tour are available to anyone who walks in the store.

The tea house is nice though with a relaxing atmosphere bit it seems a bit far from anywhere to go for tea.

Pros:
Got to see some different bugs and learn a bit about bees. The free samples give you an idea of how different honeys taste.

Cons:
A bit much for a self guided tour with not too much to look at on your own and not knowing what's there.

Price:
$5 per person

3 and under Free

Hours:

Mon to Sat:   9 am - 6 pm

Sun:              10 am - 6 pm

Contact Information:

7480 - 176 Street

Surrey, B.C.

Canada V3S 7B1

Phone: 604 - 575 - 2337

Fax: 604 - 575 - 2338

Website: http://www.honeybeecentre.com/

Cultus Lake Water Park

Overview:

When looking for watersliding and water parks in Vancouver, look no further than Cultus Lake Waterpark.

Cultus Lake Waterpark is BC's biggest and best Waterpark. Our waterslides are supervised by quality-trained water safety staff. And the facility and attractions are constantly maintained, upgraded, and expanded providing something new for every guest and every visit. Top priority is always given to maintaining customer satisfaction as a safe, clean, and fun environment. Whether you are on vacation or just taking a much needed break, visit Cultus Lake Waterpark and experience the ultimate summer recreational activity.

Thoughts:
The variety of slides was great with tube slides, regular slides and speciality slides.  Kids had plenty of options from spray parks, water adventure playground, slides, and hot tub for kids.  Getting there early is definitely key, not for a place to sit because there is plenty of that, but to get in a few slides before the crowds show up.  The slides were fun but the lines got a bit long later in the day.

You are able to take your kids down the main slides and they can go down the tube rides if they are over 36" tall.  Some of the other larger slides though required them to be 48".

The free life jackets helped out as well keeping our 2 year old feeling safe when in the deeper water at the bottom of the slides.

This is a definite must see if you like water activities and are in the area.

Price:

Type	Full Day	Twilight (starts 4 hrs. prior to closing)
48″ and Above	$29.00 (incl. tax)	$20.00 (incl. tax)
Under 48″ tall	$20.00 (incl. tax)	$14.00 (incl. tax)
Seniors(60+)	$20.00 (incl. tax)	$14.00 (incl. tax)

*Children 2 and under are free with paid adult.

Pros:

Lots of slides and lots for kids to do. Free life jackets and plenty of space to put your towels down.

Cons:
When it gets busy line ups take a while, and because of its popularity it will get busy.

Contact Information:
4150 Columbia Valley Hwy
Cultus Lake, BC
V2R 5S4

Phone:  604-858-7241

Website: http://www.cultus.com
Email: info@cultus.com