Unexpected Tours

Expect the Unexpected with Unexpected Atlanta Tours

This Atlanta Tour Company Lets You Make Street Art, Biscuits and History.

By Mary Welch

Published May 18, 2026

Add Discover ATL as a preferred source on Google

At a Glance:

Explore Atlanta beyond the usual tourist stops through hands-on cultural experiences.
Create your own street art with local artists in some of Atlanta’s most creative neighborhoods.
Learn how to make Southern biscuits from scratch in interactive culinary workshops.
Dive into Atlanta’s deep civil rights and cultural history through guided storytelling tours.
Experience the city through the eyes of locals, artists and community leaders.
Perfect for visitors looking for immersive, authentic and non-touristy Atlanta experiences
Combines food, art and history into one uniquely Atlanta adventure.
Ideal for groups, solo travelers, couples and World Cup visitors wanting to connect with the city

Akila McConnell calls her Atlanta tour company Unexpected Atlanta, and she’s not kidding. For instance, when you take the Atlanta Art and Mural Tour through historic Cabbagetown, you will learn about the art in the Krog Street Tunnel… but that’s not all. Afterward, you will go to a private patio with a concrete wall and, with a trained artist, create street art. Unexpected.

A group of people are gathered on a sidewalk, admiring a vibrant mural on a wall that depicts a whimsical scene with a woman in a purple dress and a starry night sky in Atlanta, Georgia. — A guide tells the story of a mural on the Atlanta Art and Mural tour through Cabbagetown. (Photo courtesy of Unexpected Atlanta)

The company’s tours go the extra mile (not literally) to give guests extra experiences, whether it’s making biscuits in the Atlanta Market or a savager hunt for youngsters on the King Kids Tour.

McConnell, who wrote “A Culinary History of Atlanta,” started Unexpected Atlanta 11 years ago when the city pretty much only had bicycle and Segway tours. “I quit as an attorney when I was 30, and my husband and I traveled the world, and I wrote about it. I got pregnant, and when we came back, it felt funny not traveling or writing, so I decided to introduce travelers to my own city. That’s how it began,” she says

At that time, walkability wasn’t even a buzzword, much less a reality. “There were minimal places to walk, and people needed to learn how walkable the city is and its amazing history” McConnell says. “People kept asking about the bus, and I’d say, ‘We’re walking!’”

A lively group of friends enjoys a celebratory toast at a stylish restaurant with large windows and elegant decor in Atlanta, Georgia. — Of course, Unexpected Atlanta’s Prohibition Progressive Dinner includes a cocktail — but this time it’s legal. (Photo courtesy of Unexpected Atlanta)

She started with a Downtown Southern food tour and talked about how soul food played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement. The tour, which stretched from Castleberry Hill to Five Points to Auburn Avenue, was wildly successful and attracted national media attention. “We were really different and my mission was to share unexpected stories that really mattered. One thing that makes us different is that some of our guides are historians, including myself,” she said.

From the beginning, McConnell created the company around three core values: passion, honesty and Southern hospitality. “Our hope and goals are that from the moment a person books with us to the moment they leave, they feel our values at play,” she said. “Our story began with building intentional inclusivity, and we take it very seriously. All of our tours are wheelchair accessible, and we can accommodate any food restrictions. We want people to know that in Atlanta and in our company, people care about each other.”

Two people, one adult and one child, are standing in a market with flour on their hands, smiling at the camera in Atlanta, Georgia. — A tour with Unexpected Atlanta often is a hands-on experience. (Photo courtesy of Unexpected Atlanta)

Unexpected Atlanta offers four types of tours: neighborhood, street art, cooking and food.

The food tours focus on a specific aspect of Atlanta, then veer off in an unexpected direction (of course). For instance, the Grant Park Food and Cemetery Tour showcases eight food tastings from three restaurants (Six Feet Under, FirePit Pizza Tavern and The Little Tart Bakeshop), followed by a stroll through historic Oakland Cemetery, where guests learn about the trailblazers, rebels and culinary pioneers who turned Atlanta into a foodie capital.

Other food tours include the Midtown Dining and Mystery Tour, the Prohibition Progressive Dinner, Historic Market Food Tour + Biscuit Class, and the Atlanta Southern Essential Cooking Class. A new class will launch before the FIFA World Cup 2026, called the Sweet Auburn Market Plus Spice Lab, where guests will blend their own spices and learn how spices are used in different cuisines.

A diverse group of people, some wearing winter jackets and hats, are gathered on a sidewalk in front of a historic building with large windows and murals, listening to a tour guide speaking into a microphone in Atlanta, Georgia. — A group learns about the Civil Rights Movement with a visit to the Wheat Street Baptist Church during Unexpected Atlanta’s Martin Luther King Jr. Atlanta tour. (Photo courtesy of Unexpected Atlanta)

The history tour centers around civil rights with the Martin Luther King Jr. Tour around the Old Fourth Ward. The company partnered with the King Center and the National Park Service to tell the story of how Atlanta and its leaders, including Coretta Scott King and the late John Lewis, changed the world.

There also is also a King Kids Tour aimed at youngsters ages 8 to 12 that features a scavenger hunt and guides who are either teachers or who work with students.

The Atlanta Art and Mural Tour involves walking through Cabbagetown, exploring the Krog Street Tunnel and learning the story behind each mural.

A diverse group of eight people stands in front of a vibrant mural featuring a whimsical swamp scene with animals playing instruments, smiling at the camera in Atlanta, Georgia. — The Atlanta Art and Mural tour through Cabbagetown is fun. (Photo courtesy of Unexpected Atlanta)

And there’s more.

Unexpected Atlanta Tours & Gifts is opening a visitors center where people can get information, book tours, learn about the city and buy souvenirs and local foods. It will open at 121 Luckie St., a block from Centennial Olympic Park, and will bring new tourist experiences right to Downtown. “We’re in the thick of the tourist center, and we’ll have a really super cool gift shop with Atlanta gifts and food items as well as T-shirts and Atlanta gear for everyone, including kids and pets,” McConnell says.

Among the products sold will be Mama G’s Sea Straws, Mali Mallows, Barlow’s Peach Cobbler Sauce, Beautiful Briny Sea Salts and Atlanta Burns hot sauce.

A diverse group of people are gathered around a table in a bustling market, enjoying a meal together and engaging in conversation in Atlanta, Georgia. — Guests learn to make biscuits at the Atlanta Market. (Photo courtesy of Unexpected Atlanta)

In the company’s true fashion, there will be more unexpected delights as the center will have tourist information and a cooking school where tour-goers can learn how to make sweet tea, biscuits and pimento cheese — all Southern food staples. The 90-minute classes cost $45. “We wanted a place where visitors can interact and see what makes Atlanta unique,” she said.

“Luckie Street is one of Atlanta’s oldest streets, and Alexander Luckie was one of the first original settlers. He helped launch a lot of community services and opened the first Sunday school,” McConnell says. And, Solomon Luckie was a free Black man and one of the wealthiest Blacks in Atlanta in the pre-Civil War era. It’s a common misconception that the street is named for Solomon Luckie. For Unexpected Tours, McConnell says, “It’s like a full circle moment to have this space on Luckie Street, which is so historic.”

Also in the works are neighborhood tours that depart from the Luckie Street location and, instead of walking tours, tours will use Zyppis — a proprietary three-wheeled scooter, “perfect for anyone age 10 through 90 because there is no balancing required,” McConnell says. “I realized that when there are three generations traveling together, there are different energy levels, but we have to engage everyone. If you do a bus tour, kids get antsy, so we thought about building something that is fun and engaging for kids while being easy on the knees for the adults.”

A diverse group of people is gathered in a cozy room with a brick wall and leather couches, attentively listening to a woman in a red dress who stands at the center, suggesting an intimate discussion or storytelling session in Atlanta, Georgia. — Go back to the Roaring ‘20s with Unexpected Atlanta’s Prohibition Progressive Dinner. (Photo courtesy of Unexpected Atlanta)

Unexpected Atlanta also offers private and team-building tours and works with embassies on diplomatic tours. But the heart of each tour is its unexpectedness. “We do not want you to do another food tour without learning about the food’s history,” McConnell says. “You need to learn about bread and then make biscuits. We don’t want people to tune out because they’re only getting facts.”

Discover more tours in Atlanta.

Mary Welch is an award-winning writer who has reported on the maturity off Atlanta’s culinary and hospitality scene as well as its growth as a sophisticated international city. Her byline has been seen in local and national outlets such as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Travelgirl, Global Atlanta, and American Lawyer covering topics such as travel, business, cars, law, hospitality and education. She co-authored a book with Chuck Leavell, the keyboardist for the Rolling Stones and a Georgia tree farmer, on the future of the American forest.