A History of Sex Work in Early Vancouver

10 Dec 2016

[by Lani Russwurm] We visit the site of some of Vancouver’s oldest brothels on The Forbidden Vancouver Tour. When Florence Mackenzie came to Vancouver in 1894 to set up a brothel, sex work in the...

Vote Forbidden Vancouver in Georgia Straight’s Best of Vancouver!

11 Jul 2016

The annual Georgia Straight Best of Vancouver contest is back for 2016 – and you can vote for Forbidden Vancouver in the category of Best Tourist Attraction. There are over 200 categories, but you only...

Top 10 Walking Tours Around the World

10 May 2016

Here at Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours, we have a rule: Travel to another city? Check out a local walking tour! We love to travel, and there is no finer way to explore a new city...

Forbidden Vancouver storyteller Stephanie Liatopoulos

Forbidden Vancouver welcomes two new storytellers!

06 Apr 2016

The Forbidden Vancouver family is growing once again with our new season upon us. We are thrilled to welcome Stephanie Liatopoulos on board as a storyteller for the Lost Souls of Gastown! Stephanie is a...

Flirtatious February: 4 Forbidden Date Nights

04 Apr 2016

February is a month of love and romance — particularly on Valentine’s Day. If you’re looking for something a little more interesting than dinner and a movie, then a Forbidden Valentine’s night be just the...

Christmas play reaches its finale!

04 Apr 2016

Christmas play War For The Holidays wraps up for 2015! It’s with a mixture of great pride, happiness, and more than a dose of sadness that the first ever run of Forbidden Vancouver’s Christmas play...

West End History Comes to Life at the Roedde House

12 Nov 2015

[By Kendall Walters] Roedde House Museum is a hidden gem in Vancouver’s West End. Built in 1893, the house has become part of the fabric of the city. In its modern capacity as a museum, Roedde...

Vancouver, Vaudeville and the City’s Lost Theatre District

18 Mar 2015

[by Kendall Walters] Every weekend, Vancouverites converge on Granville Street, long the city’s entertainment hotspot, in the pursuit of fun. Not many know that Granville was once considered stuffy and that people flocked to an entirely...

Q&A with Our New Storytellers

17 Mar 2015

[By Kendall Walters] We at Forbidden Vancouver are thrilled to welcome two talented new storytellers to our team! They will both be leading our signature walking tour, The Forbidden Vancouver Tour. Aman Johal has worked at Fort...

Top 10 Vancouver Art Deco Buildings

18 Feb 2015

Updated: July 9, 2026 [by Kendall Walters and Will Woods] Interested in Art Deco architecture and history in Vancouver? Check out The Monumental Scandals Tour! Art Deco is a jazz-age design aesthetic and architectural style...

Vancouver’s Vampire Vixen

03 Feb 2015

[by Kendall Walters] The Monumental Scandals Tour is full of colourful stories about people from Vancouver’s past. One tale we love sharing, is the fascinating story of Yvonne De Carlo. Before she became the wholesome...

In loving memory of Robert Poelvoorde

19 Nov 2014

The team at Forbidden Vancouver has suffered a great loss. On November 5, 2014, Vancouver lost a wonderful man. Our friend, colleague, fellow storyteller, and mentor, Rob Poelvoorde, sadly passed away. Our Founder and Chief...

The haunted history of Deadman’s Island

15 Oct 2014

[by Kendall Walters] Think of Stanley Park and you probably picture sunny walks on the seawall and quiet afternoons exploring the Vancouver Aquarium, but did you know the park is actually home to one of the...

Novus TV with Jordan Wade

23 Sep 2014

Will and Gisele had a great time hosting Jordan Wade from Novus TV on Prohibition City, Sept 23, 2014. Jordan and his crew were there for the entire adventure through downtown, Victory Square, and into...

We support BC teachers

06 Aug 2014

Until September 30, 2014, school teachers can come free on either of our signature walking tours, the Lost Souls of Gastown or Prohibition City. The only caveats are: – Each teacher must have a ticket....

Forbidden Vancouver on the Rush with Fiona Forbes

09 Jul 2014

On Tuesday July 9, 2013 we were featured on The Rush with Fiona Forbes! Will sat down with Fiona Forbes to discuss Forbidden Vancouver’s walking tour the Granville Street Reveal, a tour that takes audiences...

The Granville Street Reveal on CBC – North by Northwest

20 Nov 2013

In July, Matthew Parsons, reporter of CBC radio show North by Northwest, got a chance to go on special event Forbidden Vancouver walking tour, “The Granville Street Reveal.” This tour took audiences for a trip into...

Gastown.org Q&A With Will Woods

14 May 2013

Forbidden Vancouver Founder and Chief Storyteller Will Woods was interviewed by Gastown.org in May 2013. You can read the interview below! About Gastown.org Gastown.org is the website run by the Gastown Business Improvement Association (BIA)....

BBC Travel Online – Secrets of the Penthouse

10 Apr 2013

Vancouverite and writer for BBC Travel, John Lee, came on our Secrets of the Penthouse special event. And he wrote a fantastic article about it on BBC Travel! Lee describes Secrets of the Penthouse as...

The Battle of Ballantyne Pier

16 Apr 2012

1935 was a volatile year in Vancouver’s history. It was the tail end of the Great Depression and Vancouver had been hit harder than any other Canadian city. After several years of destitution and poverty,...

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