Sometimes, when traveling, we find hidden gems in the city. That’s what happened when I took the “Fall in Love With Atlanta” tour with Bike Tours Atlanta. I only live a couple of hours away from Atlanta and thought I was pretty familiar with the area, but I learned how wrong I was! We began our tour in a remodeled cotton factory located in the Old Fourth Ward. Our tour guides, Robyn Elliot, the owner, and Nick made sure our bikes fit comfortably, explained the route we would be traveling and had us take a test lap to make sure our bikes were adjusted to the proper height. And then we were off! We first traveled through the Atlanta BeltLine, one of the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment projects currently underway in the US. The project will include parks and over 22 miles of pedestrian friendly transit.
The Fall In Love With Atlanta is a three hour, eight mile tour that detours from the “tourist” sites and gives an indepth look at the real Atlanta. It highlights some of Atlanta’s revitalization, sharing cultural insights, history and some of the hottest new artists on the mural art scene.
A stop in Cabbagetown revealed the history and mystery behind the name. Could it have been named after an overturned cabbage truck, which provided the hungry residents with food, or was it named because the residents were poor and ate lots of cabbage, giving off a constant odor of cabbage? Either way, it’s now the place to grab a quick bite to eat and possibly a tattoo!
When it comes to history, a stop in Inman Park and Little Five Points are a must. We learned how preservationists fought to save some of the magnificent historic mansions in the area, the history of several of the owners of Coca-Cola, and which house was the crash pad for a famous rock band. It’s said the ghost of one of the former band members still haunts the home! I guess he couldn’t get enough of Atlanta.
I was amazed how Atlanta is integrating the old and the new! Check out the pool area of these luxury apartments. Behind the pool is an old Cotton Mill.
Although we were running short on time and it began raining causing us to have to cut the tour a little shorter than normal, we were able to travel through Sweet Auburn, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was raised, and see his birthplace, along with many other preserved buildings, now ran by the National Park Service. Our final stop was Oakland Cemetery, the oldest cemetery and one of the largest green spaces in Atlanta.
Our tour guides were very encouraging, giving us moral support, regular rest breaks and always allowing one guide to stay near the stragglers (me.) We did laugh when they were a little amazed at bloggers, remarking, “I have never had so many people on their phones during a tour before,” as everyone tweeted and made pictures. This is a fun tour and a unique way to see the heart of the city. They offer several tours in addition to the Fall in Love with Atlanta tour, including The Sweet Twilight bike tour, the Old South and New Beginnings Tour and the Downtown to Midtown, Past to Present tour. You can find more information on the Atlanta Bike Tours Website.
Sounds like a great bike tour with lots of fun & exciting experience all around. The pictures are beautiful & I would love one such ride with my husband sometime soon.
Bike tours is something I loved as a child, and still love until now. It gives us great exercise and we get to see different places plus the fact that we were environment friendly because we did not use up fuel to get to see beautiful sights.
This sounds like it was so much fun. I have never been on a bike tour before. I would love to give it a try.
A bike tour sounds like fun. I will have to see if they have anything like that here in Ottawa. My kids would love it.
This one looks like an amazing tour. If Atlanta was not so far away, I would have checked this tour out.
A bike tour sounds fun. I’ve never been to Atlanta, but I would love to visit someday.
This is one that I probably won’t be doing since I don’t know how to ride a bike. Yeah I’m serious! 🙂
This looks like such a fun tour. I love that you can enjoy it on bike while getting a good workout.
What fun this would be. I haven’t been on a bike in forever but think it would be the perfect way to have a tour!
I love Atlanta, I have family there. Sounds like a nice time and a great way to get exercise too!
It does sound like a nice tour. I think it would be interesting to take a tour on bicycle!
We love to take bike tours! It’s such a great way to explore the city more up close and personal!
Now that looks like a tour I can handle… a bike tour! Awesome!
I had no idea there were bike tours in Atlanta. I will need to check into this the next time we are in town.
This sounds like such a great tour. I love that picture of the pool near the old building!
This sounds like a great bike tour. What a good way to see the sights and get some exercise.
That pool area is amazing – only thing is I would want to explore the old cotton mill! z
What a fun way to see the sights AND get in some exercise. I love bike tours.