Osoyoos Desert Model Railroad

From the first time I visited Oliver, I've wanted to go the Osoyoos Desert Model Railroad. It's in a nondescript warehorse building and you see it as you are coming down the hill into Osoyoos. It's clearly marked and the hours are frequent enough that it should not have taken 11 years to go. I think the issue is that it's about a 20 minute drive to Osoyoos and we never want to stop on our way through so it has to be a trip on it's own and our typical trip to Osoyoos involves mini-golf. This past Easter however we had nothing planned so I asked the family who wanted to go. There was reluctance but Carter decided he would come.

I will admit I had rather low expectations. I've been to places like this in the past and they are often dusty and old smelling. This place was a lot different. The lower portion of the warehouse seems to be the hobby space for the 4+ individuals who created and maintain the models. The upper floor was partially dedicated to the models and rather than dust we were met with a meticulously clean and surprisingly interactive set of scenes. The room is about 1000 square feet and is absolutely full. Everything is behind glass and it takes at least a half hour to see everything in detail.

The most amazing part was that every so often the conductor, he even has a booth and a hat, will turn off the lights and the whole room turns into night mode. The ski-hill is lit, the houses have lights and there was a concert going on with  music and stage lights. Once the lights came on we found a feature we hadn't seen before. There are buttons that will activate a portion of the model. We made sure to press every button and we pressed the button of the man peeing in the bushes after a night of drinking more than once. The place was packed with people when we were there and I definitely recommend it if you are in the area.