Welcome to Atlanta, where Black girl magic and murals meet. I've got the deets on a new tour in Atlanta, and it's going to breathe life into you.
The Black Girl Magic Tours (BGMT) takes guests to various murals around Atlanta and gives detailed background on the mural, the artist, and the company that commissioned each piece. For only $99 per person, you can spend an afternoon riding around in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter while sipping champagne and meeting amazing Black women.
The BGMT hosts private tours most weekends, and reserves one weekend each month for the public. My friend and I wanted to book the public tour back in April, but we moved too slowly, and tickets sold out for both April and May. Thankfully, we were able to reserve two spots for the public tour in June, which happened to be on Juneteenth! I can't think of a better way to spend Juneteenth than riding around Atlanta, sipping champagne, and communing with other magical Black women!
How it works
You start by meeting at a location sent via email a few days before the tour. It was raining on our tour date, but the weather didn't damper the experience. BGMT provided ponchos and umbrellas for those in the group who didn't have any covering, and made sure we were comfortable. We listened to black-girl-magic-themed music while waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive.
We didn't have to wait long. After 10 minutes, we were on our way! While we drove to the first location, the host of the tour and CEO of BGMT, Tarika Sullivan, asked us to introduce ourselves. There were other icebreakers that helped the group relax and get to know each other. It was fantastic to see the vulnerability that we, as black women, have when we're in a shared space and the similarities in our stories, goals, anxieties, and passions.
The first mural we visited was one of Vice President Kamala Harris. The mural showed Madam Vice President at different phases in her life and was a great way to set the tone for the fantastic art we would see on the rest of the tour.
As we drove to each stop, we got to know one other, sharing stories and exchanging information. One of my favorite murals that we saw on tour is titled,"Hey Brown Girl, You're Beautiful" and is located on Peter Street. It's vibrant and colorful and just as loud as its message. I loved it! That stop marked the halfway point of the tour. When we got back on the sprinter, Tarika greeted us with cupcakes and assorted fruits. She also topped off our champagne, and we cheerfully continued to the next several stops.
Is it a tour in Atlanta if you don't stop to see the Outkast mural, which by the way, is exceptionally detailed, from the mole on Andre 3000's face to the wisps of his hair.
One of the last stops was the new mural called "Joy & No Hate," commissioned by Adult Swim and Living Walls. The mural shows a black woman in a kimono with a bright green background and Adidas. I can tell this mural will be one frequented on the tour because it's massive, beautiful, and magical--a great way to close out a Black Girl Magic Tour.
Different groups see a mix of murals, so you'll likely see some other murals than the ones pictured here. If you're looking for something new to do with your friends, then you have to check out BGMT.
To book, check out Black Girl Magic Tours.