Best Atlanta Street Art by Neighborhood

By Chris Watkins
Posted May 14, 2019

While Midtown is the heart of the arts, many Atlanta neighborhoods have found their creative aura through highly talented local and international artists delivering diverse and vivid murals across the city. Covering everything from walls and crosswalks to underpasses and high rises, this prevalent aspect of the city’s art scene continues to evolve with yearly curated happenings like Forward Warrior, Living Walls, the Outerspace Project and more, all of them continuing to reinvent our perspective of Atlanta. Take the journey with us and have your camera ready as we explore the best street art in Atlanta.

From murals on the Atlanta BeltLine to entire building facades around the world, Alex Brewer aka HENSE has filled the city and the world with amazing color. See his journey from graffiti art in his teens in Atlanta to a highly sought-after international artist.

Atlanta BeltLine

Take a walk on Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail and not only will you find amazing stops for shopping and dining like Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market, but the stroll is filled with murals from art OG’s like HENSE, Peter Ferrari, Greg Mike and more. There are also quite a few pieces to be seen in the Virginia-Highland/Poncey-Highland neighborhood just off the trail on Ponce de Leon Avenue.

Where to start: Atlanta BeltLine entrance at 10th Street and Monroe Drive walking toward Ponce City Market and farther to Krog Street Market.

Old Fourth Ward

We love Old Fourth Ward for the indelible mark it’s left on the nightlife scene with funky stops on Edgewood Avenue and its BeltLine-adjacent walkability. It’s also full of trippy art you have to see to believe like the retro humorous traffic nuances of Chris Veal, fiery work from Rising Red Louts and more eye-popping examples covering bridges, walls and underpasses.

Where to start: At the corner of Decatur and Daniel streets, work your way toward the Edgewood Avenue strip of bars and farther on Glen Iris Drive into North Avenue.

Cabbagetown/Inman Park

Cabbagetown’s and Inman Park’s walkable neighborhood aesthetic of industrial areas and restaurants make the perfect strip for a full-on art gallery. So much so that the annual Forward Warrior public art mural series uses the Cabbagetown’s Wylie Street corridor as its canvas for an ever-changing array of pieces from artists like FRKO, Lela Brunet and more. During a week, you can watch the walls transform before your very eyes. There’s also even more artist work extending toward Memorial Drive and that’s not to mention all of the Inman Park street art that runs along Krog Street.

Where to start: Starting at the corner of Pearl and Wylie streets will set you on a straight course of mural after mural.

Little Five Points

A destination for rockin’ record shops, live music venues and funky shops puts Little Five Points at the epicenter of all things eclectic in Atlanta. And art is no different. Notable works like R. Land’s “Pray for ATL,” The Loss Prevention’s “Welcome to Little Five Points” mural and more create the unmistakable vibe that L5P is known for.

Where to start: At the corner of Euclid and Washita avenues, work your way up through the shops toward Moreland and Seminole avenues.

Downtown/Castleberry Hill

Full of rich history and original architecture, the South Downtown and Castleberry Hill setting of old brick buildings and storefronts provides the canvas for lush landscapes to adorn its walls. From Dr. Dax’s graffiti American flag and ROA’s overturned crocodile to The Loss Prevention’s iconic John Lewis mural and Faatimah Stevens’ “Hey Brown Girl You’re Beautiful,” these images and more speak volumes through thought-provoking messages and artistry.

Where to start: In Castleberry Hill at the corner of Peters and Trenholm streets, make your way up Walker Street into Downtown Atlanta.

Midtown

Whether it’s spending time at the High Museum of Art or the many mouth-watering restaurants along Peachtree Street, a journey into Midtown’s public art scene is worth exploring. While it’s spread out, if you look up you’ll see works from previously mentioned artists like Dr. Dax, HENSE and even a Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta-inspired love heist from Kai Aspire.

Where to start: At the corner of Williams and 8th streets, make your way into the heart of Midtown at 10th and Peachtree streets.

East Atlanta Village (EAV)

There’s so much to be seen hidden in the quirky neighborhood of East Atlanta Village. While live music venues, retro shops and global cuisine are the draw, there’s High Museum-worthy art lurking around the corners of your favorite businesses that can’t be seen from the street. We’re talking socially conscious work from Occasional Superstar, mind-bending images from Shaun Thurston and more.

Where to start: Start at The Graveyard Tavern on Glenwood Avenue and make your way up Flat Shoals Avenue to Argosy.

Chris Watkins is an Atlanta-based writer and photographer and serves as the voice of Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (@DiscoverAtlanta) on social media. You can follow him on Instagram @christopherbw.