Armstrong is a city of about 4800 people (2016) in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. It is perhaps most famous as the home of the Armstrong Cheese factory, which closed in 2004.

Understand

Armstrong is a rural community and commercial center in the North Okanagan, with agriculture, grain farming of alfalfa and wheat, logging, and ranching being traditional economic activities. It is set amidst the dairy and farmlands of the Spallumcheen Valley (a name derived from a Shuswap language word with multiple meanings: "beautiful valley","flat meadow,""meeting of the waters" and "prairie-banked river").

History

Armstrong was named after E.C. Heaton Armstrong, a London banker who helped finance the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway in 1892 and local development at the turn of the century, relocating the townsite originally at Landsdowne to the confluence of the Valley's rail lines, and the city's current site.

The influence of Dutch immigrants settling in the valley after the Second World War is represented by their cheese-making knowledge, allowing Armstrong to become well known for the cheese it produced.

The city is also known for hosting the Interior Provincial Exhibition and Stampede, which has been in annual operation since 1899. The IPE has a midway and popular retail show, but is very much still a country fair, with contests being held to judge animals, cooking, sewing, hobbies and other items. The exhibition offers a variety of entertainment options ranging from concerts, competitions, and the famous mini-chuckwagon races.

Get in

The only highway through town is provincial highway 97A which travels from Vernon to the south and Sicamous to the north of Armstrong.

The closest major airport is in Kelowna to the south.

• BC Transit - Vernon Regional Transit System. 4 buses a day from Vernon (35 min) and Enderby (28 min). $3. (updated Nov 2019)

See

• 1 Armstrong-Spallumcheen Museum & Art Gallery, 3415 Pleasant Valley Road, ☏ +1 250 546-8318, asmas@telus.net. M-Sa 10AM-4PM. Contains a museum, art gallery and archives for Armstrong and area. The site of the old Armstrong Machine Shop has over 30 historical displays, replicas of the railways, a schoolhouse, a grocery store, a blacksmith shop, and a comprehensive archive of photographs, newspapers and maps. The Old School House is one of the original educational institutions in British Columbia. By donation. (updated Jun 2018)
• The Village Cheese Company, 3475 Smith Drive, ☏ +1 250 546-8651, fax: +1 250 546-8659, vcheese@villagecheese.com. An artisan cheese production facility that models itself after an estate winery. Features tours and tastings. 
• The Caravan Farm Theatre is where professional actors who have long provided entertainment throughout the Okanagan produce a number of annual events and festivals.

Do

• Skiing and snowboarding: the Silver Star Mountain Resort is the most popular winter attraction area in the Okanagan Valley, with close proximity to Armstrong. Skiers and snowboarders take advantage of Silver Star Mountain where they have 2,491 feet (760 m) of vertical drop in which to defy gravity. Cross-country skiers also have a venue at Silver Star with 37 kilometers of tracked and groomed trails. In addition, there are 50 km of groomed trails that pass through the adjacent Sovereign Lake area.
• The Okanagan and BC Rockies Circle Tour takes tourists through the interior of British Columbia, north through the Okanagan to Sicamous, following Highway 1 into the mountains of the BC Rockies.
• The Armstrong skateboard park is a large attraction in the city of Armstrong, holding company jams and demos and bringing many people from all over B.C. An indoor park at the IPE Fairgrounds offers youth year-round access to skating surfaces.
• Armstrong is home to two arenas, Nor Val Arena and Hassan Arena, which cater to community events, host Fabulous Fridays for skating and rollerblading. They are home to Shamrock Lacrosse, Knights Hockey, and Roller Derby.

Buy

• The Armstrong Farmers Market, which runs outdoors weekly April to October, is a key attraction at the Interior Provincial Exhibition Fairgrounds on Saturday mornings. A Winter Farmers Market also occurs at the Odd Fellows Hall on Bridge street in the off-season Thursdays from noon to 5PM.

Eat and drink

• 1 Brown Derby Cafe, 3425 Pleasant Vally Road, ☏ +1 250-546-8221. Tu-Sa 6:30AM-2PM. $2.99 breakfast special of 2 eggs (any style), bacon, sausage or ham, hash browns and toast in 2018! Soups, sandwiches. (updated May 2018)
• The Wild Oak Cafe & Community Market, 2539 Pleasant Valley Rd, ☏ +1 778-442-2028. Tu-Sa 9AM-4PM. Fresh muffins, soups, salads and sandwiches using fresh local ingredients when in season. (updated May 2018)
• 2 Tucker's Restaurant, 3460 Okanagan St, ☏ +1 778-442-4400. Tu-Th 7:30AM-7PM, F 7:30AM-7:30PM, Sa 8AM-7:30PM, Su 8AM- 2:30PM. Breakfast, sandwiches, burgers, flatbreads & wraps, pastas & bowls, entrées. (updated May 2018)

Sleep

• 1 Armstrong Inn, 3400 Smith Dr, ☏ +1 250-546-3056, toll-free: +1-866-546-3056, armstronginn@gmail.com. Single rooms, double rooms, kitchenettes and an executive suite all with queen size pillow top mattresses. From $119. (updated Jun 2018)
• Schubert Estate Bed & Breakfast, 4304 Schubert Rd, ☏ +1 250-546-2479, tframe@telus.net. A 9.5-acre country estate in the beautiful Spallumcheen Valley. 3 deluxe rooms, a large lounge room with satellite TV, sofas, chairs, games, a small library, kitchenette (with bottled water and free juice), a pool and an outdoor patio. Includes a hearty home-cooked breakfast. From $125. (updated Jun 2018)

Go next

• Head north to the Shuswap region.
• Head south to see the rest of the Okanagan including Vernon, Kelowna, and Penticton.
• Kamloops is a short drive north on Highway 97.

Routes through Armstrong

Sicamous / Salmon Arm via ← Enderby ←

N  S

→ Vernon → Kelowna via