If haunted houses aren’t spooky enough to scare you, then a night at the Olde Angel Inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake will surely do the trick.
According to its website, the Olde Angel Inn is Ontario’s oldest operating inn.
It’s believed to have been founded as The Harmonious Coach House on land granted to the deputy surveyor-general way back in 1789!
The rooms have exposed hand-hewn beams and thick plank floors which were laid in 1815.
This inn still echoes the “sounds of British soldiers and townsfolk who, two centuries ago, gathered here for food, drink and lodging,” the website says.
As the story goes, the inn was partially burned down during the War of 1812.
However, it was quickly rebuilt by a man named John Ross in 1815, who named it the Angel Inn “in a tender reference to his wife.”
But, by far the most fascinating fixture of this historic inn is the resident ghost, Captain Colin Swayze!
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Legend has it that Captain Swayze was a Canadian militia officer whose life came to a tragic end at the Olde Angel Inn back in 1813.
American troops found the Captain hiding in a barrel in the cellar at the Inn, where he was in the midst of a rendezvous with his true love — sadly, the troops fatally injured poor Swayze right then and there.
Since then, guests and staff have witnessed the Captain’s ghost prowling around at night, “perhaps in longing for his sweetheart.”
In fact, the most recent encounter with the resident ghost was in 2020 — footage of the reported ghost sighting is shared on the inn’s website.
Don’t believe in ghosts? Well, after spending the night at Captain Swayze’s stomping grounds, you just might.
The Olde Angel Inn
Where: 224 Regent Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake
