Discover 10 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Kamloops (Canada). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Riverside Park, British Columbia Wildlife Park, and Sacred Heart Cathedral. Also, be sure to include St. Paul's Cathedral in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Kamloops (British Columbia).
Table of Contents
Riverside Park
City park in Kamloops, British Columbia. Riverside Park is a park in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada that encompasses a beach next to a river. The park is bordered by the Thompson River and Landsdowne Street. There is a monument in the park that indicates the height to which four different floods reached throughout the history of the park. Riverside Park also includes a water park. There is an 11 PM curfew at the park, but it is not normally enforced. In 1885, the site that would eventually become the park was used as a campsite by Chinese Canadians from Savona's Ferry working on the Canadian Pacific Railway. When members of the On-to-Ottawa Trek stopped in Kamloops on their way from Vancouver to Ottawa, Ontario in 1935, Mayor W.J. Moffat offered the men an empty hospital to sleep in, but the men declined, many choosing rather to sleep in Riverside Park where they had only one blanket to share between three or four men. In 2011, a parking garage was proposed to be built in the park, but a group called the Friends of Riverside Park gathered signatures from more than 10% of the Kamloops electorate opposing the proposal, thereby forcing a referendum on the subject. Before the referendum could take place, however, the city council unanimously voted to put an end to the plans to build the parking garage.[1]
Address: 100 Lorne St, Kamloops
British Columbia Wildlife Park
106-acre zoo with rehabilitation program. The British Columbia Wildlife Park is a 106-acre zoo located in Kamloops, British Columbia.
The British Columbia Wildlife Park is an accredited member of the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA).[2]
Address: 9077 Dallas Dr, Kamloops
Sacred Heart Cathedral
Catholic cathedral in Kamloops, British Columbia. Sacred Heart Cathedral is a Romanesque-style church that serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kamloops. It is located in the downtown area of Kamloops at the intersection of Nicola Street and 3rd Avenue.
The construction of the cathedral began in 1921, a few blocks from the site of an earlier church by the same name that had burned down two years earlier. It opened in December 1925 and is now listed on the city's Heritage Walking Tour by the City of Kamloops Museum and Archives.[3]
Address: 255 Nicola St, Kamloops
St. Paul's Cathedral
Cathedral in Kamloops, British Columbia. St Paul's Cathedral, Kamloops, is the Cathedral church for the Territory of the People, Anglican Church of Canada. The Territory of the People was formerly known as the Diocese of Cariboo, which was dissolved because of its inability to meet tort judgments against it in respect of abuse in Indian residential schools. After dissolution of the Diocese of the Cariboo the Territory was temporarily known as The Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior. The building is an extremely modest one both in size and furniture and fittings.
The bishop having responsibility for the parishes of the Territory is the Rt. Rev. Barbara Andrews; the Dean is the Rev. Ken Gray.[4]
Sun Rivers
Canadian Indian Reserve. Sun Rivers is a community located on the northeastern side of Kamloops, BC on the Kamloops Indian Band Reserve against Mount Peter and Mount Paul. It is located east on Highway 5 near the junction with the Trans Canada Highway. It is developed around the Sun Rivers golf course.[5]
Kamloops Heritage Railway
Railway. The Kamloops Heritage Railway is a heritage railway in Kamloops, British Columbia. The railway operates throughout the year running trains within Kamloops. The train is pulled by restored steam locomotive Canadian National Railway 2141, the "Spirit of Kamloops".
2141 was built in 1912 by the Canadian Locomotive Company, in Kingston, Ontario - built for the Canadian Northern Railway, prior to it being absorbed into the Canadian National Railway. She is a 2-8-0, 'Consolidation' class of steam locomotive built for branch line railways. Originally a coal burner, she was converted to burn oil in 1954, and retired from active duty in 1958. 2141 was sold to the City of Kamloops in 1961, and placed on display in Riverside Park until restoration work began in 1995. The restoration was completed in 2001, and 2141 has been working for KHR from May until December each year since. A second restoration took place from 2013 to 2015, with the engine running again in August 2015. The locomotive was featured in the movie Gold (2013)
Tickets for excursions are sold at the ticket office, located at #3-510 Lorne Street, right across from the old Kamloops railway station.[6]
Academy Of Dance
Concerts and shows, Theater
Address: 910 Camosun Cres, Kamloops
Barnhartvale
Barnhartvale, originally Barnhart Vale, is located at the southeast end of Kamloops, south of Dallas in British Columbia, Canada. The area includes riding stables, farms, and ranches. There is a local Esso gas station, and a local elementary school, Robert L. Clemitson. The main road which runs through Barnhartvale is Barnhartvale Road. Todd Road and Pratt Road are the main accesses through the subdivided western portion of Barnhartvale.[7]
North Kamloops
North Kamloops is a neighbourhood and former town located in the City of Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. It is located immediately to the northwest of Downtown Kamloops across the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers. In 2016, North Kamloops had a population of 10,995, or 12.2% of Kamloops' total population of 90,280, and had the highest population density of any neighbourhood in the city at 2,750 people per km2. North Kamloops is one of four neighbourhoods the City of Kamloops considers part of its Core, the others being Downtown, Sagebrush, and the West End - all on the south shore of the city.
North Kamloops has historically been Kamloops' most socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhood, but in recent years market factors and revitalization efforts made by the City, community groups, and local businesses have begun to stimulate investment in the area, including the development of new commercial and residential real estate.[8]
Thompson Rivers University
Public university in Kamloops, British Columbia. Thompson Rivers University is a public teaching and research university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees and vocational training. Its main campus is in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, and its name comes from the two rivers which converge in Kamloops, the North Thompson and South Thompson. The university has a satellite campus in Williams Lake, BC and a distance education division called TRU-Open Learning. It also has several international partnerships through its TRU World division. TRU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities at the associate, baccalaureate, and master's degree levels.
TRU offers 140 on-campus programs and approximately 60 online or distance programs through the Open Learning division, including trades apprenticeships, vocational certificates and diplomas, bachelor's and master's degrees and law.[9]