Must See Murals Of Athens

The summer of COVID has put many of our favorite Corvette activities on hold indefinitely. Often we were left with only two choices. Sit at home or get creative while still respecting social distancing.

The “Athens Mural Tour,” as we eventually called it, was born out of necessity. Armed with only an idea, a trusted Athens native, and the Internet’s power, we set out to have some fun on a hot summer day.

Chuck’s Fish Restaurant

While not listed in any particular order, the “Hey Baby mural on the side of Chuck’s Fish Restaurant was one of our favorites. As we’re fond of saying, there is always a backstory if your willing to listen. Such was the case with Chuck’s.

Come to find out that the restaurant was named for Chuck Morgan. Chuck was raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and got his law degree from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

He came to national prominence in 1963, the day after the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, when he delivered a speech critical of the state of race relations in the South. Many books herald his career as a civil rights attorney during the turbulent days of the 1960s.

In 2005, Charles Morgan III, Chuck’s son had the idea of opening a restaurant that would showcase the best seafood from the Gulf of Mexico. They named the restaurant in Chuck’s honor.

“No Cry Babies”

When you own a business that sells alcohol, you’re always going to get people testing your underage policy. The Five Points Bottle Shop mural came from the reactions of those denied underage teens. 

Today the “No Fake IDs, No Crybabies” mural has become a rite of passage for those turning 21 in the area. They come from all over Athens to pose by the mural with their first alcohol purchase.

Stop by the Five Points Bottle Shop on your 21st birthday, and they’ll give you a free t-shirt to celebrate the event.

“Birds Of Heaven”

The “Birds of Heaven” mural is one of two on our tour from the talented local artist, David Hale. David is an illustrator, artist, and tattoo artist, who owns and operates Love Hawk Studio and co-owns Anchor Tattoo in Athens, Georgia.

His style takes inspiration from nature, Native American symbology, and traditional tattoo themes. This beautiful mural is at the entrance of the Emergency Department of St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens.

“Hot Corner” Mural

Elio Mercado did this sizeable beautiful mural. The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission funded the work in 2019.

Athens’ rich history of African American entrepreneurship on Hot Corner is the inspiration for the mural. The mural depicts Monroe “Pink” Morton, the Morton Theatre owner, and also barber Homer Wilson, owner of Wilson’s His and Hers styling shop, and founder of the Hot Corner festival. 

This work also depicts the entrepreneurs, musicians, and performers who were impacted by Hot Corner.

“Bulldog”

You expect to see some bulldogs in Athens, the home of the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Finding them isn’t the problem.

Finding them is a spot you can park your Corvette in from of is, unfortunately. Unfazed and undaunted in our quest, we found one of the favorite ones among the locals on a Benjamin Moore Paint building.

“Brick Wall Murals”

Sometimes Google doesn’t reveal her secrets. Try as we might, we could not find anything out about these two professional-quality murals. All that we know is this. They are located on 985 W. Broad St, down the road from the Varsity on the right-hand side going to downtown Athens.

We also know they are much more impressive in real life than these photos. When you find out something about these murals, let us know, and we’ll amend this page and give you credit.

“Birdsong”

This gorgeous large mural is another one by local artist, David Hale. This iconic work covers the side of the Epiphany boutique.

The mural was painted in honor of Athfest Educate‘s 20th Anniversary. The art illustrates a variety of songbirds ranging from Cardinals to Blue Jays.

The 20 birds represent the 20 years of Athfest and music. Hale, who has a national following, worked alongside four high school students to complete the project.

Dawg Walker

Yes, it is not a mural on the side of a building, but rather a mural covering this Georgia Bulldog mascot. The statue is a tribute to Georgia running back great, Herschel Walker.

Herschel Walker was a former professional football player, bobsledder, and sprinter for those whose memory needs a nudge. He played college football for the University of Georgia.

He earned consensus All-American honors three times and won the 1982 Heisman Trophy. Chris Wyrick is the talented artist who covered the dawg with Herchel’s UGA accomplishments.

This statue is considered one of the best of the 38 bulldog statues in Athens.

Thank You, Terri & Greg!

Google can only take you so far in Athens when you’re on a quest like this one. Beyond that, you need an Athens tour guide extraordinaire like Terri.

Raised in Athens, Terri not only knew where the murals were but also which ones you can park your car in front of for a moment. We could have spent the whole day driving around Athens and only seen half of these murals without Terri.

We need to give a special shout-out to Greg from Corvette Cruisers of Atlanta for coming up with the “Athens Mural Tour” idea. He also did yeoman’s work on the planning of the day’s activities. 

As we struggle to find our way back to normalcy in a post COVID world, each of us has personal health risk choices to make. Some have to be more cautious; some can get more creative in finding a safe way to enjoy their Corvette.

As for us, we love the sound of that throaty small block V8 too much. The keys can’t stay on the dresser for very long.