Private Forbidden Vancouver

Experience overview

Hidden behind Vancouver's polished skyline lies a world of bootleggers, mobsters, crooked politicians, and underground vice. This private walking tour through Gastown reveals the city's scandalous prohibition era past, where secret saloons, opium dens, and illegal gambling halls once thrived in the shadows. The journey begins at the iconic Gastown Steam Clock before stepping back into the roaring twenties, when prohibition transformed Vancouver into a hotbed of illicit alcohol, organized crime, and corruption. Historic streets and narrow alleyways, many unchanged for more than a century, set the scene for stories of powerful crime bosses, political backroom deals, and the larger than life figures who controlled the city during its wildest years. Among them is the tale of Joe Celona, Vancouver's own version of Al Capone, whose influence stretched across the city's underground world. Ornate heritage buildings and cobblestone streets reveal traces of a bygone era once filled with saloons, bawdy houses, blind pigs, and hidden drinking dens. Layers of history unfold throughout Gastown while colorful stories and larger than life characters bring prohibition era Vancouver vividly to life. As former mayor LD Taylor famously declared, "This is a port city, we ain't no Sunday School town!" The experience concludes in Maple Tree Square, surrounded by Gastown's lively bars and restaurants, where the spirit of the neighborhood's rebellious past still lingers today. This private tour offers an immersive and entertaining look into Vancouver's darker history and the stories that shaped the city behind closed doors.