The people are warm, friendly, and helpful. We were up
from the States over the summer of 2019 visiting relatives and
were welcomed into the community and made to feel like
one of the village regulars. I don't think I have ever felt this
kind of inclusiveness, this feeling of "you're one of us."
I spent several days meeting people and touring the village
to get a sense of what I wanted to say in my blog. I only had
one negative encounter in all the time we were there and
that took place late the first night we arrive and were trying to
find a place to stay.
I have medical issues and have a service dog that helps me.
My daughter and I had our 3 dogs with us and we hit the
Village at about 10:30 at night with rain coming down. My
sister-n-law Marilyn Massey was ill with a stomach virus so there
was no staying at her place. Besides pitching a tent under those
conditions were not ideal.
The first hotel we went to was adamant about no
dogs, not even service dogs. The second hotel was
wonderful and more than accommodating. Granted they
warned us we had the smallest room in the hotel, at that
point we didn't care. They had a motorcycle group in town
and you get what you get. What was important was we had
a room that we were able to bring our dogs into and it was
dry plus we had a bed to sleep in instead of a car.
A huge thank you goes to the Leland Hotel and its
wonderful accommodating staff.
The Leland Hotel is a wonderful old and eclectic historic
hotel and the oldest operating hotel in British Columbia as
it was built in 1892. The view from the Leland is one you
won't soon forget as it overlooks the beautiful Spicer
Gardens that complements the waterfront boardwalk
along the shore of the Upper Arrow Lake that sits below
the hotel. One can also see beautiful Saddleback Mountain
that sits across the lake...a silent sentinel.
The next morning had us on the search for coffee and
being a member of the Nakusp Communicator I knew that
"What's Brewing On Broadway" would be a good place to go.
What I didn't know was this quaint little coffee shop would
be able to provide me a wonderful gluten-free breakfast
sandwich. The proprietor Tricia was a real sweetheart. My
sandwich was made to perfection. Her little coffee shop
also has a great selection of teas and her staff can whip up
a smoothie in no time. She also has a little gift area filled
with handcrafts, books and the WIFI is free for your use. Also,
there is outdoor seating under a big shade tree on the west side
of the building. A great place to meet up with friends. She
offers a variety of breakfast and luncheon sandwiches.
I am gluten intolerant and get quite ill when
that's for sure. Every food establishment I did business with
am talking about sandwiches, hamburgers with gluten-free
buns. I can tell you, you will not find that very much down
in the states. So hats off to all the businesses in Nakusp for
having a great variety of delicious gluten-free
breads and buns available for those of us that can't eat
regular bread and buns. I had great meals at The Lodge, what was
Another great feature of the village is a wonderful
campground in town. You would never know there was one
there and it is a great facility which has been given
approval to expand.
We did our souvenir shopping at the Masonic Building
housing Heather's Treasure Trove. Great place to pick up
those unique souvenirs. We got a lot of great stuff to take back
with us for the family.
Nakusp has a lot to offer, a hostel, a great bike shop,
wonderful shopping, water sports, fishing, hiking, great
campground, historical archives, and museum, library,
beautiful scenery, local artists, great music programs,
great food, local inns, a well maintained and beautiful golf
course and wonderful summer weather.
But what Nakusp offers the most, is their wonderful warm
Since writing this, a pandemic has gripped the world keeping travel to almost nothing. Hopefully, in the near future, the world can once again open for business and Nakusp along with it. Also, a horrible wind storm ripped through Nakusp in 2021 destroying much of the Spicer Gardens along the Boardwalk. But if I know the spirit of the people there, it will be restored to its former beautiful and resplendent self.
SS
The first hotel we went to was adamant about no
dogs, not even service dogs. The second hotel was
wonderful and more than accommodating. Granted they
warned us we had the smallest room in the hotel, at that
point we didn't care. They had a motorcycle group in town
and you get what you get. What was important was we had
a room that we were able to bring our dogs into and it was
dry plus we had a bed to sleep in instead of a car.
A huge thank you goes to the Leland Hotel and its
wonderful accommodating staff.
The Leland Hotel is a wonderful old and eclectic historic
hotel and the oldest operating hotel in British Columbia as
it was built in 1892. The view from the Leland is one you
won't soon forget as it overlooks the beautiful Spicer
Gardens that complements the waterfront boardwalk
along the shore of the Upper Arrow Lake that sits below
the hotel. One can also see beautiful Saddleback Mountain
that sits across the lake...a silent sentinel.
The next morning had us on the search for coffee and
being a member of the Nakusp Communicator I knew that
"What's Brewing On Broadway" would be a good place to go.
What I didn't know was this quaint little coffee shop would
be able to provide me a wonderful gluten-free breakfast
sandwich. The proprietor Tricia was a real sweetheart. My
sandwich was made to perfection. Her little coffee shop
also has a great selection of teas and her staff can whip up
a smoothie in no time. She also has a little gift area filled
with handcrafts, books and the WIFI is free for your use. Also,
there is outdoor seating under a big shade tree on the west side
of the building. A great place to meet up with friends. She
offers a variety of breakfast and luncheon sandwiches.
I am gluten intolerant and get quite ill when
encountering gluten. I was in for a real treat in Nakusp,
that's for sure. Every food establishment I did business with
was able to provide me a delicious gluten-free meal. I
am talking about sandwiches, hamburgers with gluten-free
buns. I can tell you, you will not find that very much down
in the states. So hats off to all the businesses in Nakusp for
having a great variety of delicious gluten-free
breads and buns available for those of us that can't eat
regular bread and buns. I had great meals at The Lodge, what was
then Chumley's,
What's Brewing on Broadway, Nakusp Hot Springs and The
Hut Drive Inn. Thank you all for a pleasant dining
experience!
The local market, Save-on-Foods is a very complete market
with some of the best produce I have ever seen. I was very
impressed with the selection. My favorite item from the
market was Old Dutch Potato Chips. A superior chip in my
humble opinion. I was introduced to them many years
before, by my late husband.
We took a tour of the Arrow Lakes Historical Society
Archives and Library. I was very impressed with the
collection of the museum. We were able to lookup
pictures of family members who went to school in the early
days of Nakusp. The Nakusp Library really surprised me in
the size and the completeness of the facility. You should be
very proud of your library.
Another facility that impressed me was your Senior Center.
What a wonderful place for people to gather and be able to
enjoy each other's company. I went to a bridge game there.
However, I was reluctant to join in as my bidding skills are
not up to snuff. I did enjoy everyone's company though.
One of the delights was attending your weekly music event
at the auditorium. What a lovely facility to see a musical,
play or a guest artist that the community has brought in.
You are very fortunate to have an active musical and arts
program.
I attended a church service at one of your local churches.
The parishioners there were warm, friendly and so inviting.
Your local beach is lovely! Quite different from what I
remember from 30 years ago. Your waterfront boardwalk is
beautiful especially with the oriental bridge and gardens
and Spicer gardens, as one can clearly see, was
placed with thought and care to make a showing. It is
lovely to see benches for you to sit and view the lake or
read a book. The beautiful sculpture captures the spirit of
the village.
The lakes close by, Box Lake and Summit Lake Provincial
Park are lovely. The drive down to Box Lake is spellbinding,
transporting you into a world very Jurassic. The fauna and
flora is something else. It's just something you have to see
for yourself.
I would be remiss if I did not mention your lovely Nakusp
Hot Springs. My daughter did a 6-mile hike up to the Hot
Springs from a trailhead off of Alexander Road, east of
town up on a logging road. Yes, she did see bear scat. However, she
What's Brewing on Broadway, Nakusp Hot Springs and The
Hut Drive Inn. Thank you all for a pleasant dining
experience!
The local market, Save-on-Foods is a very complete market
with some of the best produce I have ever seen. I was very
impressed with the selection. My favorite item from the
market was Old Dutch Potato Chips. A superior chip in my
humble opinion. I was introduced to them many years
before, by my late husband.
We took a tour of the Arrow Lakes Historical Society
Archives and Library. I was very impressed with the
collection of the museum. We were able to lookup
pictures of family members who went to school in the early
days of Nakusp. The Nakusp Library really surprised me in
the size and the completeness of the facility. You should be
very proud of your library.
Another facility that impressed me was your Senior Center.
What a wonderful place for people to gather and be able to
enjoy each other's company. I went to a bridge game there.
However, I was reluctant to join in as my bidding skills are
not up to snuff. I did enjoy everyone's company though.
One of the delights was attending your weekly music event
at the auditorium. What a lovely facility to see a musical,
play or a guest artist that the community has brought in.
You are very fortunate to have an active musical and arts
program.
I attended a church service at one of your local churches.
The parishioners there were warm, friendly and so inviting.
Your local beach is lovely! Quite different from what I
remember from 30 years ago. Your waterfront boardwalk is
beautiful especially with the oriental bridge and gardens
and Spicer gardens, as one can clearly see, was
placed with thought and care to make a showing. It is
lovely to see benches for you to sit and view the lake or
read a book. The beautiful sculpture captures the spirit of
the village.
The lakes close by, Box Lake and Summit Lake Provincial
Park are lovely. The drive down to Box Lake is spellbinding,
transporting you into a world very Jurassic. The fauna and
flora is something else. It's just something you have to see
for yourself.
I would be remiss if I did not mention your lovely Nakusp
Hot Springs. My daughter did a 6-mile hike up to the Hot
Springs from a trailhead off of Alexander Road, east of
town up on a logging road. Yes, she did see bear scat. However, she
had her dog with her to somewhat protect her plus her bear spray. I
met her up there after her hike and we had a lovely soak in your Hot
Springs. What a wonderful place to relax and watch the little
hummers dart around the flowers fighting for the nectar.
We even found the original homestead and fruit trees as well as the
creek that runs on the property, named for the family. Powell Creek.
The creek runs down through the town and empties into the Upper
Arrow Lake.
Another great feature of the village is a wonderful
campground in town. You would never know there was one
there and it is a great facility which has been given
approval to expand.
We did our souvenir shopping at the Masonic Building
housing Heather's Treasure Trove. Great place to pick up
those unique souvenirs. We got a lot of great stuff to take back
with us for the family.
Nakusp has a lot to offer, a hostel, a great bike shop,
wonderful shopping, water sports, fishing, hiking, great
campground, historical archives, and museum, library,
beautiful scenery, local artists, great music programs,
great food, local inns, a well maintained and beautiful golf
course and wonderful summer weather.
But what Nakusp offers the most, is their wonderful warm
and friendly people who make you feel right at home.
Thanks, Nakusp for making us feel so welcomed!
Susie and Christie Smeal
Thanks, Nakusp for making us feel so welcomed!
Susie and Christie Smeal
Since writing this, a pandemic has gripped the world keeping travel to almost nothing. Hopefully, in the near future, the world can once again open for business and Nakusp along with it. Also, a horrible wind storm ripped through Nakusp in 2021 destroying much of the Spicer Gardens along the Boardwalk. But if I know the spirit of the people there, it will be restored to its former beautiful and resplendent self.
SS
