Vernon's Active Living Centre: What's Inside and Where to Live Nearby

Short answer: Vernon’s new Active Living Centre is the City’s indoor aquatics, fitness and community centre at 3501 43rd Avenue, on the former Kin Race Track lands. The City says it opens in late 2026, and founding-member pre-sale starts November 1. If you are weighing where to live in Vernon, it is one more reason to look at the central and northern neighbourhoods, and this guide covers what is inside, the racing history under it, and which neighbourhoods sit around it.

I am Sean Phillips, an Okanagan lifestyle real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Executives Realty, and I live in Okanagan Landing. A new rec centre is not a reason to buy a particular house. It is a good prompt to think about how you will actually live in Vernon: where you swim, walk in winter, and take the kids on a rainy Saturday. Everything about the centre below is the City’s information, so confirm dates and features at vernon.ca/alc.

What is inside the Active Living Centre?

The swimming and spa side, from the City’s feature list:

• Eight-lane 50‑metre pool
• Two diving boards
• Warm‑water teaching pool
• Zero‑depth beach entry
• WhiteWater waterslide
• NINJACROSS challenge course
• Sauna, steam room and cold plunge
• Family and adult‑only hot tubs

The leisure pool also has the WaveBall, a tot slide and interactive spray features. The 50-metre pool has a moveable bulkhead, and the three-lane, 25-metre warm-water pool is for lessons.

And the fitness, play and community side:

• Fitness centre: cardio, strength and training
• 189‑metre indoor track
• Double gymnasium
• Eight multipurpose rooms
• Child minding
• Sensory room
• Universal washrooms and changerooms
• Café by Ratio Coffee & Pastry

The four-lane, 189-metre track is indoors and weatherproof. The double gym covers basketball, pickleball and volleyball, and on-site physiotherapy is by ODYNN Performance Therapy. Castanet reports the City is aiming for the top level (Gold) of the Rick Hansen Foundation’s accessibility certification. That is a goal, not a rating yet.

The race track history under the pool

The centre is on the old Kin Race Track lands. According to the Vernon Museum & Archives, the idea of horse races in Vernon goes back to 1891, and races began in October of that year on land used by rancher Cornelius O’Keefe. A Jockey Club formed in 1893, and by 1911 the track was considered the best half-mile track in B.C. A three-day stampede was held in July 1926. In the 1930s the Kinsmen Club of Vernon took over and renamed it the Kin Race Track, and the Vernon Days rodeo called it home from the 1940s.

The Kinsmen and Jockey Clubs donated the site to the City in 1964, and a 600-seat grandstand and betting booths were added in 1970. The grandstand was destroyed by arson in July 2014, and the old buildings came down in 2019 and 2020.

Which Vernon neighbourhoods are near it?

I have not clocked every drive, so treat this as a map-check list rather than minutes. The centre is on 43rd Avenue at the north end of the city, so I group neighbourhoods by character and how you would likely get there.

Compare them side by side in my Vernon and Coldstream neighbourhoods guide, or start with the best neighbourhoods for families and walkable neighbourhoods near downtown. Search every home for sale on my live listings page.

What it means if you are buying near it

I cannot tell you the centre will raise what a home is worth, and nobody honestly can. Buyers weigh amenities alongside price, condition, the street and the commute. What I can do is help you ask better questions about a specific home:

• How will you get to the centre: walk, bike, bus or drive, and what is the climb on the way home?
• What are event and parking patterns like on that street, given Kal Tire Place and the new centre side by side?
• Which school catchment is the address in? Check it with the district’s locator, since catchments do not follow neighbourhood names. See the schools guide.
• What are Vernon homes selling for right now? See the market stats, updated every two weeks.

Living in Vernon beyond the pool

The centre adds an indoor option to a city built around the outdoors. For the rest of the picture, see hiking trails around Vernon, Swan Lake and Polson Park, living near Kalamalka Lake and drive times to Kelowna, the airport and SilverStar. Moving from elsewhere? Start with moving to Vernon.

Common questions

Is Vernon’s Active Living Centre open yet?

Not yet. The City says it opens in late 2026, and the founding-member pre-sale starts November 1.

Where is the Active Living Centre?

At 3501 43rd Avenue, on the former Kin Race Track lands, beside Kal Tire Place.

What are the founding-member perks?

The City lists one free month and a 10-visit guest pass, plus more. Details are on vernon.ca/alc.

What is the history of the Kin Race Track?

Races began in 1891, the Kinsmen Club renamed it the Kin Race Track in the 1930s, the City received the site in 1964, and the grandstand burned in 2014.

Will the centre raise home values nearby?

Nobody can promise that. Ask me about a specific address and I will show you what has actually sold nearby.

Sources: City of Vernon, Active Living Centre · City of Vernon, design, budget and schedule · Vernon Museum & Archives · Castanet. Dates, features and prices are the City’s and may change. This is general information as of October 30, 2026, not legal, tax or financial advice.