Are you new students/workers to the Kamloops area? Are you looking for places to enjoy the weekend but not having a travel buddy, a vehicle?
DON’T WORRY, Kamloops has the most convenient public transport system, BC Transit. The service is there just for you to use to travel around Kamloops city and the area. You can explore Kamloops with your TRU bus pass or a cheap price day pass, only $4 for non-student visitors.
BC Transit Bus at the station. Photo by Anna Nguyen
A Bit About Kamloops
Kamloops is situated in the south-central of beautiful British Columbia, one of the major tourist destinations in the Thompson Okanagan region. The city is well-known as ‘Canada’s tournament capital’ city where many sports events occur every year. Not only sports occasions, but the loop is also an ideal location for outdoor adventures, arts and cultures, family vacations, tours, road trips and wine tourism. Therefore, Kamloops welcomes thousands of tourists from all over places, both national and international. Some of the tourist attractions in Kamloops are Kamloops Art Gallery, Sun Peaks resort, Harper Mountain Ski resort, BC Wildlife Park, Privato Winery, Monte Creek winery, Downtown Kamloops and much more!
Are you ready for a new journey in this fantastic city? Let’s go!
A snapshot of Kamloops. Photo by OurTRU on https://ourtru.ca/2018/11/07/10-reasons-to-fall-in-love-with-kamloops/
Our First Stop: Downtown Kamloops, The Heart of Kamloops city
This is a short video introducing Downtown Kamloops by Tourism Kamloops.
Downtown Kamloops is the hub of the city where you can enjoy local arts, local food, local breweries, local events, local shopping and tourist hot spots in Kamloops within walking distance. We can spend a whole day having fun in downtown Kamloops because it is so many things and places to check out just at this location. So, how to get there by bus? At TRU Exchange, you can take either bus number 7 or 9 to downtown. It takes you about 10 minutes from the bus station to downtown. Victoria Street is the main road at Kamloops downtown, where many local shops, restaurants, café, and tourist attractions situate. Downtown Kamloops here we go!
Café, A Fresh Start For A New Day
You can begin your day with a cup of coffee and a delicious breakfast at one of many excellent local coffee shops. Some of the top rating café at downtown Kamloops is Café Motivo, The Art We Are, The Vic Downtown, Swiss Pastries, Bakery and Café, and Amplified Café. All these cafés offer the public a variety of food and drink options for breakfast, lunch, and brunch.
The Art We Are and the Vic Downtown café also display and sell many local art and artisan products in store. A cup of flavorful home grounded coffee and a piece of home-baked bread/ pastry can freshly start your travel day at Kamloops.
Local Arts and Cultures
There are many locations at Downtown Kamloops where you can local art workers and learn more about the Kamloops’ cultures. The first ‘must visit’ art location is Kamloops Art Gallery. Kamloops Art Gallery is the most extensive art gallery in British Columbia’s Interior with “over 3000 artworks” (Kamloops Art Gallery, n.d.). The gallery offers you various experiences, including art exhibitions, events, workshops, tours, talks, programs. Check out the Kamloops Art Gallery website for more detailed information on current events and workshops before your trip. Especially on ‘Happy Thursdays,’ you can enter the gallery for free.
Inside Kamloops Art Gallery. Photo by Wade Tomko from http://truomega.ca/2018/08/08/kamloops-art-gallery-celebrates-forty-years-of-memories/
Another unique thing of Kamloops art and culture to explore is the Back Alley Art Gallery. This outdoor collection of 32 wall art works located in many 32 different locations around Downtown Kamloops instead of the one venue with all the art works a traditional way (Downtown Kamloops). Therefore, the gallery is a new, fun and engaging way for tourists to enjoy local arts. I call it an ‘art hide and seek game’ because Kamloops’s beautiful and unique Back Alley artworks are hiding somewhere in the hub of the city; you must seek to enjoy them.
“No Parking” Back Alley Art Work by Kelly Wright (2018) on Seymour Street. Photo by Anna Nguyen
Where to Fill Up Your Belly?
Kamloops downtown is home to diverse food culture worldwide, from Asian to Western styles. You can find various restaurants serving Indian, Chinese, Greek, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, and Jamaican food. You can find the taste of home overseas just right at the corner of downtown Kamloops. Especially, you can enjoy and experience the culture of ‘farm to table’ at several restaurants downtown where all served foods are made of totally locally grown ingredients. From breakfast and brunch to modern dining, Downtown Kamloops has something to offer everyone.
Dinner at CODOR RESTO + BAR. Photo by Tourism Kamloops from https://www.tourismkamloops.com/foodanddrink/restaurants/modern/
A Heaven for Shopping Lovers
Kamloops downtown offers you many unique and locally-owned boutiques, specialty, gifts, and handicraft shops. Here is the list of local shopping stores located in Downtown Kamloops:
- Cozy Gift shops: Far&Wide, Desert Rain Giftware, Castles & Cottages, Crooked Crown, Lori-Ann’s Gifts & More
- Specialty shops: Barnacle Records, Kennel’s shoes, Big Foot Inn, Red Wing shoes.
- Boutique clothing stores: Jardines Domaine, MainStreet clothing, McAllister & Howard Clothiers
Shopping at downtown Kamloops. Photo by Tourism Kamloops from https://www.tourismkamloops.com/thingstodo/shopping/
A Sip of Kamloops Local Breweries
It will be your regret if you leave Kamloops without trying local craft beers at least once. You can enjoy the culture of ‘farm to table’ by combining local foods and beverages at downtown Kamloops. There are a total of 5 microbreweries in Kamloops. Downtown Kamloops carries three of our five amazing local breweries: Alchemy Brewing, Noble Pig Brewhouse, Red Collar Brewing Co., all located in Victoria Street. All the breweries offer the visitors with beautiful view patios and dining spaces, with menus of ‘mix match’ of homemade craft-brewed beers and cuisines from their scratch kitchens.
Noble Pig Brewery Beer. Photo by Tourism Kamloops from https://www.tourismkamloops.com/foodanddrink/breweries-cideries-distilleries/
*Please be mindful of BC’s drinking age (19) and drink responsibly.
Having Funs with Local Events
Kamloops’s downtown is also a place for many local events occurring every year, such as Farmer Markets or Downtown Merchant Market. The outdoor farmer market is an annual event taking place twice every week from early May to late October at downtown Kamloops. Kamloops Farmer Market is an excellent event for you to shop local organic products directly from local farm vendors and enjoy unique foods and beverages from local food trucks. Downtown Merchant Market is an special event when local businesses operate a 4 days of sidewalk sales and people can find a good deals on merchandises along with music, food and entertainment at downtown. Attending local events is a perfect way to emerge yourself to the Kamloops’s live and support local businesses.
Kamloops local Farmer Market. Photo by Tourism Kamloops from https://www.tourismkamloops.com/foodanddrink/farmersmarket/
Are you getting tired of walking around the big downtown? You can always use bus number 6, Downtown Loop, to get around the downtown area.
Say ‘Hi’ to Wildlife at Kamloops BC Wildlife Park
Kamloops BC Wildlife Park Entrance. Photo by Anna Nguyen
Have you ever thought that one day you will stand in front of grizzly bears or deer in close contact? Kamloops offers you this type of unique experience at Kamloops Wildlife Park. From downtown, you can take bus number 17 to Kamloops Wildlife Park at Lansdowne Exchange. It takes you about 40 mins from downtown to the park by bus. Wildlife Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kamloops.
A Shot of Owl at Kamloops BC Wildlife Park. Photo by Anna Nguyen
BC Wildlife Park is home to approximately 200 animals and 65 BC native species such as bears, cougars, birds, owls, raccoons, bobcats, deer, peacocks, wolfs and many more! (Kamloops BC Wildlife Park, n.d.). Especially, Kamloops Wildlife Park is taking care of the only Kermode bear in human care in the world (Kamloops BC Wildlife Park). Most of the animal residents there are rescued from nature. The park offers tourists various wildlife tourism experiences, from interactive VIP Wildlife Experience/ Wildlife Encounters, Bird of Prey Flight demonstrations, splash park, Wildlife Express miniature train, animal art exhibit, reptile exhibit to wildlife education. Kamloops Wildlife Park is an excellent location for visiting and learning about the local nature and wildlife. Visit Kamloops BC Wildlife Park website for further information.
Riverside Park, an intersection of Thompson River and Kamloops
A beautiful view at Riverside Park. Photo by Anna Nguyen
Located only 10 minutes walking from downtown, Riverside Park is a beautiful waterfront park in Kamloops. You have come over a challenging, beautiful bridge that connects Riverside Park and Kamloops downtown to reach the park. The park has ample green grass space, a sandy public river beach, recreation paths, a playground, and a water park. Therefore it is ideal for a picnic, beaching activities, swimming, hiking, and walking. The public can get access to the park for free. Suppose you are tired of dining in a fancy view restaurant. In that case, the park is a perfect choice for taking out some food at local restaurants and enjoying your meals with the picturesque natural scenery of Kamloops.
A bridge connecting downtown Kamloops and Riverside Park. Photo by Anna Nguyen
Moreover, Riverside Park is also a venue for many local events taking place like Music in the Park, Kamloops International Buskers Festival, Kamloops International Buskers Festival and Art in the park. The memories connected by the power of hope are also an attraction to the park and an excellent spot for great photos. You also can learn about the history and heritage of the park on-site.
The memories connected to the power of hope at Riverside Park. Photo by Anna NguyenLying on the beachside, enjoying the sunshine, listening to songbirds, and viewing the spectacular natural beauty with a bottle of local beers will delight your day in Kamloops. What else can be more wonderful than staying connected to nature right at the hub of the city? Riverside Park is also a perfect location for gorgeous sunset views, an ideal ending for your long travelling day.
Still want to know more about Kamloops, visit the local DMO, Tourism Kamloops, for more ideas to experience Kamloops’s tourism.
Please, be mindful of COVID 19 protocols during your travels to protect yourself and each other while having fun exploring Kamloops. Thank you!
References
Tourism Kamloops. (n.d.). Shopping. Retrieved from https://www.tourismkamloops.com/thingstodo/shopping/
Tourism Kamloops. (n.d.). Food and Drink. Retrieved from https://www.tourismkamloops.com/foodanddrink/
Downtown Kamloops. (n.d.). Back Alley Art Gallery. Retrieved from https://www.downtownkamloops.com/discover-downtown-kamloops/back-alley-art-gallery/
Kamloops BC Wildlife Park. (n.d.). Connecting People to BC’s Wildlife and Wild Places. Retrieved from https://www.bcwildlife.org/
Kamloops Art Gallery. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved from https://www.kag.bc.ca/
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