History Buff

You don’t have to dig deep to find museums, heritage sites, and educational programs that speak to the rich history of the region. Learn about the Indigenous People’s of the three nations found in the Thompson Okanagan,Syilx, Secwépemc, and Nlaka'pamux and the history of settlers arriving and inhabiting the land and living through the gold rush and Kettle Valley Railway build.

Step back in time with a visit to the Secwepemc Museum and Heritage Park in Kamloops (Currently Closed). Displays tell the story of traditional hunting, fishing, clothing, games, food gathering, and cooking of the Secwepemc peoples, and their long-standing connection to the land in and around Kamloops.

Gold Rush fans will love the heritage tour at Hat Creek along the Gold Rush Trail in Gold Country. Tours range from 1.5 hours to two days with guided trail rides from one hour to all day. Bunker down for the night at one of Hat Creek’s RV sites, camping sites, cabins, or in a covered wagon. In Hedley, check out the Hedley Heritage Museum.

The Historic O’Keefe Ranch located in Vernon, is one of British Columbia’s first cattle ranches. Now a heritage site, it offers a glimpse into the past and what Vernon once was. Take a tour of the SS Sicamous, located on the shores of Okanagan Lake in Penticton. This luxury passenger stern wheeler once transported passengers and cargo up and down the shores of Okanagan Lake.

Wander the grounds of the Pandosy Mission in Kelowna, where Father Pandosy, an Oblate priest, established the first European settlement in the Okanagan Valley in 1859.

In Westbank, the First Nation’s heritage comes alive at the Sncəwips Heritage Museum. The museum represents and focuses on the heritage of the Westbank First Nation, with stories of Okanagan Nation and First Nations people around the world.

The Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre is a state-of-the-art interpretive centre. The spacious indoor and outdoor exhibit galleries show the fascinating stories of Canada’s only desert. Experience the land, the legends, and the people with a guided walking tour through some of the 22ha site. Highlights include the sagebrush habitat, outdoor sculptures, a reconstructed Indigenous village, cultural programs and rattlesnake presentations.

Explore the original Station House of the once working Kettle Valley Railroad at the Kettle River Museum in Midway found in Boundary Country. Here, you can relive the Kettle Valley Railways history of how it was built and ran while climbing aboard an original Canadian Pacific Railway caboose. Find abandoned mining ghost towns in Boundary Country. Remnants of our copper mining past can be found from Greenwood to Grand Forks.