Map to “Beer Makes History Better” Tour

Railway Club Entrance

The “Beer Makes History Better” tour begins at the Railway Club located at 579 Dunsmuir Street (upstairs) at the corner of Dunsmuir and Seymour (above the 7-11).

From Granville Station: exit Granville Station onto Dunsmuir. Railway Club is one block East on the corner of Seymour and Dunsmuir.

From Vancouver City Centre Station: exit onto Granville Street (at Georgia) and head one block north to Dunsmuir. Turn right and continue one block to Seymour. Railway Club is on your left hand side (above the 7-11)

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day 2010

In recognition of Canada Day, the Tour Guys have assembled some fun/quirky/interesting facts about Canada:

  • During the vote to re-name the eastern part of the Northwest Territories (now known as Nunavut), the name “Bob” came in 3rd place
  • Flin Flon Manitoba’s claim to fame was in 2000 when they were named the “Marijuana Growing Capital of Canada”
  • Who else but a Canadian would have invented fish sticks? In 1929 marine scientist Archibald Huntsman invented “Ice Fillets,” the first frozen food
  • The character of James Bond is based on William Stephenson, a real-life spy from Winnipeg
  • 80% of Canadians are currently happy with their hair
  • Ontario’s first license plates were made of leather
  • Cheech and Chong formed their comedy act in Vancouver (a.k.a. Vansterdam)
  • It is illegal to kill a Sasquatch in British Columbia
  • In Canada, it’s illegal for margarine to be the same colour as butter
  • There are more donut shops per capita in Canada than in any other country (thanks Timmy!)
  • There are no skunks in Newfoundland, and no rats in Alberta (except in their legislature)
  • The USA has invaded Canada twice—in 1775 and 1812—both times to no avail. They stopped trying after we burnt down their White House.
  • Canada holds the record for the most gold medals ever won at the Winter Olympics, which took place this year in Vancouver!

Tour Guys gets some international press!

During the 2010 Winter Games, a number of media outlets contacted us about our free tours. Reporters from Canada, Korea and the United States were taken with the idea that anyone would offer their services for free!?!? We’ve received great feedback, and today were mentioned in an article on MSNBC.com

An excerpt from MSNBC…

Walking tours

Tour books are great, but sometimes you get more insight and insider tips by taking a walking tour led by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic local guide. Vancouver offers plenty of options, including the neighborhood tours offered by Vancouver Urban Adventures ($25 to $80), the “Sins of the City” tour offered by the Vancouver Police Museum (about $15), and the culinary and cultural A Wok Around Chinatown tour ($68) which includes a Dim Sum lunch.

Also available, are free tours led by the Tour Guys. This collective of local tour guides works just for tips, so you decide what to pay after joining a guide on a stroll through Stanley Park, Gastown and Downtown, or Granville Island and the West End.

Tip: Steve Woodall of the Tour Guys says visitors can often save 50 percent on the cost of eating out in Vancouver by snipping the 2-for-1 coupons in the free weekly papers such as Westender and The Georgia Strait

A big thanks to Harriet Baskas for including us in her article, and for her enthusiasm towards our free tours! To date we’ve gotten shout outs from MSNBC, The Globe & Mail, The Georgia Straight as well as dozens of blogs & travel sites.

Click here for a link to the full article.