Kootenay Country Heritage

BC’s Mountain Playground

Island Lake | Credit: Kari Medig

Header Photo Credit: Field & Forest

BC’s Kootenay region is alive with history and heritage.  Full of pristine mountains and rivers, this area boasts wonderfully restored heritage towns, thriving arts communities and gold rush boomtowns.

Covering so many of the region’s quaint areas, this tour invites you to explore and experience the lifestyle, culture, and community of Canada’s west.  Savour the last days of warm weather as we transition to fall colours and enjoy all that BC’s mountain playground has to offer with stunning panoramic vistas and scenic roadways.

 

TOUR ITINERARY

DAY 1 – OSOYOOS, BC

Travelling through the Okanagan Valley, we settle in for our first night on the shores of Osoyoos Lake at the Best Western. Gather this evening with fellow travellers for dinner.

DAY 2 – NELSON, BC

Today visit Nk’mip Desert Cultural Centre to learn about Canada’s only desert and the legends and culture of the Syilx people.  Then, experience Doukhobor life with a guided tour through the Discovery Centre enroute to Nelson.

EXPERIENCES & HIGHLIGHTS

Situated in Nelson, BC lies a historical marvel.  Streetcar #23 is a fully functional streetcar that was built in 1906 by the Stephenson Car Company of New Jersey and purchased by the City of Nelson in 1924. Remaining in service until 1949, Streetcar #23 served as a skating rink, dog kennel and craft shop until a group of enthusiasts restored it and put it “back on track” in 1992 making its first revenue run in 43 years!

DAY 3 – NELSON

This morning it’s ‘All Aboard’ Streetcar #23 for a guided tour of “The Queen City” of Nelson. Next up is the unique community of Kaslo. Step onboard the S.S. Moyie, the World’s oldest intact passenger sternwheeler.  It is the ship’s 125th Anniversary of her original launch in 1898!  Once back in Nelson, spend the rest of the day exploring Baker Street and the towns’ many heritage buildings.

DAY 4 – CRANBROOK, BC

Prepare for stunning scenery today as we travel parts of the famed Crowsnest Hwy enroute to Cranbrook, a town created for the railway and rooted in nature and grounded by culture.  Visit the acclaimed Museum of Rail Travel and celebrate the glory days of a bygone era. Our home for the night is the beautiful St. Eugene Resort Casino.

SPOTLIGHT

St. Eugene Mission Resort is a repurposed residential school owned and operated by the First Nations of the area.

The Canadian Museum of Rail housed the largest collection of cars in North America of rail travel in Canada in the early 1900’s.

DAY 5 – REVELSTOKE, BC

Explore Kimberley, known for its Bavarian theme, Cominco Gardens and cuckoo clock.  All aboard the Underground Railway as we journey to Sullivan Mine to learn abut life as a miner. Our destination is The Regent Hotel in Revelstoke where you will enjoy a farewell dinner.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Bavarian City of Kimberley, BC is home to the World’s largest standing Cuckoo Clock!  Built in 1972, it stands 22 feet high and is 12 feet wide.

DAY 6 – RETURN HOME