Ghost Tours Toronto

The Massey Murder: Interactive Game and Tour (Snow Date)

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Explorer Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** First it was **Ambrose Small** and my team of brilliant detectives who tried to figure it all out. The walkers on this tour just about cracked the case. Well done my detectives. But your smarts are needed again however. The Harley Karulis Detective Agency needs your help! The famous murder of Burt Massey on Walmer Road awaits your inspection. This time we are needed as **jurors** to figure the case out and add a fresh perspective. Are you up for this interactive game once again? The story shocked the city back in February of 1915. How a young teenage maid shot and killed her boss on Walmer Road in the Annex made headlines across Canada and around the world. But it was the name of that boss that made people gasp, the Massey family, from the famous music hall of the same name on Shuter Street in downtown Toronto! And people talked and tried to come up with explanations. But the following trial exposed the undercurrents of Toronto life, and the class system that was in place. This trial changed Toronto at a crucial time in its history. The first World War was raging in Europe, and residents of the city now had something else to think about. Murder! How this could have happened to an upper middle class family in the centre of Toronto, the Annex neighbourhood was rife with theory and fears. This walking tour/game takes participants back in time to the 1915 trial and explores the many sites associated with the trial and the personalities involved. You will be introduced to 15 historic characters and each has their own dark secrets, it will be up to you to render a **verdict** in this case. Guilty, or Not Guilty, and was the trial fair, those are the questions that need answering! Are you up for it? Sites like the National Club and the Toronto Club, Old City Hall and the Morgue are explored and their stories exposed. **This tour requires a PRESTO card for TTC as this tour uses transit to get around the city for stops outside the downtown core. One could call it a hop on hop off walking tour!** Our walk begins on the steps of Old City Hall at the northeast corner of Bay Street and Queen Street West. We end the tour at the site of the murder in the Annex for the reading of the verdict! Just like in the Ambrose Small case, we end where it all begins! This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person. Please get your tickets early if you would like to attend. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket price when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

The PATH System: Specialist Course and Guide! (FULL PATH TOUR)

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** So many walkers have expressed interest in a full explanation of the dreaded PATH, so here it is. A full course on the PATH, its history and explanation. You will become a PATH specialist after this, guaranteed! I've heard it so many times, with so many people, the common refrain, "I got lost in the PATH." If you are one of the many who have simply vanished in Toronto's underground never to be seen again, check out this popular historical walking tour. This tour demystifies the PATH system and explains how it works in grand detail. It takes walkers through the system and points out the crucial connectors and branches within the system to effortlessly guide the lost through the maze. Once experienced the PATH will be an invaluable aid to navigating the downtown, in both summer and winter, rain or shine, hurricane or drought. You might even enjoy getting lost in the underground, lost but not forgotten. This is the full PATH course curriculum: Part 1: The History of THE PATH Part2: Connectors and signboards Part 3: Understanding the above ground connection Part 4: Hidden paths to get one around quickly Part 5: The Blind Spots and how to work with them Part 6: The Maps Part 7: Getting from here to there! This walk is for all fitness levels and skills. This tour is indoors, so please dress for the conditions, and is considered an all-weather​ tour. The walk begins **inside** the Atrium on Bay at the northeast corner of Dundas Street West and Bay Street adjacent to the Red Lobster restaurant! This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person! \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

The Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital and Camp M (Special Extended Weekday Tour)

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** Elizabeth Simcoe named the area now known as Mimico for the thousands of pigeons that blackened the sky at the western end of the settlement. Mimico was originally located at the confluence of Mimico Creek and Dundas Street. William Gamble, opened a sawmill and built a settlement for the workers nearby. Etobicoke's first church, Christ Church was opened on Church Street which became Royal York Road. Mimico is a walkable neighbourhood and a great place to stroll and discover our amazing history. The Lakeshore Hospital was built in 1888 as the Mimico Asylum, its doors opened on January 21, 1889. The original idea for the hospital was a series of cottages designed by Doctor Joseph Workman who wanted a resort type feel to the hospital. The architect was Kivas Tully, who worked with gardener Samuel Matheson. Most of the buildings were built by the patients themselves, and helped with laundry duties, and tended to the vast gardens. But a different story emerged that most Canadians had no idea about. And that was the story of Camp M - Mimico. In 1887, the Victoria Industrial School for Boys opened on old Horner Avenue in Mimico, just blocks from the site of the new Mimico Hospital for the Insane (Humber College.) The school, which was a juvenile reformatory, hoped to break the bad boys through moral and academic education and old fashioned hard work. I hope there was a positive outcome. In 1927, the school changed its name to the Mimico Reform School. But it was the war years 1939-1945 that really surprised me as a Torontonian. It was known as Camp M or Internment Camp 22, the largest camp for POWs in the centre of a large Canadian city. Most camps were constructed in rural areas, and the camp provided space for more than 520 German nationals. The history of this camp is fascinating and had links to the Toronto Central Prison on Strachan Avenue and the Mimico Hospital directly to the south on lakeshore where we begin this tour. This walking tour is for all levels and walkers. The tour begins at the New Toronto Public Library Branch at 110 Eleventh Street just south of Lakeshore. We end this tour at Kipling and Horner Avenue, just a few blocks to the north of the old hospital! This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person! \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

St. James Cemetery and Castle Frank

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Explorer Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket price when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** In the photo above from the Toronto Public Library archive is an old St. James receipt from the mid 1800s. Prior to 1844, the lands east of Parliament Street were known as the Garrison East for military purposes. York, and then Toronto was restricted to the land south of Queen Street or Lot Street from Parliament to Peter Street and Fort York to the west. With the population starting to rise, space was needed for a new cemetery out on the country, as space was limited at the original cemetery at St. James Church downtown on Church Street. In July 1844 St. James opened for the burial of people professing the Anglican faith. Most of the city's population of 18,000 lived south of Lot Street or today's Queen Street, and the cemetery was regarded to be outside the city limits. The cemetery was necessary as the church burial ground itself was filling up fast. It was in use since 1797. A crematorium was added in 1948, and 95,000 interments and 114,000 cremations have taken place at St. James. An historic land in the heart of the city. In many ways a walk through St. James is a walk through history. Like opening a book on our past! This walking tour is for all levels and walkers. The tour begins outside the Castle Frank Subway Station, and ends at the gates of the cemetery after the tour. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

Mount Pleasant Cemetery (WEEKDAY)

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** The only authorized cemeteries within York were Anglican or Roman Catholic. Citizens who did not belong to either church had no choice but to find burial arrangements outside York. The General Burying Ground received Royal Assent in 1826 and land that came to be known as Potters Field was acquired and started operation soon afterwards. Over time, additional cemetery lands were added and in 1873, a new cemetery available to all citizens was established. The new cemetery was situated on the farm land of the Cawthra family near Yonge Street. This walk is for all fitness levels. Please dress for the weather. This walk will begin and end outside the Yorkminster Park Baptist Church at 1585 Yonge Street just north of Heath Street. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person! This tour has space for **11** explorers, so if you do plan on attending please secure your tickets early. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

Alcohol Wars: The Distillery and the Brewery District (EVENING)

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** In 1832, Toronto was known as Little York and was to become the City of Toronto in 1834, the Gooderham and Worts Distillery was founded. By the late 1860s and 1870s, it blossomed into the world's largest distillery. And it's a historic jewel on our waterfront, a place to stroll, meet up, have a coffee or a bite to eat. Come and explore one of Toronto's most fascinating neighbourhoods. And get a bird's eye view of how Toronto developed around the time that Canada became a country in 1867. But let's not forget the district to the north. The area near the banks of the Don River on and around River Street and Queens Street East was the core of the Beer Industry. Let's take a look at how the two industries came together and who was involved. For a quick peek at the walk check out this link on my YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/xAp97lI_20A This walk is for all fitness levels. The meeting place for our walking adventure is opposite the streetcar loop on Cherry Street just south of Mill Street at the eastern edge of the district. Cross Cherry Street and meet at the entrance to Tank House Lane. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

With Strength: Toronto Women on the Edge of History!

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** This tour debuted on September 5, 2020! Six years of storytelling! Toronto is a city of stories. It's also a city constantly reinventing and learning about itself. It has been for the last 300 years. The people of Toronto are the storytellers, and throughout its history, women have been at the forefront of change. Like Elizabeth Neufeld, Hester How, Mary Pickford, or Clara Martin stories that have shaped Toronto. Stories that have shaped the lives of people in Toronto today. Explore the lives of ordinary women of Toronto who have made extraordinary impacts on our lives. From the death and destruction of war to the magic of Hollywood, these women created their own endings. But for many in our city today these names and many others are forgotten, their accomplishments dusted over and buried in the mists of time, but not for long. These courageous Torontonians created one lasting story to be told: Their story! Toronto is a city of meaning and hidden stories indeed. Mary Pickford, the first great screen Hollywood star looks into the camera above. Born on University Avenue near College Street, she rewrote the Hollywood story and put Toronto on the film map. This walk is for all fitness levels. The meeting place for this important walking adventure is the Barbara Ann Scott Ice Trail behind College Park at the southwest corner of Yonge Street and College Street. We end our walk at the park adjacent to St. Lawrence Hall. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person! \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

The Mystery of Alfreda Mae Hillier: Interactive Game and Tour (NEW FOR 2026)

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Explorer Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** First it was **Ambrose Small** and my team of brilliant detectives who tried to figure it all out. The walkers on this tour just about cracked the case. Well done my detectives. But your smarts are needed again however. The Harley Karulis Detective Agency needs your help! And this one needs all our brain power to figure out. This one might be the toughest assignment yet. Here is your case file. The details you will need to get started on this walking tour. A case that shocked Torontonians when it occurred in late October of 1933, and still reverberates to this day. A cold case solved, not by a long shot. No one really knows the entire story or the truth. It unfolds like an Agatha Christie novel as you will see. The details of this case culminates in one of the most perplexing, head scratching crimes in the history of this city and very few have heard of the sad life and end of little Alfreda Dolores Mae Hillier. Little Bunty as they called her was born in 1932, and was the apple of her parent's eyes. Her father Alfred Hillier was a World War 1 hero, and had fallen on bad times during the depression years. He just started a new job recently. Her mother Florence was a stay at home mom and loved to play and watch her little girl out the window of their small home on Boothroyd Avenue in Leslieville. On a cool, sunny October afternoon at the height of the depression, Alfreda, an 18 month old girl disappeared after heading out for a walk alone. Sounds on the level I must say. Warning bells! Within a few hours questions as to what happened to this little girl started to swirl around the neighbourhood. All details of this case are taken directly from the archives of the Toronto Star and the city which paint a rather confused story culminating in the arrest of two young boys, one age 4 and the other 7 who admitted their guilt. Or was coerced into that same confession? Let's toss in a few more details to cloud the story however: 1) a convicted criminal in the area, information told to the Calgary Hearld the day after she was found dead. 2) another man who seemed to be present when she was found and then wandered off and disappeared from the police investigation file. 3) the testimony of two underaged children that had no relevance to some of the details. 4) the coroner's report which contradicted just about everything the police came up with and witnesses testimony as well. This walking tour/game takes participants back in time to 1933 and explores the many sites associated with the tragic death of Alfreda Hillier, and the personalities involved. You will be introduced to 10 historic characters and each has their own dark secrets, it will be up to you to render a **verdict**! Are you up for it detectives? Our walk begins at the **Jones Branch of the Toronto Public Library** at the southwest corner of Jones Avenue and Dundas Street East in Leslieville just a few blocks north of Queen Street East. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person. Please get your tickets early if you would like to attend. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket price when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

Mystic Magic - A Speakeasy Magic Experience (ticketed event)

**NOTE:** This is a ticketed event. Please purchase a ticket to attend. **Tickets here:** https://sevn.ly/xMZcYVq9 Step into the unknown with *Mystic Magic*, an intimate evening of illusion designed for just **10 guests**. Slip into one of à toi’s secret rooms where acclaimed magician **Chris Mayhew** will guide you through a spellbinding live magic experience—up close, personal, and impossible to forget. Begin the night with **unlimited bubbly and curated canapés** as the magic unfolds around you. After the final illusion, return to à toi to linger over **decadent desserts** and conversation—because some nights deserve a little extra mystery. ✨ Limited seating. One unforgettable evening.

Ice Climbing & Wolf Centre Visit

Ice Climbing & Wolf Centre Adventure

Historic Little India: Gerrard India Bazaar (REVISED FOR 2026)

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Explorer Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the Ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** The story of historic Little India is a true Toronto success story, a unique look at a neighbourhood and the people who call it home. But the story is not always a happy one. Like all other areas in Toronto, Little India started out as a purely English - Anglican area and was repeatedly changed as other immigrants opted to leave the security of the downtown core for outer areas. With the opening of the Naaz theatre in 1972, the community that became Little India started to take shape, but in Toronto the forces that developed communities were different in that part of the city sandwiched between Leslieville to the south, and Greektown to the north. With a strictly Anglo-Saxon pro-British community entrenched for over 100 years, now changing to include south Asians, the area was seen as a rather depressed area, or an area in transition, and violence was an unfortunate part of life. Racial tensions increased dramatically with the influx of south Asians. But by the 1980s and 1990s the district had found its feet, and Little India was a popular Toronto district and tourist attraction, with visitors pouring in from around the world to partake of the richness. A true cultural enclave in Toronto! A fascinating history and a fascinating community awaits! This tour has been revised a few times to add more historic information to the walk, it has been revised once again for 2026 with new landmarks and stories attached. Should be a fascinating walk! This walk is for all fitness levels. The meeting place for our walking adventure is on the southwest corner of Greenwood Avenue and Gerrard Street East! This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person! \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the Ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**