FEATURED ON THE LISTED GUIDE
Stanley Park may be known for coyotes, the seawall, and controversial bike lanes, but there’s a much more sinister and dark history behind the crown jewel of Vancouver.
The storytellers at Forbidden Vancouver know the history very well, and they’re inviting you to join them as they reveal the truth behind some notorious crime scenes, the secrets of Deadman’s Island, and other lesser-known Vancouver lore with the Dark Secrets of Stanley Park tour.
This is the fourth year that Forbidden Vancouver is running this intriguing event.
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The tour begins outside the Vancouver Aquarium entrance, before the storytellers lead you into the park.
Forbidden Vancouver
Be advised, this isn’t some sightseeing tour on a tourist trail, you’ll literally be taken off the beaten path and along little used trails through the forest.
Some of the stories you may discover from Vancouver’s history include the 1940s bank robbery in Chinatown, which has a strange connection to the park, and it may still haunt you today.
You’ll also hear the tragic story behind Deadman’s Island, which once served as a burial ground during a historic smallpox epidemic in the late 1800s. Deadman’s Island is known today as the HMCS Discovery Naval Reserve.
Stanley Park is also home to a lost Indigenous village, known as X’wayX’way, and you’ll learn all about what happened to the people who once inhabited it.
The tour ends with a story of one of Vancouver’s most shocking crimes, the dark tale of the “Stanley Park Prowlers.”
Forbidden Vancouver
Forbidden Vancouver tours typically fall between 1 km and 2 km in distance, so you’ll want to bring comfortable walking shoes.
Tickets are now on sale, and more details about the event can be found here.
Forbidden Vancouver also runs several other tours, including Lost Souls of Gastown, the Really Gay History Tour, and the Forbidden Vancouver Tour.
You can also arrange a private tour.
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