Unofficial tour will offer up a different perspective on Atlanta Beltline

The Atlanta BeltLine Partnership’s official tours, by bus, bike and foot, are popular ways to get to know the 22-mile multi-use trail.
But if you’re looking for that kind of tour, what Chad Carlson has planned isn’t it. This Saturday he’s planning a different kind of journey on the southwest portion of the Beltline. It’s called, “The NOT Atlanta Beltline, Inc. SW Beltline tour.”
The tour will be held Saturday, March 4, at 10 a.m. The tour costs $5 with proceeds to benefit the Westview Community Organization.
The tour starts at Lena and Stafford Streets, at the southwest corner of Washington Park and will take 2.5 hours. It will end at Allene Avenue in Adair Park. There are a number of MARTA stops in walking distance. Brightly-colored clothing is encouraged because the tour will cross some streets. For more information, click here.
Carlson, a local historian, chose the name because ABI is notoriously litigious about the use of its copyrighted moniker.
“I wanted to make it very clear it’s not affiliated with ABI,” he said.
ABI oversees the operations of the Beltline while the Partnership raises private sector funds for it.
The tour is also a chance to learn things you won’t find in an ABI or Atlanta Beltline Partnership press release. He said there are buildings along the trail that have been demolished that the community wanted to preserve.
“It’ll be a perspective from a person who actually lives in the neighborhood,” Carlson said. “We’ll explore all components of it. I think a lot of people haven’t walked this section and they don’t know about the neighborhoods. It gives people an opportunity to explore southwest Atlanta.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article contained an error about the official Beltline tours. This story has been updated with the correct information.