Visit Armstrong Spallumcheen

Overlooking a pastoral patchwork of ranches, dairy farms, and fields growing alfalfa and corn, the welcoming communities of Armstrong and Spallumcheen embody slow travel and embrace agritourism. Delight in farm-fresh asparagus, sample locally-made cheese, pick cherries at an orchard, or take a leisurely stroll through an ecological reserve. People here are connected to the land, and it all comes together at the Interior Provincial Exhibition & Stampede every summer, a celebration of farming and ranching heritage with food, midway rides, animal exhibitions, and a rodeo.

Track down locally-produced preserves, honey, free-range eggs, and seasonal produce at the weekly Farmer’s Market. Or catch a live performance at the Caravan Farm Theatre, an outdoor playhouse that stages productions year-round on a sprawling farm. Arts and heritage come together on the Barn Quilt Trail, where you can search for more than 50 colourful quilt block squares painted on community barns, businesses and homes. More active pursuits are nearby, too, with trail networks located at Mount Rose Swanson and the Thomas Hayes Ecological Reserve.

Armstrong and Spallumcheen are located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Splatin First Nation and Syilx People of the Okanagan Nation. Learn more about the area’s Indigenous history and culture at the Armstrong-Spallumcheen Museum & Art Gallery, which houses a permanent collection of Indigenous artifacts, stories and information. Armstong grew in size after the railway arrived in 1890 — folks resettled to the town from nearby Lansdowne to be close to the tracks. After World War II, Dutch immigrants came to the valley and started the dairy farms that would put Armstrong on the cheese map. The museum, Armstrong Cheese and the Armstrong Fairgrounds are good places to learn more about the city’s agrarian roots.

Country guesthouses, glamping yurts, and luxurious B&Bs with a hot breakfast and fresh baking, are a few of the accommodation options in Armstrong. There are also traditional hotels in town and campsites nearby.