Some may want to escape reality altogether this winter at Arcadia Virtual Reality Lounge in Kelowna

Image Credit: Arcadia Virtual Reality Lounge/ Facebook

Snow and freezing temperatures aren’t for everyone. Luckily, there’s a range of activities to take part in this winter that don’t require a thermal layer.

Escape rooms, of which there are several establishments dotted across the Okanagan, offer gamers and puzzle solvers the chance to put their skills to the test in a real-life scenario. 

EXIT Escape Games has locations in Kelowna, Penticton, and Kamloops. Visitors to the venue get the opportunity to explore real-life game settings and work as a team to find their way out.

According to its website, EXIT offers something for everyone, including first-time visitors and experienced players.

Virtual reality lounges also offer not just an escape from the cold, but an escape from reality through a range of immersive gaming experiences.

In Kelowna, Arcadia Virtual Reality Lounge hosts a range of augmented reality games in an 80s arcade style lounge. The location has eight booths where visitors can play alongside their friends inside an augmented world.

The lounge also offers a weekly ‘Nerd & Brew’ where adults can come kick back with a locally brewed beer and some VR headsets.

Xperience Games in Kelowna also offers virtual reality escape rooms. As well as Penticton Virtual Reality Studio and Kamloops’ All Around GamerZ VR Lounge & Arcade which provide similar experiences.

For those who mourning their local golf course as it gets covered under a thick blanket of snow, there are even more virtual alternatives.

The recently opened Okanagan Virtual Golf is the first of its kind in Penticton and promises to deliver an immersive golfing experience. As do Simplex Sportszone and Anytime Sim Golf in Kelowna, as well as Strictly Golf in Vernon and the Breaking Par Golf Academy in Kamloops.

READ MORE: Penticton business takes a swing at virtual golf

Axe throwing is another indoor sport available to the more daredevil locals. Head to Axemonkeys in Kelowna to let some rage out, whether that hurling an axe through the air or unleashing total destruction in a rage room.

Similarly, lazer tag venues give both kids and adults the opportunity to get out some of that dormant winter energy. Planet Lazer in Kelowna and The Fun Facter Fun Centre in Kamloops, both offer this experience.

Climbing is another option for the more adventurous types, with Gneiss Climbing, Beyond the Crux Climbing Gym and the Energyplex Entertainment Centre in Kelowna and the Rock Garden Climbing Centre in Vernon, as well as Cliffside Climbing Gym in Kamloops.

On the other end of the scale, for those looking for a more relaxed excursion science centres, museums and art galleries are scattered through Kelowna, Vernon, Kamloops and Penticton. As well as countless wineries, many of which provide ice-wine tasting. 

What's your favourite indoor wintertime entertainment? Let us know in the comments below.

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