Discover Vernon

Would you like to experience a historic house and art, visit interactive science exhibits, or plan a hike through a rare and endangered native grassland ecosystem? The offerings vary in both subject and format. If you first decide which experience you want to shape your stay, you can base the rest of your trip planning on a specific interest.

Art and History

The Caetani Centre offers guided, self-guided or private tours of its historic house, which is over 130 years old. Tours feature haute couture, art and home movies; visitors also get an insight into Sveva Caetani’s “Arts and Life” exhibition. This brings together different subjects under one roof: fashion, visual art and private film footage. Private guided tours for groups are available year-round by appointment for families, book clubs, interest groups, businesses and other groups. Tour times may change, and exhibition content may also evolve; check both before your visit.

The Vernon Public Art Gallery offers community programs such as artist talks, film screenings and workshops. Special events include Midsummer’s Eve of the Arts, Riot on the Roof and Art After Dark. This sets the gallery apart from the Caetani Centre: while the historic house and tours are central there, the gallery focuses on a changing events program. As the program changes regularly, check the latest dates in advance if a particular offering is important to your trip.

Science and Grassland

The Okanagan Science Centre offers interactive exhibits on sound, electricity and magnetism, light and optics, mechanics, astronomy, and space science. If these topics appeal to you, you’ll find a focus on science here, offering a different experience from art programs or historic tours. The mix of exhibits may change, so check in advance which topics are currently featured.

At the Allan Brooks Nature Centre, the Grasslands Trail offers self-guided or guided hiking experiences through a rare and endangered native grassland ecosystem. Unlike tours and exhibits, the focus here is on hiking through a specific ecosystem. Trail operations are seasonal, so check conditions for your travel dates in advance. The Allan Brooks Nature Centre in Vernon offers free on-site parking. You should also check practical visitor information before your trip. The offerings differ in timing: private guided group tours at the Caetani Centre are available year-round by appointment, while the Grasslands Trail operates seasonally.

To help you choose, consider both subject and format: the Caetani Centre offers tours of a historic house, the gallery offers community programs and events, the Science Centre offers interactive exhibits, and the Grasslands Trail offers guided or self-guided hiking experiences.

Discover more destinations: Lumby, Enderby, Armstrong, Cherryville.

For the broader travel overview: North Okanagan.