If you’re planning a visit this month, you can take in the Ghosts of Victoria Festival, too. Running from mid-October through Halloween, this annual event celebrating all things that go bump in the night features themed trolley and bus tours, guided graveyard visits, even “nightmare entertainment” (if you’ve ever wanted to try out an electric chair, here’s your chance!). Click here for information on the festival line-up, Adam’s book, his walks, and sundry other ghoulish activities.
Upstairs, Downstairs.
The historic Fairmont Banff Springs (doubles from $249) is arguably Alberta’s best-loved hotel and has much to recommend it. Nestled in the Rockies, near the resort town of Banff, this castle-like gem boasts proximity to natural hot springs, pristine lakes, and to-die-for mountain scenery. But it’s the service as much as the setting and sublime architecture that makes the hotel unique. You see, employees there know just how to please—and little wonder. Some of them have kept working long past their expiry dates.
Visitors to the ninth floor, for example, report being helped with their luggage by one Sam McAuley, an elderly bellmen sporting an outdated uniform. Considering the genial gent has actually been dead for decades, his choice of vintage attire is understandable: it’s his dedication that is remarkable. Seems Sam was so devoted to hotel patrons that he decided to remain eternally at their service. Another ghostly staff member—a bartender—is equally conscientious. He has a habit of gently encouraging over-eager drinkers to call it a night.
Given the Banff Springs’ reputation, it’s not surprising that guests have been known to prolong their stay, as well. Notable among them (perhaps because this is such a popular wedding locale) is a high-class (though decidedly clumsy) young woman who was set to marry onsite. According to local lore, this bride-to-be was descending a grand staircase en route to the ceremony when she unceremoniously tripped. Entangled in her gown’s voluminous train, she tumbled to her death, but can still be seen in the iconic halls, presumably attempting to regain either her groom or her footing.
