Get your discount tickets for the Toronto Ghost Hunt: Dark History Self-Guided Game, save up to 9% !
Overview
Explore the dark side of Old Town Toronto in this self-guided outdoor game powered by the free Questo app. Download, head to Nathan Phillips Square, and start anytime, no guide, no schedule, no waiting. The city you know is not the city you'll find here. This 10-stop, ~75-minute walking game covers 3 km through Toronto's historic core, unravelling real stories hidden in plain sight: 710 public hangings beneath the King Edward Hotel, 118 lives lost on a burning cruise ship, a ghost haunting the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the shocking laws that imprisoned women for being "incorrigible." At each landmark, a puzzle challenge unlocks the next chapter. You'll move through Old City Hall, the TD Centre, Fairmont Royal York, St. James Cathedral, and St. Lawrence Market, each one with a story that Toronto's official history skips over. Solve the puzzles, follow the clues, and discover why Old Town Toronto is far stranger, and darker than it looks. Suitable for ages 14+, no experience needed.
Meeting and Pickup
Please use Google Maps or other map services to arrive at this location. When you arrive, please follow the instructions inside the Questo app closely.
End Point
You will be guided step by step to St. Lawrence Market by the Questo app. Follow the instructions closely and you'll get here.
Redemption Instructions
To unlock the experience in the Questo app, go to https://www.questoapp.com/unlock, and add your booking number and e-mail address. Then, download the Questo app and create a new account with the e-mail address you used for unlocking.
Language Offered
English-WRITTEN
French-WRITTEN
Itinerary
1. Originally installed for the 2015 Pan American Games as a temporary attraction meant to be dismantled in November 2016 at the earliest, the City of Toronto decided to continue to operate the sign after it became popular with tourists and residents. Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.
2. Toronto's Old City Hall was one of the largest buildings in Toronto and the largest civic building in North America upon completion in 1899. It was the burgeoning city's third city hall. It housed Toronto's municipal government and courts for York County and Toronto, taking over from the Adelaide Street Court House. Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.
3. The Toronto-Dominion Centre, or TD Centre, is an office complex in the Financial District of downtown Toronto owned by Cadillac Fairview. It serves as the global headquarters for its anchor tenant, the Toronto-Dominion Bank, and provides office and retail space for many other businesses. The complex consists of six towers and a pavilion covered in bronze-tinted glass and black painted steel. Approximately 21,000 people work in the complex, making it the largest commercial office complex in Canada. Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.
4. Between the towers are two large expanses, collectively known as Oscar Peterson Place. The northern space contains a more formal tract of granite, while the southern space contains the lawn and features The Pasture, a sculpture by Saskatchewan artist Joe Fafard, who died in early 2019. Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.
5. Through a history of nearly 90 years, the Fairmont Royal York has played host royal guests, heads of state, celebrities, superstars of sport, and millions of others. It has been a crucial lynchpin in the history of Toronto luxury. Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.
6. Its first permanent building opened at Exhibition Place in 1961. The hall was relocated in 1993, and is now in Downtown Toronto, inside Brookfield Place, and a historic Bank of Montreal building. The Hockey Hall of Fame has hosted International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) exhibits and the IIHF Hall of Fame since 1998. Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.
7. The King Edward Hotel was designed by Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb and Toronto architect E.J. Lennox for developer George Gooderham's Toronto Hotel Company, and was granted its name by namesake King Edward VII. The structure opened in 1903 with 400 rooms and 300 baths, and it claimed to be entirely fireproof. Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.
8. The Cathedral Church of St. James is an Anglican cathedral in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the location of the oldest congregation in the city, with the parish being established in 1797. Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.
9. St. Lawrence Hall opened in 1850 and was Toronto's first large meeting hall. Named for Canada's patron saint, it was for many years the centre of cultural and political life in Toronto, hosting many balls, receptions, concerts, exhibitions and lectures. Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.
10. The St. Lawrence Market South building is a major public market building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southwest corner of Front and Lower Jarvis Streets. Along with the St. Lawrence Market North and St. Lawrence Hall, it comprises the St. Lawrence Market complex. Here you will have to look around to find the answer to our challenge to advance to the new location and learn the story of this place.
Inclusion
Puzzles at Nathan Phillips Square, TD Centre, Hockey Hall of Fame & more
Self-guided dark history game through Old Town Toronto
Real history at every stop — Chinese Head Tax, 1904 Great Fire, public hangings
Gripping story driven by Toronto's real dark history and hidden secrets
Flexible scheduling — start anytime, pause and resume, play at your own pace
Exclusion
Live tour guide (fully self-guided via the free Questo app)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews
4.9
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
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