Stay in town is where it's at for dining and pubs. Just walking around at night is lively, more so than mostly quiet western Canada base towns - only Rossland comes close.
Hard to say re car/no car, it comes down to personal choice. A car means you go to the hill and come home whenever you like, and there's the option of a sightseeing day or two. 45 minute drive to Rogers Pass summit, one of the most spectacular highway passes you'll ever drive - but can be downright hellish on the wrong day. Or head south from Revy to Nakusp, which involves a ferry crossing of Arrow Lake. Again spectacular scenery with wilderness peaks all around - and it's free! Short drive to Revelstoke Dam which has an excellent tour with lots of info about the US-Canada Columbia River Treaty. Or a longer drive upstream to Mica Dam, more mountain scenery again.
If you decide no car, Kelowna is really the only flight option and there are lots. Well, there used to be. Anyone's guess what it will be like in 11 months from now. Calgary is still a one hour hop from YVR and then you have a 5-6 hour drive to Revy. From Kelowna the drive is generally easy, Eagle Pass just west of Revy is relatively low elevation and gentle grades, but it is overlooked by a lot of avalanche terrain so it closes fairly often for control work. There is an alternate route south via Nakusp as mentioned earlier, it connects back to the Okanagan with a second ferry and the rather goat trackish Monashee Pass on Hwy 6 to Vernon. Excellent drive on a good day but will be slow going if the Trans Canada is closed because it's not made to handle the volume.
