Atlanta celebrates Black excellence, innovation and history all year round, but we’ve got an especially great lineup during National Black History Month! From truly moving art exhibitions to delicious meals from Black-owned restaurants, there is so much Black history and culture in Atlanta to honor and celebrate!
To help you out, we’ve come up with a list of 11 amazing things to do in Atlanta for Black History Month this February!
1. Learn Black history from a Black perspective at the APEX Museum
For an extremely comprehensive understanding of Black history, make sure to visit the APEX Museum this February. Located in the historic Auburn Avenue area of Atlanta, this museum connects the world with incredible pieces of Black American history.
APEX stands for “African American Panoramic Experience.” The APEX museum was founded in 1978 by veteran filmmaker Dan Moore Sr., and, according to their website, “interpret[s] and present[s] history from an African American perspective to help all Americans and international visitors better understand and appreciate the contributions of African Americans to America and the world.”
The APEX Museum has a large collection of permanent and rotating exhibits, and is currently the only museum in Atlanta dedicated solely to the “rich and often untold story of people of the African Diaspora.”
Check out more information on this Downtown gem.2. Take Atlanta’s Black History and Civil Rights Tour
Learn all about Atlanta’s Black History on this engaging and educational 4-hour tour throughout the city. Among many other stops, here are some highlights:
- Dive into the heart of Black culture and arts across historic neighborhoods like Sweet Auburn.
- Explore Tyler Perry Studios and iconic Hollywood film locations bringing Atlanta’s cinematic history to life.
- Step into the world of groundbreaking HBCUs and civil rights landmarks, celebrating the legacy of African-American heritage.
3. Visit the National Center for Civil & Human Rights
The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is a museum dedicated to the achievements of the civil rights movement. They always host incredible programming over Black History Month. Explore exhibitions dedicated to Atlanta’s influential role in the Civil Rights Movement, and beyond.
One amazing event you can check out is a free screening of John Lewis: Good Trouble at Rialto Center for the Arts at GSU on February 21st, 2025!
To check out their other Black History events, you can head to The Center’s website!
4. Learn more about the greatest of all time from the genre at Atlanta’s Trap Music Museum
Learn about the art behind the music at the Trap Music Museum. Created by superstar rapper T.I., this immersive museum became the first hip-hop museum ever to celebrate the reality of southern-based trap music. It pays homage to other rap legends like 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, Nicki Minaj and more!
With fun events like Escape rooms, “sip and trap” happy hours and tours of exhibits about the iconic hip-hop music industry, the Trap Museum’s got it all!
For more information, head to their website!
5. Celebrate Black History at the Roswell Roots Festival of Black History and Culture!
This incredible annual arts & culture festival is taking over Roswell for Black History Month! Roswell Roots will be hosting art exhibitions, poetry slams, seminars, and more. You can enjoy music, Gullah folklore, and both incredible stories of Black joy and deeply moving stories of Black struggles and oppression, and the strength of the Black community.
To get the full lineup of the Roswell Roots festival, check out their website!
6. Get some of the best food in the ATL at Atlanta’s beloved Black-owned restaurants
Black History Month is a great time to support Black-owned businesses in Atlanta!
Whether you’re looking for a delicious brunch, a scrumptious southern-style food or even mouth-watering vegan food, there’s something for everyone at these Black-owned restaurants!
Check out our round-up of incredible Black-owned restaurants in the ATL!
7. Support Atlanta’s Black-owned businesses
While we’re on the topic of Black-owned businesses, you can do so much more than eat out to support Black-owned businesses across the ATL! From spas, to grocery stores, to anything else you can think of, it’s always good to check to see if there’s a Black-owned business to support for all your needs!
Click here for a full round-up of amazing Black-owned businesses in Atlanta!
8. Delve into these awe-inspiring arts exhibits over Black History Month
There’s always an awesome mix of art exhibitions taking over our adored galleries scattered across the ATL. Here’s what we recommend checking out this month:
ZuCot Gallery – The Legacy Exhibition
- ZuCot Gallery is the largest African-American owned fine art gallery in the Southeast, and is located right in the heart of downtown. ZuCot exhibits works form living African American artists, both seasoned and novice. Currently, ZuCot’s exhibit The Legacy, “is a captivating exhibition that explores the themes of motherhood, activism, leadership, and friendship through the personal narratives of a diverse group of predominantly women artists. This exhibition showcases the undeniable strength and enduring legacy of Black women across various spheres of life.”
Spelman College Museum of Fine Art – Amanda Williams: We Say What Black This Is
- Running from February 7th until March 24th, 2025, Amanda Williams: We Say What Black This Is is a breathtaking exhibit that you don’t want to miss. According to Spellman’s website, the exhibition was “created in response to the “Blackout Tuesday” social media call to post a solid black square in protest of police brutality in 2020. With a range of abstract paintings in the same square format as the Instagram grid, rich in texture and hue, alongside intimately scaled watercolors that incorporate handwritten notes and phrases, Williams explores cultural, social, and political dimensions of Black identity, particularly how Black spaces are formed, defined, and erased. Central to Williams’ work is the interplay between color and language. Her titles, infused with Black vernacular, forge immediate connections with Black audiences, turning colloquial expressions into tools for critiquing oppressive systems and celebrating the beauty and complexity of Blackness.
For more information, check out their website!
9. Celebrate Black Futures Month at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta
The Children’s Museum says,
In February, all over the museum, we are celebrating Black Futures Month! Black Futures Month is all about celebrating Black leaders that are making a difference in our world today! It’s important to learn about our history, and we also want to celebrate trailblazers in our community and all over the world who are working hard to stand out and lift people up!
Activities include:
1. Jane’s Innovation Station: Build a Habitat
Celebrate the work of young animal advocate, Genesis Butler, by building your own animal sanctuary! What will you include to ensure that your animals have a happy, healthy home to live in?
2. Science Bar: Soapy Science
Celebrate the accomplishments of young Black scientist, Heman Bekele, at the CMA Science Bar as you learn about germs, and how to keep yourself healthy with a fun, hands-on demonstration!
3. Art Studio: City of the Future
As we celebrate Black Futures Month, take a moment to embrace the future, and imagine what the future looks like to YOU – by designing and building your own functioning City of the Future!
4. Mad Libs Storytime
Join us at the CMA stage for an interactive Mad lib version of a fairy tale favorite while celebrating young poet, Amanda Gorman!
5. Storytime: ‘The Year We Learned to Fly’
Join us for a heartwarming storytime at the CMA Stage as we read through Jacqueline Woodson’s ‘The Year We Learned to Fly’ – a colorful and poetic celebration of children’s imagination!
Learn more about Black Futures Month on the Children’s Museum’s website here!10. Check out our historic landmarks honoring Black history!
Atlanta is an epicenter for the Civil Rights Movement which is inspiringly evident, even after a short walk around our city. Check out a couple of recommendations below, or check out our self-guided tour of Atlanta’s rich Black history to see some of the amazing landmarks in our city honoring Black History.
- Martin Luther King, Jr National Park
Walk around where King was born and raised and appreciate the incredible monuments and plaques in his honor.
- Auburn Avenue
If you visit the MLK National Park, stop by the heart of Black enterprise and the civil rights movement, featuring Ebenezer Baptist Church & Atlanta Daily World, the first Black daily newspaper ever published.
- Morehouse College
Morehouse is the only all-male Black college in the United States, founded back in 1867.
11. Visit Oakland Cemetery to learn about Black History in Atlanta
According to Oakland’s Instagram, there are tons of amazing educational events happening for Black History Month this year. They say,
In honor of Black History Month, Oakland Cemetery is offering free tours that shed light on the Black lives, stories, and triumphs that made a lasting impact on Atlanta and the Southeast. Additionally, families are invited to join us for Black History Month Homeschool Day on Feb 25.
Some events include:
- 𝗪𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲: 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝗪𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 (𝗙𝗲𝗯 𝟴-𝟵, 𝟭𝟲, 𝟮𝟯 & 𝟮𝟲)
- “We Shall Overcome” became the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, but the origin of the song dates back to antebellum days and a spiritual sung by enslaved people, “No More Auction Block for Me.” This tour explores the lives and accomplishments of outstanding and ordinary African Americans who fought to overcome the effects of slavery and discrimination to help shape the history of Atlanta.
- 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗮𝘀 (𝗙𝗲𝗯 𝟴, 𝟭𝟯, 𝟮𝟮 & 𝟮𝟯)
- Historically, many African American women worked as maids, cooks, and laundresses—all while managing their own households. As educational opportunities became available following emancipation, African American women aspired to occupations beyond domestic service, from educators & nurses to lawyers & physicians. This guided walking tour moves beyond historical stereotypes to explore the history, lives, and labors of Atlanta’s African American women.
- 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘆: 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 (𝗙𝗲𝗯 𝟮𝟱)
- This homeschool day focuses on the rich history and culture of African American communities in Atlanta. Homeschool families are invited to celebrate the legacy of Black history, culture, and art in the city through interactive, hands-on activities.
- Tickets are $8 for children of members, $10 for children of non-members, and are available on our website.
There are so many things to do in Atlanta to celebrate and honor Black history!