Oliver

Oliver is a town of about 4900 people (2016) in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. It sits along the Okanagan River by Tuc-el-nuit Lake between Osoyoos and Okanagan Falls. Tourism British Columbia has named it "the Wine Capital of Canada".

Understand

Local industries include grape and fruit production, agri-tourism, wine production, ranching, golfing and recreation, retail and service trades. Some of the largest employers include Osoyoos Indian Band, School District #53, Interior Health and Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative

It was named after John Oliver (1856–1927), Premier of British Columbia. "Honest John" and his government brought irrigation water and settlement lots to the area with the South Okanagan Lands Project.

Oliver Tourism Association, 6431 Station St, 49.18597°, -119.54908°, +1 778-439-2363. The local visitor centre for tourism information. 2023-03-21

History

The First Nations (Indigenoys people) of the South Okanagan settled near the river, creeks and valley lakes. The first encroachment from the outside world came circa 1811, when fur traders came to the area with the establishment of Fort Okanagan (now in the US) and first explored the area for trade.

In the 1880s, free gold-bearing quartz was found at Camp McKinney (east of Oliver) which became a busy gold mine, attracting miners, con men, and outlaws. In Fairview (just west of and above Oliver), miners found gold and fueled the growth of a boomtown but it lasted just a few years and no remnants of the town survive today, other than a heritage marker.

Established in 1918, Oliver was a settlement for unemployed veterans of the First World War. A gravity-fed canal was constructed to provide irrigation to the semi-arid area.

In 1919, the South Okanagan Lands Project (SOLP) began work on the Intake Dam at the base of McIntyre Bluff. Over the next 8 years the of the concrete-lined main canal were dug southward to the boundary. SOLP designed it to enable farmers to put nearly a foot of water per month on every acre of bottom land in the southern Valley. To get the canal from the east side of the valley to the benches on the west, the “big siphon” was constructed — a 1,940-foot-long (590 m) pipe of 6½-foot-diameter. (Its original wood stave have been replaced by concrete.) It runs directly beneath the centre of Oliver. The offices of the land project and the building that housed the BC Provincial Police built circa 1924 stand today in Oliver as preserved heritage sites.

In 1923 the Kettle Valley Railway (CPR) constructed Oliver station and rails to transport fruit north to Penticton.

Get in

By air

Oliver has a small airport with no scheduled flights. For scheduled flights, the closest airport is in Penticton, though for greater options, use Kelowna's airport.

By car

Highway 97 (a major highway through the Okanagan region) passes directly through the town.

Get around

Oliver is a relatively small town; most, if not all, of everything is within walking distance.

The KVR trail (also referred to as the Hike & Bike path) makes its way to Osoyoos and up to OK Falls and Penticton; it is a scenic route along the Okanagan River. Most of the route is paved and well maintained, and even the unpaved (gravel) parts are well looked after with few holes and obstructions. This path is definitely faster, safer and more fun to travel on than the highway, if you plan to bike or walk to any of Oliver's neighbouring cities.

By public transit

BC Transit (South Okanagan-Similkameen Transit System). Bus route 40 operates from Monday to Friday between Penticton and Osoyoos with stops in Okanagan Falls and Oliver. There are two trips per day in each direction. Travel time to Oliver from Osoyoos is 23 minutes, from Okanagan Falls is 20 minutes, and from downtown Penticton is about an hour. 2022-03-27

By taxi

Oliver Taxi, +1 250-498-0022. 2023-03-21

See

Oliver & District Heritage Society Museum, 474 School Avenue, Oliver BC, 49.18307°, -119.55144°, +1 778-439-3100. Sep-May: Tu-F 1PM-4PM; Jun-Aug: Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM. 2018-05-13

Do

Oliver Theatre, 6387 Main St, 49.18531°, -119.55023°, +1 250-498-2277. historic, to take in a modern day flick on a big, old-time screen with old-time prices.
Venables Theater, 6100 Gala St, 49.18061°, -119.55634°, +1 250-498-1626. Theatre for performing arts.
Fairview Mountain Golf Club, 933 Old Golf Course Rd, 49.1651°, -119.5925°, +1 250-498-6050. Has an 18 hole golf course. 2023-03-12

Wineries

Make sure to visit some of the many world-class wineries while in Oliver. Oliver is home to the Golden Mile, and some of the valley's best grapes are grown here.

Across the valley from the Golden Mile is the Black Sage bench, which is home to some of the valley's most acclaimed wineries. It is renowned for its easterly position, heat, and long summer sun exposure, allowing for the production of high-quality red wines. Not all wineries in the area focus on "big red" wines, however. The Black Sage region of the South Okanagan is definitely a worthwhile area to tour during a stay in Oliver.

See "Drink" section for some winery options.

Buy

Oliver is home to many unique specialty shops, the likes of which span subjects as diverse as crafts, aesthetics, and jewellery.

Oliver Place Mall, 5955 Main St, 49.17878°, -119.55051°, +1 604-484-1090. The town's mall with a handful of shops. 2023-03-21

Produce

There are numerous fruit stands lining Highway 97, especially south of the downtown Oliver area.

Eat

Budget

A&W, 34651 Highway 97, 49.17874°, -119.55136°, +1 250-498-5559. 2023-03-21
Tim Horton's, 5717 Main St, 49.17124°, -119.55580°, +1 250-485-4111. 2023-03-21
Subway, 35609 97th Street, 49.18303°, -119.55020°, +1 250-498-3530. 2023-03-21
Buy-Low Foods, 105-5717 Main St, 49.17134°, -119.55442°, +1 250-498-6440. This grocery store has a deli department. 2023-03-21
Pizza 97, 5936 Main St, 49.17891°, -119.55210°, +1 250-498-0112. 2023-03-21

Mid-range

Oliver Garden, 6213 Main St, 49.18307°, -119.55015°, +1 250-498-2168. Chinese food. 2023-03-21
Best of India, 6390 Main St, 49.18529°, -119.55059°, +1 250-498-0872. Enjoy authentic Indian food in the comfortable, bright decor of India. 2023-03-21
Savvio's Family Restaurant, 5948 Main St, 49.17917°, -119.55207°, +1 250-498-4418. 34646-97th Street Enjoy a Mediterranean meal in a family friendly environment. 2023-03-21
Hammer's House of Hog, 6607 Main St, 49.18792°, -119.55059°, +1 250-535-3700. The barbeque sauce is out of this world. This place serves up all your southern BBQ favourites. 2023-03-21

Splurge

Pappa's Firehall Bistro, 6077 Main St, 49.18172°, -119.55020°, +1 250-498-4867. for a taste of their chic atmosphere and classic cuisine. 2023-03-21
Miradoro, 537 Tinhorn Creek Rd (at Tinhorn Creek Winery), 49.15068°, -119.59051°, +1 250-498-3742. Mediterranean-inspired cuisine with a breathtaking view of the valley. 2023-03-21
Terrafina Restaurant, 877 Road 8 (at Hester Creek Winery), 49.14397°, -119.59662°, +1 250-498-2229, terrafina@hestercreek.com. Discover the Tuscan-inspired cuisine while enjoying a view of the valley from the patio. 2023-03-21
The Sonora Room, 49.10142°, -119.53255°. A marriage of food, wine and ambiance. Freshness and flavour are mixed with an obsession to deliver the very best of the region to ensure unsurpassed quality. 2023-03-21

Drink

There is a bar in the Ghallager Lake area (a bit outside of town, north toward Okanagan Falls). There is a provincial liquor store on Main Street. The drinking age in BC is 19.

Ye Olde Welcome Inn, 8380 Ghallagher Lake Frontage Rd, 49.24320°, -119.52519°, +1 778-439-2435. This pub has an old English feel to it, inside and out; they'll be serving up your pub favourites. 2023-03-21

Wineries and vineyards

The Okanagan Valley is known for it's winemaking, and Oliver has more wineries than anywhere else in the Okanagan Valley.

Black Hills Estate Winery, 4190 Black Sage Road, 49.1099°, -119.5491°, +1 250-498-0666.
Burrowing Owl Winery, 500 Burrowing Owl Pl, 49.1014°, -119.53274°, +1 250-498-0620.
Covert Farms Family Estate, 300 Covert Pl, 49.24578°, -119.55563°, +1 250-498-9463. 2023-03-21
Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery, Road 8, 49.14664°, -119.59615°, +1 250-498-3537.
Hester Creek Estate Winery, 13163 326 Ave, 49.14350°, -119.59701°, +1 250-498-4435. 2023-03-19
Inniskillin Okanagan Vineyards (Jackson Triggs Winery), Road 11 West, 49.23081°, -119.5356°, +1 250-498-6663.
Quinta Ferreira Estate Winery (Quinta Ferreira), 6094 Blacksage Road Oliver, BC V0H 1T2, 49.179735°, -119.538733°, +12504984756, winery@quintaferreira.com. Vineyard and winery near Oliver, family owned and operated for many years. Excellent reds. 2018-02-10
Road 13 Vineyards, 13140 316A Avenue, 49.12656°, -119.59101°, +1 250-498-8330.
Rust Wine Co, 4444 Golden Mile Rd, 49.11859°, -119.58619°, +1 250-498-3276, info@rustwine.com. Su-Th 11AM-6PM, F Sa 11AM-7PM.
Silver Sage Winery, Road 9, 32032 87th Street, 49.13641°, -119.57272°, +1 250-498-0310. 2023-03-19
Stoneboat Vineyards, 7148 Orchard Grove Lane (turn left onto Rd 9 from Hwy 97, turn left again at Orchard Grove Lane), 49.13889°, -119.56626°, +1 250-498-2226. A family-owned and -operated estate winery that focuses on premium Pinot varietals as well as Pinotage, a robust red varietal that is relatively unique in Canada. The Martiniuk family has been growing grapes in the Okanagan since the 1990s.
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, 32830 Tinhorn Creek Road, 49.15009°, -119.59111°, +1 250-498-3743.

Sleep

Bed & Breakfast

Adobe Rose, 924 Morningstar Rd, 49.18037°, -119.56374°, +1 250-498-6367. $110-170 2023-03-21
Burrowing Owl Guest House, 500 Burrowing Owl Pl (at Burrowing Owl Winery), 49.10148°, -119.53308°. $175-350
Elm Tree Farm Bed and Breakfast, 307 Park Rill Road, 49.21428°, -119.55356°, +1 250-498-3094. $140-175 2023-03-21
The Villa At Hester Creek, 13163-326 St (at Hester Creek Estate Winery), 49.14186°, -119.59796°. $175-295
Morbrook Farms, 245 Bettison Rd, 49.20330°, -119.55362°, +1 250-498-0268. $85-135 2023-03-21
O'Reilly's Organic Farm, 7219 Highway 97, 49.21025°, -119.55626°, +1 250-498-6044. $120-300

Go next

Take Highway 97 to Osoyoos (south) or Penticton (north) to open a wide possibility of other cities in the Okanagan region. Penticton is a 30-minute drive and Osoyoos is about 15-20 minutes.

Go skiing at Mount Baldy, about 35 minutes drive east.

Oliver - town in British Columbia, Canada