Exploring Ghost Walks in Canada: Why They Matter to Us
Does your community have a ghost walk or tour? It seems like they're everywhere. Let's find out why.
Ghost Walks are everywhere in Canada.
While researching stories for "Scary Season Week," I came across countless ads for Ghost Walks. From Dawson City, YT to St. John's, NL, Canadians like walking and talking about ghosts! Who knew?
Why do we like learning about and telling our own ghost stories?
That question is at the root of today's post. But first, do you know what song people on Ghost Walks listen to the most? “These Boo's Are Made for Walking..." sorry, Dad joke.
Have you ever gone on a ghost walk?
If not, it's a guided tour where you walk around a town or city, stopping at specific sites and sometimes walking through buildings, while your guide tells you some history about them.
But not your run-of-the-mill history lessons, instead the stories told focus on who died at each spot and the context around how they died including details that make the deaths even more sad, tragic, and awful.
Sometimes if the person who died was a bad actor or a particularly nasty person or criminal, those details are shared as well.
The focus is on any historical information that might make someone want to return from the grave as a ghost and try to haunt that spot for eternity.
The stories are true, or at least based on something true. Sometimes they morph into legends. And town rumours and gossip sometimes influence their retelling.
Ghost walks are more than just a fun way to get goosebumps and get into the Halloween spirit—they actually play a pretty cool role in our society and culture, especially here in Canada.
Let’s dive into:
How ghost walks keep our stories and history alive.
Their impact on communities and tourism.
Why they’re psychologically fascinating.
The unique Canadian twist on ghost walks.
Canadians Love Their Ghost Stories
Ghost walks are a mix of:
Storytelling.
Sharing tales of ghosts, legends, and historical events.
Entertainment.
Providing a fun and sometimes spooky experience.
Education.
Teaching us about local history and culture in an engaging way.
Keeping Stories and History Alive
Ghost walks help keep local legends and stories alive.
Guides often dress up and act out scenes, making history feel real and exciting. It's one thing to read a story or hear a story, it's another to hear a story while standing right where it took place.
It's the ultimate kind of immersive experience many people crave these days.
By bringing these stories alive (or back to life in this case), ghost walks preserve the stories that shape a community’s identity. The stories that are culturally important for explaining what the community once was, contrasted with what it’s now become.
Heritage Preservation
Ghost walks also play a role in highlighting local landmarks.
They draw attention to historical sites that might be overlooked when driving through Canadian cities and towns.
They provide an excuse and an opportunity to stop and take in your surroundings. To explore parts of the community that are both on and off, the beaten path.
You'll notice that ghost walks are often hosted or sponsored by local museums, or groups focused on preserving a community's cultural (and sometimes architectural) heritage. Helping keep interest in historically relevant sites to preserve these important places
“Dark Tourism”
Visiting sites associated with mystery or even tragedy adds depth to our understanding of history.
It's part of the tourism industry that has gained popularity since around the late 80s and early 90s. The first ghost walk in Canada is said to have occurred in Halifax in 1990. Since then people have become more and more familiar with our haunted histories.
Community Identity and Pride
There's something about talking about our shared experiences that brings us together, even if they involve death.
Locals and visitors bond over the unique stories told during ghost walks. Learning about the past also fosters a sense of belonging and pride in one’s community.
Ghost walks aren't just for tourists, they often serve locals who want to know more about their hometown and forge deeper connections to it. They manage to connect different generations and cultures through shared narratives.
The mix of fun and learning appeals to people of all ages. Ghost walks are for everyone and are best experienced in small groups with strangers.
Economic Impact
Ghost walks draw tourists, which helps local businesses.
They're not huge, but every penny counts. And they’re popular even in off-peak seasons, providing steady tourism income.
Many ghost walks run through most of the calendar year and not just at Halloween. There's an appetite for them throughout much of the year. (Except maybe when it's 30 below and the sidewalks haven't been ploughed.)
The Psychological Thrill
Some people love exploring the unknown and feeling that adrenaline rush.
Ghost walks offer a controlled environment to experience fear and excitement.
Sharing these emotions with others strengthens connections.
Ghost stories let us tackle big themes like death and the afterlife in a symbolic way.
Cathartic Experience: It can be freeing to face fears in a safe setting.
The Canadian Ghost Walk Experience
Our ghost walks were influenced by similar tours in the UK and the US. And also on the popularity of horror movies and books.
Places like Halifax, St John's, Winnipeg, Quebec City, Ottawa, and Toronto were among the first. They tapped into Canada’s colonial past and Indigenous stories. Communities along waterways often included stories of shipwrecks and ghost ships.
Unique Canadian Stories
Our ghost walks blend Indigenous myths, settler folklore, and urban legends.
In Europe, ghost walks include medieval ghosts and haunted locals from many centuries’ worth of recorded histories.
They showcase the varied backgrounds that makeup Canada. Unlike countries with ancient legends, Canada’s stories offer new and diverse perspectives.
Trends and Changes Over Time
Ghost stories had an initial surge when they first caught on in Canada.
During the early 2000s, they declined in popularity as other new and exciting entertainment options emerged.
There seems to be a growing interest in ghost walks again thanks to heritage tourism, interest in dark tourism, and a desire for small, unique, experiential entertainment options.
Why They Matter to Us: Shaping Our Identity
Ghost stories help us learn about and reflect on Canada’s history.
Sharing stories from different backgrounds brings people together.
Local Pride: Cities like Halifax and Victoria share seafaring tales that are both eerie and historically significant.
Each town has its own unique history that shapes the ghost stories that have emerged over their histories.
Dealing with Modern Life
In a fast-paced world, ghost walks offer a chance to slow down and ponder deeper questions.
They tap into common human interests in mystery and the afterlife.
Exploring scary stories can help us deal with our own fears in a healthy way.
Our Walk is Just About Done
Ghost walks are more than just a nighttime adventure—they’re a meaningful part of our cultural fabric. They:
Preserve and share important stories.
Boost local economies and tourism.
Build community spirit and pride.
Offer psychological benefits by letting us safely explore our fears.
As they continue to evolve with technology and changing interests, ghost walks in Canada will keep connecting us to our past and each other. Who knows? Maybe the next time we go on one, we’ll see our own stories reflected in the tales told…
So, next time you’re looking for something different to do, why not try a ghost walk? It might just give you a new perspective on the place you call home.
Sources and links used to research this story
http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/37473/.
https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:824624/FULLTEXT01.pdf.
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/978-1-137-56135-0_27.
https://lauda.ulapland.fi/handle/10024/64847.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203836392/paranormal-media-annette-hill.
https://books.google.com/books?id=6HjZCgAAQBAJ.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315427614/haunted-heritage-michele-hanks.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315572550/co-habiting-ghosts-caron-lipman.