I generally offer public tours from the late spring through to December. I try to list them all here beforehand, but the best way to keep up-to-date with whatever I've got coming up is to subscribe to my Toronto Time Traveller newsletter, which you can do for free here. You can also follow me on Bluesky: @adambunch.bsky.social.

MY NEXT PUBLIC TOUR HAS BEEN POSTPONED!!!! I've hurt my foot, but will announce a new date as soon as I can! In the meantime, I'm hoping I'll be back on my feet in time for the Toronto's Victorian Underworld tour later in the month. You'll find the details below:



DEATH & DISASTER ON THE WATERFRONT: A WALKING TOUR

Toronto has been deeply shaped by its waterfront. Many of the city’s most dramatic tales have played out in the place where land meets lake. So, on this walk, we’ll spend a couple of hours diving into that history — from Victorian shipwrecks to blazing infernos, from bizarre accidents to heroic rescues. And in the process, we’ll learn a bit about how events along the shoreline have helped mould the city beyond it.

When: POSTPONED!!! NEW DATE TBD!

Where: Meet at the foot of Yonge Street. We'll end near the foot of Bathurst Street.

Length: Approximately 2 to 2.5 hours.

Price: Pay what you like!

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If you'd like to take a Toronto history tour with family, friends or co-workers, I offer nearly all of my public tours as private tours as well. They're available for $25 per person (plus tax), with a minimum of $150. If you'd like to arrange a private tour, you can get in touch at adam@torontodreamsproject.com.

Here's the full list of tours I currently offer:

A SCANDALOUS TOUR OF OLD TORONTO

There are plenty of skeletons in our city's past; Toronto's history is filled with tales of dishonour, disgrace and disrepute. On this walk through the city's oldest neighbourhoods, we'll uncover some of those notorious scandals. From deadly duels to lustful brothels, from bribery and corruption to incest and infidelity… there are shocking tales to be told about the history of Toronto.

Length: 2 hrs.
Start: The Distillery District.
Finish: Near Yonge & King.

A ROMANTIC TOUR OF OLD TORONTO

The history of Toronto has been deeply shaped by stories of romance, heartbreak and devotion. And its oldest neighbourhood is one of the best places to find them. In this tour, we'll explore the evolution of the city — and its changing attitudes toward love — through tales of smitten soldiers, lovelorn politicians and scandalous movie stars.

Length: 1.5 hrs.
Start: St. James Park.
Finish: Near St. James Park.

A MORBID TOUR OF OLD TORONTO

Uncover grisly and gruesome tales from Toronto's formative years in the neighbourhood where the city began. From the city's grandest cathedral to stories of brutal riots, duels and plagues, you'll travel back in time to the early 1800s to learn about decades of violence that rocked the city to its core. A walk through the historic neighbourhood that was once at the heart of bloody battles over the future of Canadian democracy.

Length: 1.5 hrs.
Start: St. James Park.
Finish: St. James Park.

THE HISTORY OF TORONTO GHOST STORIES

Toronto has a long history of ghost stories. They're connected to many of our most beloved old buildings and reflect some of the most dramatic events in our city's past. They've also evolved over time, from the Victorian settlers who claimed there were no spirits haunting Canada to the séances that drew big crowds less than a century later. So, in this walking tour filled with supernatural stories we'll trace the evolving history of our city's most haunting tales.

Length: 1.5 to 2 hrs.
Start: Grange Park.
Finish: Near Yonge & Dundas.

A SPOOKY HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

There are few places in our city said to be as haunted as the campus of the University of Toronto. Stories of spirits wandering its grounds have been told since the 1800s, and they include some of Toronto's most chilling tales. On this tour, we'll explore those stories — tales of ghosts, murder, spectres and séances — and see what they can teach us about the history of the school and the city that surrounds it.

Length: 1.5 hrs.
Start: Massey College.
Finish: The Royal Ontario Museum.

THE TRIUMPHS & TRAGEDIES OF TORONTO'S SPORTS ICONS

You can learn a lot about a city through the stories of the athletes it has celebrated and cheered on. Toronto's past is filled with dramatic tales of sports heroes who have brought us championships and heartbreak — and who have shaped our city in the process. In this walk, we'll trace that history through the heart of downtown Toronto and along the waterfront as we visit the sites of long-lost stadiums, walk the routes of Edwardian victory parades and uncover stories of forgotten glories. We'll discover strange, unexpected and inspiring tales about everyone from Tom Longboat to Terry Fox, from Babe Ruth to Joe Carter. And we'll learn about the impact their athletic exploits have had on our city and its identity.

Length: 1.5 hrs.
Start: King & Simcoe.
Finish: The waterfront near the foot of Bathurst Street.

TORONTO VS. THE UNITED STATES

Toronto hasn't always gotten along with our neighbours to the south. Generations of Torontonians have stood strong against invasion and threats of annexation while working hard to make our city a safe haven for those fleeing hardships south of the border. On this walk, we'll take a look back at those who have lived through unsettling times — from the War of 1812 to Victorian tariffs and beyond — and how, in the process, they made our city into the place it is today.

Length: 1.5 to 2 hrs.
Start: The CBC building (250 Front Street West).
Finish: King & Jarvis.

DEATH & DISASTER AT THE DISTILLERY

The history of the Distillery District is a dramatic one. Its past is filled with tales of notorious bootleggers, disastrous fires and deadly explosions. In this tour, we'll explore the neighbourhoood's evolution through those dramatic events: from its tragic origins to the days when it produced more whisky than any other facility on earth all the way through to its transformation into one of the city's most beloved tourist attractions.

Length: 1 hr.
Start: The Distillery.
Finish: The Distillery.

SECRETS OF THE PATH

There are strange tales hidden beneath our city, found in the most unlikely places. The PATH is filled with them: from pirates and curses to dead whales and mysterious disappearances. So, over the course of this walking tour, we'll find those bizarre histories in the nooks and crannies of Toronto's infamous subterranean mall.

Length: 2 hrs.
Start: Eaton Centre.
Finish: Harbourfront.

A TWISTED TORONTO HISTORY TOUR

Originally created in celebration of Friday The Thirteenth, this tour explores some of the strangest tales in the city's history. We'll walk through the financial district uncovering stories about everything from curses, omens and phantoms to mysterious disappearances and grisly deaths.

Length: 1.5 hrs.
Start: Old City Hall.
Finish: Union Station.

A WEIRD TORONTO MOTHERS WALK

Originally created for Mother's Day, this is a tour filled with some strange stories about moms from the history of Toronto. We'll explore everything from William Lyon Mackenzie's elderly mother facing down soldiers during his infamous rebellion, to the strange contest that saw local women racing to have as many children as possible, to Mary Pickford's mom raising a family filled with scandalous child stars.

Length: 1.5 hrs.
Start: University & Richmond.
Finish: Near Yonge & Dundas.

LOVE, DEATH & THE BRICK WORKS

The history of the Don Valley Brick Works and its surroundings is tied to stories both romantic and grisly. Hidden among the industrial relics and the bulrushes are tales of lust and disaster, of love poems and séances, of scandalous affairs and bone-chilling murder. On this tour, we'll explore some of those hidden tales of the Brick Works, uncovering stories of love and death that have shaped the site and the city that surrounds it.

Length: 1 hr.
Start: Don Valley Brick Works.
Finish: Don Valley Brick Works.

DEATH, SCANDAL & THE ISLANDS

The Toronto islands haven't always been a peaceful place. They've witnessed many of our city's most dramatic events — from deadly shipwrecks and heroic rescues to heart-breaking disaster and bone-chilling murder. We'll uncover the fascinating hidden histories of the islands on a walk from Hanlan's to Gibraltar.

Length: 2.5 hrs.
Start: Hanlan's Point Ferry Docks.
Finish: Gibraltar Point Lighthouse.

DEATH & SCANDAL IN ROSEDALE

As one of the city's most affluent neighbourhoods, Rosedale has long been home to millionaires and billionaires. But it's also filled with secrets. On this tour, we'll uncover the tales of shocking scandals and grisly deaths hidden among the stately old mansions, from murder mysteries to illicit affairs to killer goats. And along the way, we'll learn about how those strange stories have shaped Rosedale and the city beyond.

Length: 1.5 to 2 hrs.
Start: Lawren Harris Park (a short walk from Yonge & Bloor).
Finish: Castle Frank Station.

DRAMATIC TALES FROM THE BANKS OF THE DON

The histories of Corktown & Riverside — neighbourhoods found on either side of the Don River from each other — are filled with stories of drama, heroism and tragedy: from the Victorian gangs that once terrorized the area to heartbreaking disasters and harrowing escapes. In this walk, we'll explore those pulse-quickening tales and what they have to teach us about the evolution of our city.

Length: 1.5 to 2 hrs.
Start: The Distillery District.
Finish: Queen Street east of Broadview.

A WILD, FUZZY & FURRY TOUR OF OLD TORONTO

Toronto's human residents aren't the only ones with stories to tell. Our city's animals have their own histories, filled with strange and unexpected tales — from the story of Toronto's founding dog and how he almost got eaten to the rampaging horses that once terrorized commuters. On this tour, we'll uncover the fascinating history of Toronto's fuzziest and furriest residents, a walk filled with phantom rodents, mail order alligators and killer goats.

Length: 1.5 to 2 hrs.
Start: The dog fountain in Berczy Park.
Finish: Union Station.

LOVE, DEATH & THE SIMCOES

Explore our city's past through stories about the Toronto's fascinating founding couple, their children and their pets. We'll walk in the footsteps of those who were here in the late 1700s while talking about everything from scandalous rumours to heartbreaking tragedy to the family's complicated legacy, which we're still wrestling with more than 200 years later.

Length: 1.5 to 2 hrs.
Start: Victoria Memorial Square.
Finish: The Simcoe Wave Deck.

A TORONTO CHRISTMAS HISTORY TOUR

Celebrate the season by exploring the history of Christmas in Toronto. Together, we'll uncover yuletide tales of love, war, celebration and scandal: from Christmas trees and window displays to holiday parties and parades. We'll meet at Old City Hall.

Length: 1.5 hrs.
Start: Old City Hall.
Finish: Old City Hall.