A guide for all seasons

(Photo: Courtesy of Tourism Kelowna)

The cover of the Official 2013 Kelowna & Area Visitors Guide shows brothers Andy and Leo Gebert of St. Hubertus Winery sipping wine in their vineyard. Pick up a copy at the Visitor Centre at 544 Harvey Ave. and participating locations.

What if I told you that there was a guide available that would please any and every visitor to your home? In this guide, they would find ideas of places to visit in the city that are sure to delight them, no matter what their interests. What if I told you that this guide also included a city map depicting all the attractions that this city has to offer? What if I told you that this guide is free?

When you think about it like this, it seems crazy not to get your hands on one. The guide in question is the Official 2013 Kelowna and Area Visitors' Guide, produced by Tourism Kelowna.

It's a handy piece to keep in your guest room so that guests who come visit you will be able to leaf through it and plan their stay in town. There are different sections in the guide to appeal to various tastes: Heritage, Festivals and Events, Golf, Wineries, Orchards and Gardens, Arts and Entertainment, Shopping and Spas, Dining, Guided Tours, Accommodations, Day Trips and Winter. The sections start out with a brief introduction that identifies the top attractions and activities to be had in each section. Notes on the sides of the pages give helpful personalized tips and point out hidden gems. Each section ends with a listing of the various attractions, golf courses, wineries, restaurants, and accommodations for readers to peruse.

Tourism Kelowna has been producing the Visitors' Guide for over 20 years, changing formats to a narrower booklet that can easily fit into a backpack or the side pocket of a vehicle as of a few years ago. It remains Tourism Kelowna's primary servicing tool when we receive Visitor queries on Kelowna - in other words this guide is handed over with a smile at the Visitor Centres of 544 Harvey Ave and the airport Info Kiosk, both of which are managed by Tourism Kelowna, when visitors stop by and ask for information. It is mailed out to Visitors who call or email Tourism Kelowna, asking for information on the destination to plan out their vacations. There's even an electronic version of it online, posted on Tourism Kelowna's website, to help visitors in their trip planning.

What kinds of information can you find in its pages? The Guide will tell you about the intriguing experiences of many of our wineries; it provides you with a snap-shot of the golf courses in the Kelowna area, ranging from forgiving to award-winning and ego-shattering. It gives a host of great winter activities that are available in the area for visitors who come our way during the colder months. It lists area beaches, farms, orchards, and even apiaries.

If you want to stock your home with this guide, you can stop by at the Visitor Centre at 544 Harvey Ave and pick one up – they are hot off the press and available as you read this.

We at Tourism Kelowna hope that your guests will enjoy their time in Kelowna while visiting the innumerable attractions this city has to offer. When your guests return to your home in the evenings, full of tales of their day's adventure, the interesting people they met along the way, the unique products they picked up to remind them of their adventures, and an album's worth of pictures, you will know that your home has played an important role in feeding your friends' soul and nurturing their minds. That is the most precious gift any host can give, and the best part is, it gives back to you in the form of energy, satisfaction, pride in your city, and curiosity for the gems around you. Who would have ever though that a little free guide could be the source of all that.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.