Giveaway: Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours

Comments 80 by Rebecca Bollwitt

I love digging into Vancouver’s history (as evidenced by my 1,000 plus posts about local history on this site) so when Will Woods first came along with his Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours about five years ago, I was very excited to see that it would be shared with locals and visits alike, in a creative way.

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours

On the website Woods writes: “We tell the stories that don’t make it onto the tour buses – tales of crime, corruption, and sin. As former mayor and all-round rogue L.D. Taylor once said: ‘We’re a port city. This ain’t no Sunday School town!'”

Today, Forbidden Vancouver has grown, with 12 guides who have hosted over a thousand walking tours and held special events at famous venues like the Penthouse and the Commodore. The two main tours they operate are The Lost Souls of Gastown and Prohibition City, which start up again in March.

If your idea of adventure is following your guide down lamplit alleyways, back to a world of illegal booze, opium dens, and unsolved murders, then you’ve come to the right place.

Tour: Lost Souls of Gastown
Running: Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays (starting March 3, 2017)
Details: Venture into Vancouver’s earliest and most gruesome history on the Lost Souls a Gastown. A time when Vancouver was the Granville Townsite – wild frontier town that suffered a devastating fire, smallpox outbreaks, and unsolved murders.

Designed for adult audiences, the Lost Souls of Gastown is both a walking tour and a theatre piece. Created by Forbidden Vancouver’s Chief Storyteller Will Woods – and based on documented Vancouver history – the plot weaves through back streets and alleyways to a dramatic finale in the heart of Gastown’s Maple Tree Square.

Tour: Prohibition City
Running: Every day (starting April 1, 2017)
Details: Delve into Vancouver’s dirtiest secrets on this scandal fuelled walking tour. Starting in the world of the saloon, you trace the story of prohibition in Vancouver while winding along the city’s most storied streets. You’ll hear tales of blind pigs, corrupt mayors, and enterprising bootleggers. Plus you’ll see first hand evidence of opium dens and walk down an alleyway once teeming with over 40 “bawdy houses.”

Along the way you’ll see some of the city’s greatest heritage buildings like the Sun Tower and the Dominion Building, which once battled to become the tallest building in the British Empire. The tour finishes in Gastown, steps from the city’s most talked about bars and restaurants.


I was honoured to review & endorse Forbidden Vancouver’s Secrets of the Streets.

Enter to Win

I have a gift certificate for two tickets to give away for the Prohibition City or Lost Souls of Gastown tours (winner’s choice).

Here’s how you can enter to win:

  • Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
  • Click below to post an entry on Twitter

[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a @Forbidden_Tour http://owl.li/NUOw309dDYw” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, March 1, 2017. Follow Forbidden Vancouver on Facebook, and Twitter for more info.

Update The winner is Shelley!

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80 Comments  —  Comments Are Closed

  1. Christie MTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 10:30am PST

    This looks so fun!

  2. Mark donneryTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 10:31am PST

    What a fun date night that would be

  3. BrittTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 10:41am PST

    This would be amazing to win!

  4. Katy WaldegraveTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 10:45am PST

    This sounds fascinating. It would make a great date night.

  5. Ann-Marie VaughanTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 10:45am PST

    That would be so interesting to go.

  6. AlanTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 10:59am PST

    We were only saying the other day that we need to do these walking tours.

  7. Christine ByzitterTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 11:10am PST

    done , that looks like fun … i love these kinda tours

  8. MilynneTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 11:41am PST

    This looks like a fun thing to do! Always interested in Vancouver’s history

  9. Julie ClementTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 12:11pm PST

    This would be so interesting, lived here 9 years but never done this tour…

  10. JenTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 12:25pm PST

    Sounds interesting

  11. JamieTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 12:33pm PST

    Would love to check this out!!

  12. Stella PanagiotidisTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 12:35pm PST

    Fun! Would love to experience this!!!

  13. lorTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 12:46pm PST

    These tours look wonderful!

  14. DaleTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 12:56pm PST

    I’d love to go.

  15. JenniferTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 1:39pm PST

    I did the Prohibition City tour on a girls’ weekend last year…and it was AMAZING! I would love to do the Lost Souls tour this time around!

  16. Lisa GTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 1:51pm PST

    Thanks for the chance to win a glimpse into the darker history of our fine city:) ?

  17. narceliTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 2:05pm PST

    Yes,please!thank you!

  18. Mydhili S FurtadoTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 2:24pm PST

    Well, I created a hiking club and we hike late spring to late fall, weather permitting. This would be a good start and get to see history.

  19. sCOTTTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 2:42pm PST

    Fun Prize

  20. ShannonTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 2:43pm PST

    Interesting,

  21. LindaTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 2:55pm PST

    I’ve heard good things about these tours!

  22. Jodi PerriTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 3:34pm PST

    Always wanted to go on one of those walks.

  23. Don McQueenTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 6:29pm PST

    As a native of Vancouver, I am always interested in information about the history of the City. That would be great.

  24. LisaTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 6:34pm PST

    I’ve always wanted to do one of these…

  25. Karen SwaffieldTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 6:35pm PST

    I am always interested to learn more about the history of my city. Would love to take this tour!

  26. karenTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 6:36pm PST

    Awesome!

  27. KellyTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 6:58pm PST

    Would be a great win and a lot of fun!?

  28. RebeccaTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 8:09pm PST

    Love learning more about Vancouver!

  29. AliTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 8:58pm PST

    What a fun date night!

  30. RedTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 10:04pm PST

    How fun!

  31. Sonya MannTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 10:10pm PST

    Would love to do this with my husband. We’re always looking for fun stuff to do when we actually have time to go out on a date!

  32. Kyle RiazTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 11:13pm PST

    These would be fun

  33. RachelTuesday, February 21st, 2017 — 11:36pm PST

    Sounds like an interesting date night! Sign me up!

  34. colleen tsoukalasWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 7:09am PST

    Would love to go on a walking tour and learn more about Vancouver history.

  35. JocelynWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 8:31am PST

    These tours both look so interesting. What fun!! Thanks for the contest!

  36. JamieWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 8:39am PST

    Sounds like a fun night out!

  37. Kristy HayterWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 9:25am PST

    Fun date night idea!

  38. TravelbudsWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 9:28am PST

    This would be a lot of fun. I love learning about the history of this wonderful city.

  39. Meg M.Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 10:42am PST

    Always wanted to do one of these tours 🙂

  40. Katyann DAVIDSONWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 11:09am PST

    Looking forward to the unusual and interesting experience.

  41. Katyann DWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 11:10am PST

    What a great concept….looking forward to it.

  42. Shelbi McIverWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 12:05pm PST

    Cant wait for March 3rd to get started on these tours !!

  43. KathleenWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 2:02pm PST

    This would be great!

  44. StephanieWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 2:36pm PST

    OMG i need to try this!

  45. Jason BWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 4:54pm PST

    Gastown tour cool.

  46. Mousemouse604Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 5:59pm PST

    This sounds like fun!

  47. MichelleWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 6:08pm PST

    Oh my god I would totally love to win! This is right up my alley 🙂

  48. Maria SmirnovWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 6:21pm PST

    always excited to learn about our history!

  49. JeffWednesday, February 22nd, 2017 — 9:32pm PST

    Sounds like fun!

  50. Ariel CThursday, February 23rd, 2017 — 9:16am PST

    great!

  51. adamThursday, February 23rd, 2017 — 9:17am PST

    great prize

  52. KarmThursday, February 23rd, 2017 — 5:11pm PST

    I’ve always heard about this tour but never got around to it. Would love the opportunity, thanks for the contest!

  53. TammyThursday, February 23rd, 2017 — 8:21pm PST

    Fantastic tour!

  54. Marlene F.Thursday, February 23rd, 2017 — 8:34pm PST

    Sounds like such an interesting tour. Thanks for the chance to win!

  55. MariaFriday, February 24th, 2017 — 6:47am PST

    How fun

  56. VictorFriday, February 24th, 2017 — 11:59am PST

    omg, looks great. Pick me thanks!

  57. BethFriday, February 24th, 2017 — 12:32pm PST

    THIS LOOKS LIKE SO MUCH FUN!!!! I WNA GO TAKE A HIKE HERE 😀

  58. valerieFriday, February 24th, 2017 — 3:50pm PST

    I am a walking tours nerd, absolutely!!

  59. Emily HSaturday, February 25th, 2017 — 8:41am PST

    Very cool! This would be fun!

  60. HollySaturday, February 25th, 2017 — 9:01am PST

    Fun and educational.

  61. VeroniqueSaturday, February 25th, 2017 — 9:28am PST

    This looks like fun

  62. JPSaturday, February 25th, 2017 — 12:36pm PST

    Great prize!

  63. MayaSaturday, February 25th, 2017 — 5:31pm PST

    Would love to check this out!

  64. DonaldSaturday, February 25th, 2017 — 8:18pm PST

    A good opportunity to take some photos.

  65. TiffanySaturday, February 25th, 2017 — 8:42pm PST

    this looks so fun! would love to go

  66. EileenSaturday, February 25th, 2017 — 10:32pm PST

    I’ve never been to either tour! Would love to experience this!

  67. JasonSaturday, February 25th, 2017 — 11:04pm PST

    Sounds amazing!

  68. TammyMonday, February 27th, 2017 — 10:09am PST

    great tour to take my partner on.

  69. BeckyMonday, February 27th, 2017 — 11:48am PST

    Cool.

  70. Clare Tea (@mnnsuga)Monday, February 27th, 2017 — 4:05pm PST

    always wanted to try this!

  71. tannisTuesday, February 28th, 2017 — 8:51am PST

    ooo never been but looks so fun

  72. Cheuk LauTuesday, February 28th, 2017 — 11:34am PST

    Love Vancouver

  73. Linda DTuesday, February 28th, 2017 — 1:09pm PST

    This would be an amazing experience. Thanks for the contest.

  74. Christine CampbellTuesday, February 28th, 2017 — 2:50pm PST

    I love this kind of thing, can’t wait to book a tour!

  75. Amanda TranTuesday, February 28th, 2017 — 4:44pm PST

    These tours sound amazing!

  76. GaryTuesday, February 28th, 2017 — 10:59pm PST

    Looks fun!

  77. Shelley ButcherWednesday, March 1st, 2017 — 12:04am PST

    Really enjoyed the tour of underground Seattle. This tour sounds really interesting.

  78. Graham WoloskiWednesday, March 1st, 2017 — 9:42am PST

    Would love to learn some interesting facts about the city I live in!

  79. StotesWednesday, March 1st, 2017 — 10:00am PST

    This sounds great!

  80. JeanetteWednesday, March 1st, 2017 — 6:51pm PST

    Wow, this sounds great. I’d love to go!

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