On a recent short camping trip, we unintentionally ventured off the beaten track. We were camping in the Okanagan Falls area at a small provincial campsite. After basing ourselves there, we went into Osoyoos for the day stopping in at my favorite vineyard along the way (Gehringer Brothers). When we previously traveled to OK Falls we discovered a short cut which brought us out to the campsite we were staying in. My husband however this time took the wrong short cut. We seemed to travel forever along this unmade winding road up into the hills and eventually ended up in Keremeos. Through this slight diversion we discovered the Grist Mill, a heritage site just outside of Keremeos. We not only ended up having a lovely afternoon tea in the restaurant with scones and locally made plum jam, but found a perfect camping spot right by the mill. We decided then to spend a night there and explore the mill and grounds.
The mill dates back to 1877 and was operating up until 1890. Once the railroad came through, the mill closed down. The mill site is in the process of being restored. There are 12 acres of agricultural activities, lovely gardens and historic buildings. There are various workshops, events and seminars from May to October and so it is certainly well worth a visit