Atlanta’s downtown murals invite visitors to discover the city’s stories one wall at a time

For many visitors, downtown Atlanta is a destination for concerts, conventions, sporting events and, this summer, FIFA World Cup celebrations. But between those attractions is another experience that’s easy to overlook: a collection of murals that has quietly turned city blocks into a walkable art exhibit.

The public art initiative, led by Downtown Atlanta Inc. and supported by the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s Downtown Atlanta Reimagined program, features murals by more than 20 Atlanta artists. Together, the works celebrate the city’s neighborhoods, culture and creative community while encouraging people to experience downtown beyond its major landmarks.

Project manager Nina Dolgin said the effort was never meant to simply brighten blank walls.

“It’s more than just beautification,” Dolgin said.

Among the featured artists is Nick “Turbo” Benson, whose mural near the FIFA World Cup Fan Zone has become one of downtown’s most recognizable pieces.

Inspired by Edward Hopper’s classic painting Nighthawks, Benson replaced the iconic diner with a late-night scene inside a Waffle House, one of Atlanta’s most recognizable institutions. The mural rewards careful observation, weaving together personal memories and hometown references throughout the composition.

Visitors can spot Benson painting himself as both an adult and a child, the younger version holding a Godzilla action figure. In another booth, Outkast’s André 3000 quietly stacks coffee creamers—a nod to his nickname, “3 Stacks.”

Benson said he intentionally filled the mural with details that reveal themselves over time.

“I wanted people to be able to come back and notice something different every time they looked at it,” Benson said. “Some of the references are obvious, but others are there for people to discover on their own.”

For those willing to pause between destinations, Atlanta’s walls reveal a gallery filled with local history, personal stories and artistic surprises hiding in plain sight.