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Victorian Gastown Tour: Murder, Revenge, and True Grit
4.8
1,064 Ratings
Vancouver
Step into the dark past of Vancouver’s Gastown with a thrilling performance-theatre experience. Uncover stories of murder, revenge, and Victorian history, from deadly fires to smallpox outbreaks.
Step into the dark past of Vancouver’s Gastown with a thrilling performance-theatre experience. Uncover stories of murder, revenge, and Victorian history, from deadly fires to smallpox outbreaks.
Duration:
1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- 356 Water St - The walking tour begins at the entrance into Historic Gastown, outside of Buro Coffee at the intersection of Cordova and Water St. A suitable setting for an adventure deep into Gastown’s Gothic history!
- Victorian Hotel - After venturing down a long forgotten alleyway we arrive at the historic Hotel Victorian to discover how our…
- 356 Water St - The walking tour begins at the entrance into Historic Gastown, outside of Buro Coffee at the intersection of Cordova and Water St. A suitable setting for an adventure deep into Gastown’s Gothic history!
- Victorian Hotel - After venturing down a long forgotten alleyway we arrive at the historic Hotel Victorian to discover how our character’s life took shape…and what really happened to them in the Klondike.
- Gastown - We enter the cobblestone streets of Vancouver’s famous Gastown district…
- Gastown Steam Clock - We weave a path into Gastown, discovering back streets and alleyways, to arrive in the heart of Gastown at the famous steam clock. Along the way you’ll hear the tragic stories of the woman in the well and the Great Vancouver Fire, and discover Gastown in the 1800s.
- Gassy Jack - Old Gassy Jack stands on top of a barrel of whiskey and surveys Maple Tree Square. Discover how much of a rogue he really was!
- Gaoler’s Mews - You’ll follow the lamplight of your storyteller into Gaoler’s Mews as the shocking finale is revealed…
- Maple Tree Square - After hearing tales of smallpox, George Vancouver’s journey to the end of the earth, and the infamous bawdy house run by Madam Birdie Stewart, you’ll emerge in iconic Maple Tree Square - one of Vancouver’s most photographed and loved locations.
What's Included
- Local guide
- Local guide
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
Step inside a world of murder, revenge, and true grit in a dramatic history of Victorian Gastown. This roving one-person play is led by a professional actor in character. Stories of deadly fire and smallpox emerge from the shadows as you venture through cobblestone streets to the shocking finale in this unique performance-theatre experience. Follow the…
Step inside a world of murder, revenge, and true grit in a dramatic history of Victorian Gastown. This roving one-person play is led by a professional actor in character. Stories of deadly fire and smallpox emerge from the shadows as you venture through cobblestone streets to the shocking finale in this unique performance-theatre experience. Follow the lamplight of your guide as you discover the Great Fire, smallpox outbreaks, and the unsolved murder of John Bray.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Please arrive at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time
- Our tours are designed for adult audiences and do contain some references to adult themes. Our age recommendation is 14+ but certainly children aged 10+ can attend and enjoy our walking tours if parents are comfortable with their children hearing mature subject matter.
Location
Monaco Cafe
Water Street
Meet outside Monaco Cafe at 356 Water St. in Gastown. Close to Waterfront Skytrain and Seabus Station.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(1064 Ratings)
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Chantell_s
Sep 2, 2024
Vancouver history rocks! - Visiting from Mineral WA for our 12th anniversary. We booked the tour last minute to see and learn as much in our short 2 day visit. We had a great time with George. He was very informative, gave entertaining stories and led the tour in a very timely manner. Such a great add on to our memorable trip.
Review provided by Viator
James_m
Sep 2, 2024
Great story telling and... - Great story telling and historical incite! Nice walk not to long and the area has alot of great tourist attractions to see.
Review provided by Viator
Rachel_h
Aug 28, 2024
Interesting and fun - Really enjoyable! Great way to learn about the history of the town and also see the area. Amy really brought the history to life for us.
Review provided by Viator
Nitram2121
Aug 27, 2024
History brought to life - Great tour. Stuart, our guide, was fabulous. Informative and really brought everything to life.
Lively ..engaging and a real pleasure to listen to.
Would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jennifer_b
Aug 26, 2024
Bravo, Sarah Briars!! - Our guide, Amy, was in character as Sarah Briars, an early resident of Gastown. She entertained and informed us with stories and trivia. She kept us engaged and interested throughout. This tour was a lot of fun!!
Review provided by Viator
Ian_s
Aug 25, 2024
Fantastic story - Great story telling and well worth the tour, lots of interesting facts. There was so much to tell we got an extra 30 minutes of the detailed info
Review provided by Viator
Jpjpjpjpj
Aug 25, 2024
History came alive in Gastown with Rachel - This tour was fabulous! We love historical “ghost tours” as you get a different perspective of history by hearing it through the telling of (dramatized) true stories of those who lived it. So we’ve been to very many around the world and this was one of the best.
Rachel told the stories as an amazing character and truly had us entranced. This tour covered the Gastown area of Vancouver and, along the way, we learned how the area was established and how they lived - and died.
I wish we’d been there additional nights to take some of the other Forbidden Vancouver night tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kimberly_p
Aug 23, 2024
History comes alive - Sarah had a great adventure in the late 1800’s and Amy brought her to life during our walk through Gastown. This history lesson was excellent and the walk was at a great pace for the group
Amy was exceptional in including everyone
Would do it again
Review provided by Viator
Sandeel2016
Aug 30, 2024
Embarrassing .... - Overacted and cringey...had to leave before the end, as just couldn't take it any more. Would recommend just telling the stories without trying to practice acting them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Julie_c
Aug 27, 2024
Listening to an actress - All we did was listen to Sarah talk about random historical people and things, and we thought we would be seeing places that were special, like you hear about ghosts and Gastown. We just walked from Random location then stopped in a stairwell and listened to her talk, but never went inside anything, or saw anything unique. I was hoping for an underground tunnel, but we just saw the outside of buildings. She talked and talked, but wouldn’t let us talk. She actually shushed me and told me that talking to someone was distracting the group. We were talking about what a useless tour this was. She overacted, and it seems it was like her show only and we weren’t allowed to be interactive Unless she said so.
Definitely never recommending this to anyone.
Review provided by Viator
