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Sins of the City Walking Tours

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Photo: City of Vancouver Archives CVA 99-2852 I City of Vancouver ArchivesExpand

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Tour - Vice, Dice & Opium Pipes

Are you ready to take a historical journey through Vancouver's grittier past? 

Our Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes tour will keep you on your toes!

As you walk the streets, uncover unforgettable stories: from the city’s infamous “open town” days to surprising moments like the time Babe Ruth found himself in Vancouver’s political spotlight.
Hear tales of corruption, crime, and entrepreneurship with key players like successful Chinese businessman Yip Sang, and Joe Celona, also known as Vancouver's Al Capone.

You won't just hear these stories, you'll walk where they happened!

Minimum booking of 2 is needed for tour to go ahead. 

Participants aged 10 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult.

 

Date - Saturdays & Sundays

Ticket includes museum admission!

Questions about any of the tours?

Call us at 604-665-3346 or email info@vancouverpolicemuseum.ca.
 

Tour - Weaving the Threads: Powell Street’s Culture, Labour and Legacy

Explore Vancouver’s historic Powell Street, once the heart of the Japanese Canadian community. This guided tour uncovers the neighbourhood’s rich cultural heritage, its pivotal role in labour movements and protests, and the lasting effects of the Second World War internment of Japanese Canadians.

A highlight of the tour is the story of the Vancouver Asahi, a legendary Japanese Canadian baseball team based right in the Powell Street neighbourhood. From the 1910s to the 1940s, the Asahi thrilled local crowds with their smart, strategic play—known as “brain ball”—and rose to become champions despite facing racism and exclusion. 

Walk with us through powerful stories of resilience, activism, and community that continue to shape Powell Street today. Come discover a living history that still speaks to Vancouver’s present.

Minimum booking of 2 is needed for tour to go ahead. 

Participants aged 10 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult.

 

Date - Fridays 

Ticket includes museum admission!

Questions about any of the tours?

Call us at 604-665-3346 or email info@vancouverpolicemuseum.ca.
 

  • Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Jul 19, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Discover the legacy and history of North America's 3rd largest Chinatown. Take a journey through the vibrant community and learn about 19th and 20th century Vancouver. From the gun-toting gangsters to corrupt city officials who lived and played there. You'll be amazed at the hidden histories.
    Share
  • Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Jul 20, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Discover the legacy and history of North America's 3rd largest Chinatown. Take a journey through the vibrant community and learn about 19th and 20th century Vancouver. From the gun-toting gangsters to corrupt city officials who lived and played there. You'll be amazed at the hidden histories.
    Share
  • Weaving the Threads: Powell Street’s Culture, Labour and Legacy Tour
    Weaving the Threads: Powell Street’s Culture, Labour and Legacy Tour
    Jul 25, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Explore Vancouver’s historic Powell Street, once the heart of the Japanese Canadian community. This guided tour uncovers the neighbourhood’s rich cultural heritage, its pivotal role in labour movements and protests, and the lasting effects of the Second World War internment of Japanese Canadians.
    Share
  • Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Jul 26, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Discover the legacy and history of North America's 3rd largest Chinatown. Take a journey through the vibrant community and learn about 19th and 20th century Vancouver. From the gun-toting gangsters to corrupt city officials who lived and played there. You'll be amazed at the hidden histories.
    Share
  • Weaving the Threads: Powell Street’s Culture, Labour and Legacy Tour
    Weaving the Threads: Powell Street’s Culture, Labour and Legacy Tour
    Aug 01, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Explore Vancouver’s historic Powell Street, once the heart of the Japanese Canadian community. This guided tour uncovers the neighbourhood’s rich cultural heritage, its pivotal role in labour movements and protests, and the lasting effects of the Second World War internment of Japanese Canadians.
    Share
  • Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Aug 02, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Discover the legacy and history of North America's 3rd largest Chinatown. Take a journey through the vibrant community and learn about 19th and 20th century Vancouver. From the gun-toting gangsters to corrupt city officials who lived and played there. You'll be amazed at the hidden histories.
    Share
  • Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Aug 03, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Discover the legacy and history of North America's 3rd largest Chinatown. Take a journey through the vibrant community and learn about 19th and 20th century Vancouver. From the gun-toting gangsters to corrupt city officials who lived and played there. You'll be amazed at the hidden histories.
    Share
  • Weaving the Threads: Powell Street’s Culture, Labour and Legacy Tour
    Weaving the Threads: Powell Street’s Culture, Labour and Legacy Tour
    Aug 08, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Explore Vancouver’s historic Powell Street, once the heart of the Japanese Canadian community. This guided tour uncovers the neighbourhood’s rich cultural heritage, its pivotal role in labour movements and protests, and the lasting effects of the Second World War internment of Japanese Canadians.
    Share
  • Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Aug 09, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Discover the legacy and history of North America's 3rd largest Chinatown. Take a journey through the vibrant community and learn about 19th and 20th century Vancouver. From the gun-toting gangsters to corrupt city officials who lived and played there. You'll be amazed at the hidden histories.
    Share
  • Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Aug 10, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Discover the legacy and history of North America's 3rd largest Chinatown. Take a journey through the vibrant community and learn about 19th and 20th century Vancouver. From the gun-toting gangsters to corrupt city officials who lived and played there. You'll be amazed at the hidden histories.
    Share
  • Weaving the Threads: Powell Street’s Culture, Labour and Legacy Tour
    Weaving the Threads: Powell Street’s Culture, Labour and Legacy Tour
    Aug 15, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Explore Vancouver’s historic Powell Street, once the heart of the Japanese Canadian community. This guided tour uncovers the neighbourhood’s rich cultural heritage, its pivotal role in labour movements and protests, and the lasting effects of the Second World War internment of Japanese Canadians.
    Share
  • Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Aug 16, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Discover the legacy and history of North America's 3rd largest Chinatown. Take a journey through the vibrant community and learn about 19th and 20th century Vancouver. From the gun-toting gangsters to corrupt city officials who lived and played there. You'll be amazed at the hidden histories.
    Share
  • Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Aug 17, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Discover the legacy and history of North America's 3rd largest Chinatown. Take a journey through the vibrant community and learn about 19th and 20th century Vancouver. From the gun-toting gangsters to corrupt city officials who lived and played there. You'll be amazed at the hidden histories.
    Share
  • Weaving the Threads: Powell Street’s Culture, Labour and Legacy Tour
    Weaving the Threads: Powell Street’s Culture, Labour and Legacy Tour
    Aug 22, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Explore Vancouver’s historic Powell Street, once the heart of the Japanese Canadian community. This guided tour uncovers the neighbourhood’s rich cultural heritage, its pivotal role in labour movements and protests, and the lasting effects of the Second World War internment of Japanese Canadians.
    Share
  • Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Aug 23, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Discover the legacy and history of North America's 3rd largest Chinatown. Take a journey through the vibrant community and learn about 19th and 20th century Vancouver. From the gun-toting gangsters to corrupt city officials who lived and played there. You'll be amazed at the hidden histories.
    Share
  • Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Aug 24, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Discover the legacy and history of North America's 3rd largest Chinatown. Take a journey through the vibrant community and learn about 19th and 20th century Vancouver. From the gun-toting gangsters to corrupt city officials who lived and played there. You'll be amazed at the hidden histories.
    Share
  • Weaving the Threads: Powell Street’s Culture, Labour and Legacy Tour
    Weaving the Threads: Powell Street’s Culture, Labour and Legacy Tour
    Aug 29, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Explore Vancouver’s historic Powell Street, once the heart of the Japanese Canadian community. This guided tour uncovers the neighbourhood’s rich cultural heritage, its pivotal role in labour movements and protests, and the lasting effects of the Second World War internment of Japanese Canadians.
    Share
  • Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Vice, Dice, & Opium Pipes: Sins of the City Walking Tour 2025
    Aug 30, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT
    Vancouver Police Museum & Archives, 240 E Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3, Canada
    Discover the legacy and history of North America's 3rd largest Chinatown. Take a journey through the vibrant community and learn about 19th and 20th century Vancouver. From the gun-toting gangsters to corrupt city officials who lived and played there. You'll be amazed at the hidden histories.
    Share
Sins of the City Virtual Tours
Virtual Walking tour available

Are you unable to join us on our walking tours, or would you prefer to take the tour at your own pace? We are offering shorter versions of both "Vice, Dice & Opium Pipes" and "Soul Food and Strathcona" in a downloadable walking tour! Follow the directions and discover some of Vancouver's most fascinating and macabre tales.

Designed to be easy to follow, these tours take approximately 90 minuets and can be enjoyed alone, with friends or even the whole family. 

You will need a smart phone or portable device to be able to enjoy the experience.

Do you have any questions?

Call us at 604-665-3346 or email info@vancouverpolicemuseum.ca.

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