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/