July 11, 2026
Today, Adventure Bay is known as a residential community overlooking Okanagan Lake in Vernon. But long before the neighbourhood was developed, the area was home to an elegant lakeside resort that promised visitors an escape from the ordinary.
Adventure Bay Resort was built by Albrecht and Christa von Gadenstedt, who emigrated to Canada from Germany in 1951. Construction began in the early 1960s and was completed in 1962, creating an exclusive luxury retreat on the shores of Okanagan Lake. Guests stayed in twelve hillside beach houses with spectacular lake views, while gourmet meals were served in the resort’s dining room.
Promoted as being “aloof from the everyday bothers of life,” the resort blended Pacific Coast architecture with European influences that reflected the von Gadenstedts’ heritage. Heraldic crests from the family’s former holdings in Germany were incorporated into stained-glass windows throughout the property. Each unit featured its own power boat, German plumbing fixtures, and baked tile floors imported from Czechoslovakia.
Before opening to the public in July 1962, Adventure Bay welcomed 42 members of the press for a special preview. Visitors soon discovered a destination offering far more than beautiful scenery. Guests could enjoy waterskiing, swimming, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, hiking, miniature golf, recreation facilities, and jeep excursions to the nearby Morning Glory Gold Mine. The resort also boasted an impressive dining experience, serving dishes such as salmon steaks, lobster Thermidor, veal cutlets, lamb chops, and prime rib. It even hosted festive Hawaiian luaus complete with traditional pig roasts. Brochures proudly advertised another feature that many Okanagan visitors would have appreciated: an absence of mosquitoes.
Adventure Bay soon became a familiar name in Vernon. The resort entered a model float of the property in the 1963 Vernon Winter Carnival and welcomed distinguished guests, including Federal Finance Minister Mitchell Sharp during his visit to Vernon in 1966. Although it initially operated only during the summer months, the resort expanded to year-round service in 1968.
The expansion was short-lived. Adventure Bay Resort was sold in 1969, and the von Gadenstedts moved on to manage Fintry Estate. For a time, the family also lived at the Caetani House while Sveva Caetani was travelling in Europe before eventually settling in a home overlooking the Shuswap River.
Christa and Albrecht von Gadenstedt passed away in 2001 and 2002, respectively, but their family’s connection to the region continues. The history of Adventure Bay Resort is preserved through photographs, newspaper accounts, and a scrapbook held at the Vernon Archives. While today’s Adventure Bay is filled with homes rather than holiday cottages, its history offers a fascinating glimpse into one of the Okanagan’s most distinctive luxury resorts.
Archives Manager, Gwyneth Evans