Street art in Atlanta: How to take a self-guided tour
Atlanta has been a long-time hub for artists of all types. Different parts of the city offer little nuggets of ATL history, present and future.
Atlanta is also home to Living Walls, a curator and producer of street artists and muralists exhibiting their work on the walls of the city. They have facilitated over 150 public murals featured throughout metro Atlanta.
Different areas of Atlanta offer a unique perspective of the local art scene. To explore like a native, these are a few street art destinations to get you started:
Castleberry Hill
Park around 131 Walker St SW and grab a coffee from local spot, Black Coffee, to start your walking tour.
Castleberry Hill, located within walking distance from downtown sites such as CNN, Centennial Olympic Park and Mercedes-Benz Stadium has become well-known for its street art. Every second Friday of the month, join the Castleberry Hill Art Stroll from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. But to explore by yourself, start at the corner of Walker and Haynes Street across from Bottle Rocket, and you will find murals of two beloved Atlanta United players, Brad Guzan and Joseph Martinez. Walk around the block to find several other murals steeped in rich history.
Tiny Doors ATL
Check out the map to hunt down all the doors to get a feel of the different areas of the city. Artist Karen Anderson Singer created these miniature doors to bring an element of curiosity and imagination.
“Doors are a really great way to quickly access imagination,” Singer told CBS News. “Most people have had interactions with a door, they know inherently that something is behind it. And it’s not about doors. It’s about community and interaction and engagement, and it’s kind of a love note to Atlanta.”
They’re all designed to look and feel like the neighborhood.
“What I’m trying to do is create a blank canvas for your imagination,” she said.
This installation will take you to several tourist locations, such as the Center for Puppetry Arts, State Farm Arena and Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
Rainbow Crosswalk in Midtown
In 2015, the crosswalks at 10th St. and Piedmont Avenue were painted rainbow as a celebration of Pride Month. After a couple of weeks, the intersection was returned to its original colors. More than 20,000 people signed a petition to make them a permanent fixture and in 2017, the rainbow installation was returned. It has since become a permanent staple in the center of the city.
While in the area, you can see the Stay Strong ATL mural, across the street from Flying Biscuit.
Outkast mural in Little Five Points
Painted in 2019 by Greensboro-based muralist, JEKS, based on a photo taken by hip-hop photographer Jonathan Mannion, this 30-foot-high mural was created as a tribute to the Atlanta native hip-hop duo, Outkast. This mural is off the main path, in a parking lot on Euclid. Take a stroll around the rest of Little Five Points to see a lot more street art, concentrated in a compact area.
Krog Street Tunnel
No street art tour of Atlanta is complete without a stroll through Krog Street Tunnel. In this always-changing canvas, artists from all over the city express themselves on this vibrant, living wall. It’s considered Atlanta’s living bulletin board and urban art gallery, according to The Daily Krog.
This tunnel is a part of Atlanta’s Beltline project and is a popular spot for photoshoots and rap videos. It’s also a link between Cabbagetown, Reynolds Park and Inman Park neighborhoods, where you can find tons more vibrant street art.
This story was originally published by Tara Woodin in 2022 and has since been updated.
