Boating, sailing and watersports
Penticton Yacht & Tennis Club
Marina way, +1 250 492-2853. organizes sailboat races, has a twenty foot sailboat available for rental, and provides moorage for boaters.
Pier Water Sports
+1 250 493-8864, (http://www.pierwatersports.com). they have 11 years of experience on the water and feature boat and seadoo rentals, wakeboard and waterski lessons, parasailing, banana boat rides and a 42 foot party barge you can rent daily. take it for a tour down the lake during the day or have a party on it in the evening. it has an onboard barbeque and bathroom.
With two lakes ten minutes apart, Penticton is a great place to bring your boat if you have one. While you cannot boat from lake to lake, they both have launches and marinas for fuel and supplies.
Penticton Marina
293 marina way, +1 250 770-2000, gas dock: +1 250 770-2286. services okanagan lake.
Penticton Yamaha and Marina
124 south beach, +1 250 492-8300. services skaha lake.
Castaways
Beside the lakeside resort, +1 250 90-2033. rents seadoos.
Casabella Princess
The Casabella Princess, 293 Marina Way, +1 250 492-4090, (http://www.casabellaprinc...). Offers leisurely one hour morning, afternoon, and evening cruises around Okanagan Lake on a 48 passenger paddle wheeler. The boat is fully licensed and snacks are available. Charters for special events available. Special wine cruises. Reservations recommended. $15 adult, $8 under 12, free under 3.
WAKEBOARD SCHOOL - Wake Up Water Sports
+1 250 488-0386, (http://www.wakeupwaterspo...). penticton's only dedicated wakeboard and wakesurf school. all instructors are nccp certified and receive formal training through the provincial and national wakeboard associations.
Outdoors
Penticton Golf and Country Club
600 comox st, +1 250 492-5626, (http://www.tee-off.ca/cou...). don't let the name fool you, the public is welcome. $27 for 9 holes; $50 for 18.
Skaha Meadows
Highway 97 south just past the airport, +1 250 492-7274. penticton's newest course is a 9 hole par 35.
Perhaps the best thing to do in Penticton is to join the locals at the beach, and enjoy the blisteringly hot summer sun. Okanagan Beach follows pretty much the entirety of Lakeshore Drive on Okanagan Lake, and is generally the more family oriented beach. Skaha Beach to the south on Skaha Lake is where Penticton's younger crowd go to see and be seen. Sudbury Beach and Airport Beach are also on Skaha Lake, located west of Skaha Beach on the south side of Highway 97 Caution: Sudbury is used as a kitesurf launch during the off-season.. Three Mile Beach is a good bet when the crowds at the other beaches are getting you down. Located just north of town, follow Naramata Road north, turn left at Three Mile Road, and follow down to the lake. If you walk along the beach to the north you will find an unofficial nudist area.
Golfers will find themselves at home, with four golf courses in the city limits, and several more just beyond:
Pine Hills/Sage Mesa
3610 pine hill drive, +1 250 492-5731. two different 18 hole courses set high on a plateau overlooking penticton and the lakes.
Mini Golf
75 riverside just steps from the s.s. sicamous, (http://www.locolanding.com). family-friendly outdoor mini golf course. adults $8, children $6.
Festivals
Peachfest
(http://www.peachfest.com/) august. long since stripped of its 'party get drunk' image of the past, peachfest is now an event to be enjoyed by the entire family. includes arts/crafts exhibits, food and drink, live entertainment, parades, fireworks and much more.
Penticton is also a city of events and festivals. Indeed, in the summer there is rarely a time when there isn't some sort of festival going on. Dates and venues can change from year to year, check the websites for current information. A brief survey of the major festivals includes:
Okanagan Fest-of-Ale
(http://www.fest-of-ale.bc...) april. this two day festival pairs local breweries with local restaurants to show off their wares alongside live entertainment. hundreds of locals volunteer for the free beer.
Penticton Elvis Festival
(http://www.pentictonelvis...) late june. despised by some of the locals, and criticized due to prohibitive costs, this festival brings the best of the best of elvis impersonators to town. some free events.
Peach City Beach Cruise
(http://www.peachcitybeach...) late june. this crowd favorite brings over 400 hot-rods and classic cars from all over north america to lakeshore drive. the road is closed to normal traffic allowing close up views of the cars. at night some of the drivers put on a smoke show to the delight of the crowd, though police seem to be cracking down on this lately. lasts three days.
Penticton Highland Games
(http://www.pentictonhighl...) early july. come watch the caber toss and other heavy events accompanied by traditional scottish pipes, drumming, and dancing. if you have what it takes you can register and compete.
Beach Blanket Film Festival
(http://www.beachblanketfi...) late july. this unique festival invites people to lay down a blanket on the beach, bring a picnic and watch films on a floating screen in okanagan lake.
Pentastic Hot Jazz Festival
(http://www.pentasticjazz.com/) mid september. various venues host live dixieland, jive, swing, and other forms of jazz music.
Okanagan Fall Wine Festival
(http://www.owfs.com/) september-october. more of an 'okanagan' festival than a penticton one. many wine-diner pairings featuring local wineries and restaurants, stretching from osoyoos at the us/canada border to vernon at the northern end of lake okanagan. several of these take place in penticton.
Okanagan Pirate Party
(http://www.okpirate.com/) july-august. also, more of an 'okanagan' festival than a penticton one. a great annual festival devoted to all things pirate. be prepared to spend a good day on the hunt for treasure!
winter
In winter, your best bet is to spend some time up at the local ski hill Apex Alpine. Apex is about a 45 minute drive from town west on Green Mountain Road. You can also come cheer on the Penticton Vees BCHL hockey team at the South Okanagen Events Centre (http://www.soec.ca), go for a skate or play some pick-up at the indoor McLaren Park Arena, or if the weather is cooperative, play a round of golf right through the year.