Food Vancouver - Food Vancouver Select Guide: Top 5 Things to Do in the Thompson Okanagan with 5 Food Pairings

With more than 130 wineries offering tours and tastings, 50+ golf courses, 5 ski resorts, dozens of spas and countless trails for hiking, biking and soaking up the scenery, there are ample ways to fill a weekend away in the Thompson Okanagan. And ample is putting it mildly.

Don’t worry about leaving the city; you won’t lose any of the urban sophistication given the region’s collection of restaurants and wineries. Instead you’ll gain an area rich with rural charm as well. And with a landscape that includes everything from mountains to desert, you’re bound to find an activity that gives you an excuse for more food and wine.

To give you some thought starters on building the itinerary for your best days, here are five of the best things to do in the region. And each is paired with a perfect meal to really get your mind going.

1. Indulge in a spa treatment that could taste as good as it feels. Vinotherapy combines a grape pip scrub, a honey body wrap and a grape-seed oil massage.

Suggested pairing: The hearty, meal-sized organic greens with vegetable ribbons - Chef du-Cuisine Natasha Schooten Watermark Wine Bar, Watermark Beach Resort, Osoyoos

2. Follow in the footsteps of Mike Weir, Greg Norman and Fred Couples by taking in the views of Lake Okanagan as you walk the fairways at one of two courses at Predator Ridge.

Suggested pairing: The “montagued” steak at The Range, which is cooked in a special steak oven at 1,800°F. “It’s a steak to remember” - Doug Goubault, Director of Golf Predator Ridge Golf Resort, Vernon

3. Grab the family and saddle up at one of the guest or dude ranches scattered around the scenic Nicola Valley. Learn to ride, rope and wrangle like a true Westerner.

Suggested pairing: Blueberry and jalapeno salsa to top your freshly caught rainbow trout - Richard Padmos, Owner Cathedral Lakes Lodge

4. Hit the pow at Big White or Silver Star. Even Main Street at the first mountain is a ski run, and the latter is the perfect spot for a family-friendly ski holiday with its renowned kids’ programs and fairytale village setting.

Suggested pairing: Celery route and apple velouté, with whipped ricotta cheese - Chef Paul Cecconi Local Lounge & Grille, Summerland

5. Take a car down Bottleneck Drive or Corkscrew Drive and stop in at wineries at any time, but particularly between September 30 and October 10 for the 30th Annual Okanagan Wine Festival.

That’s just a taste of what’s available to do, see, and eat in the region. Get more food pairing ideas to go along with your wine, spa, golf, hiking or ski vacation. Learn more.

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Food Vancouver Select Guide: Top 5 Things to Do in the Thompson Okanagan with 5 Food Pairings