Photo by Armon Arani on Unsplash
Ghost Tourist is going INTERNATIONAL, baby! Yes, it’s the long-awaited expansion of the Ghost Tourist franchise as we extend beyond the restrictive borders of the United States and explore the strange, forbidden land known as Canada!
Well, not all of Canada; just British Columbia. And to be more specific, just one city in British Columbia and it’s not even Vancouver. We went to Victoria City, a town that is literally RIDDLED with ghosts and apparitions. Located just off the coast on Vancouver Island, Victoria City is the capital of British Columbia (who knew?) and is known for its mild climate, abundant green spaces, and HORRIFYING SUPERNATURAL MANIFESTATIONS!
In this globe trotting season, we stay in the most haunted hotel in Victoria, we visit dozens of downtown buildings plagued with paranormal activity, and we even play 18 holes of HAUNTED MINIATURE GOLF!!!
If you haven’t been to Victoria City, we urge you to go. We would have loved it even without all the spectral anomalies. Take a look and visit vicariously through us.
One of our favorite ghost treks has been to Canada where we visited the city of Victoria in the province of British Columbia. Not only did we realize how much we Canadians, their land is a treat for sights, sounds and sustenance! By the time we left Victoria, we were honestly wondering if we could see ourselves living there someday! Especially if things in the U.S. continued to go in the direction it is and we eventually felt the need to leave. Our entire trip took 5 (including travel) days during Spring Break.
Day 1: Travel Day
We flew in to Victoria International Airport on Vancouver Island, rented a car and drove about 40 minutes south into Victoria. We stayed at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, rightly described as Canada’s Castle on the Coast. The Empress is gorgeous and luxurious. It is walking distance to activities, restaurants, bars and points of interest. But best of all, its HAUNTED! After a day of travel we were exhausted and went directly to our room to sleep.
Day 2:
The morning of our first full day in Victoria, we went to visit Craigdarroch Castle - The home of coal baron Robert Dunsmuir. This was one of our favorite tours in Victoria. We love history, old architecture and Ghosts! Luckily, this National Historic Site had all 3! We spoke to various docents who “could neither confirm nor deny” the existence of spirits in this old home. It is completely worth a visit if not to feel the energy, but to see the beauty inside. Its only open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 am - 5:30 pm so be aware of time limits.
That evening Scott was giddy with excitement to go to the Haunted Manor, Victoria, a haunted indoor miniature golf experience. We met Genevieve Thompson, a mini-golf employee and fellow fan of all things paranormal. She was happy to share the history of the building and tell us more about the theme behind the experience. But beware—deep in the recesses of the golf course, there’s a haunted doll with burned human hair! See if you can find her. This was our all time favorite horror themed activity ever. The mini golf game was so much fun; it went above and beyond what we expected. One hundred percent worth the trip just for Haunted Manor! On the weekends, call to Make reservations because they get really busy. They serve light snacks and alcohol. You can even reserve the place for events.
Dinner was next on the docket so we went back to our hotel to get dolled up for our fancy dinner at The Keg Steakhouse and Bar. Dinner was delicious and the ambiance was great. Although this location used to be a mortuary and is reported to be haunted, the staff is not supposed to talk about it. Maybe you can find someone to give you some undercover information on the ghosts that move ketchup bottles and push out the trays from their storage spaces. Call ahead for reservations as they get busy!
Day 3:
We drove to The Butchart Gardens first thing on day 3. It is NOT haunted! Not everything we do is about ghosts! The gardens are worth going to visit while you’re in Victoria. It was beautiful and very serene. It’s open year round but hours vary depending on the time of year. Make sure you check the hours before you go.
We visited Ross Bay Cemetery next, where we got some interesting findings. We were able to drive in, park and walk around the grounds. It has a very interesting history and it is beautiful. There were lots of people milling around, walking their dogs and sitting on benches.
We ate dinner at Bard & Banker a few blocks away from mini golf and our hotel. This restaurant is in what used to be the Bank of British Columbia and has a true haunted history. The food was good, the building was beautiful, they had a band playing and people were dancing. We asked about ghosts and some servers were happy to speak about the history and their paranormal experiences!
After dinner we went on a Ghost Walks tour with a company called Discover the Past. We enjoyed ourselves and felt the tour was informative. We visited 7 different locations in a very small area and each site had an interesting story. 10/10 would recommend the tour. The whole city of Victoria is VERY haunted!
Day 4:
Although today was a travel day, we were not flying home until late in the evening. That gave us a whole day to explore Chinatown and Fan Tan Alley, Market Square and St. Andrews Cathedral. We happened to visit the cathedral on “Organ Day” so Cindy got to play the grand organ in the sanctuary! Winner! We ate lunch at Maiiz a Mexican restaurant in the heart of Chinatown! We were sold by the HANDMADE tortillas. This place is delicious but NOT haunted.
Then we were off to the airport to return our rental car and fly home to California. We still miss Victoria and long to go visit again. The people of Canada are truly as nice as rumored to be. Thank you for your generous hospitality!
