5 Best Brewery Tours in Atlanta

The capital of Georgia is full of nightclubs and lounges, from the most elegant to the most casual. The best experiences in Atlanta couldn't overlook the distilleries and breweries.

In this post, you'll find the best brewery experiences and how the drinks and cocktails in Atlanta highlight its wine tradition. Discover the best tours and excursions on this list.

Why celebrate your event in one place when you have the entire capital of Georgia at your disposal? This question shook a group of visionaries, and the result was the Atlanta Pedal Pub, the latest in private tours ideal for birthday parties, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and company outings for groups of up to 15 people.

During these tours, an Atlanta beverage guru takes you on a bike ride through the capital, stopping at a couple of local bars along the way to enjoy special drinks and have fun with your friends. At each stop, the guide will point out the best places in the city so you can enjoy everything Atlanta has to offer.

What's more, among the current plans, you have the chance to prepare two different cocktails while cycling through Atlanta! And if you're worried about equipment, don't worry, the tour includes everything you need to learn how to make your cocktails.

Details of interest

• Price: from £350 for groups of 8 people.
• Duration: 2 hours.
• Time: evening.
• What the tour includes: 1 bike for groups of 8 to 15 people. Expert guide specialising in the best beers and cocktails in Atlanta. Stops at 2 or 3 establishments. Mini bartending course. Surprise souvenir.
• Transportation: bicycle.
• Pros: Two hours of pure fun with drinks flowing freely.
• Cons: Only available in English. Usually only offered on weekends.

If you like beer, you'll love this 5-hour excursion with convenient stops where the past, present, future and variety of this precious barley distillate take centre stage. The tour takes place in an air-conditioned bus that takes you and a small group to three of Atlanta's most popular breweries: SweetWater Brewing, Atlanta Brewing (formerly Red Brick) and Monday Night Brewing.

The tour begins at SweetWater Brewing, a distillery that is not only the largest brewery in the South, but also one of the most iconic. Enjoy a private tour, followed by a tasting session and an immersive experience at SweetWater.

The second stop is another Southern icon, Georgia's oldest brewery. This is Atlanta Brewing Company, a brewery committed to sustainability and great taste.

Finally, visit Monday Night Brewing, where variety is the order of the day. This brewery distils around 100 flavours of beer every year. With this tour, you won't miss a thing. With someone else driving you around Atlanta, you'll have a safe way to enjoy the flavours at several breweries.

Details of interest

• Price: from £68.
• Duration: 5 hours.
• Schedule: afternoon.
• What the tour may include: beer tasting at 3 distilleries. Lunch. Light snack. Round-trip transportation to a central location in Atlanta.
• Transportation: bus
• Pros: it's a half-day tour that visits the main breweries in Atlanta.
• Cons: transportation to your accommodation is not usually included, and this tour is often only offered in English.

You can stroll through Ponce City Market, visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, take photos at Atlanta United Football Club or perhaps walk around Buckhead Mansion with Atlanta's sightseeing bus tours. What you probably didn't know is that there are also hop-on, hop-off brewery tours in the capital of Georgia.

Guides will take you to 4 to 6 different craft breweries and cideries on Fridays and Saturdays, giving you plenty of opportunities to sample some of the best beers in the city. This is a hop-on, hop-off tour that you can enjoy over 10 hours.

You'll have the opportunity to choose from three routes: West Midtown, Decatur and Marietta, with highlights including stops at: Second Self Beer Company, Hand Beer Company, Midtown Marta Station, Urban Tree Cidery, Atlanta Brewing and Scofflaw Brewing. As you pass through the city's most iconic landmarks, the guides offer information and interesting facts about the drinks and how they are made.

The bus itself is safe and comfortable, with a vibrant atmosphere inside. What's more, the designated drivers are responsible, so your only job is to enjoy the beers at each stop.

The Atlanta brewery tour bus runs on weekends from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Book in advance and enjoy the Atlanta Hop-On, Hop-Off brewery tour with your group of friends.

Important details

• Price: from £15.
• Duration: up to 10 hours.
• Timetable: from 1:00 p.m.
• What the tour may include: a beer and bottled water at each stop. Transport service for 8-10 hours (depending on the day of the tour). Professional guide service.
• Means of transport: bus.
• Pros: This is a unique hop-on, hop-off service available in only a few cities. You will be accompanied by beer experts who will ensure you are comfortable and safe throughout the tour.
• Cons: The service is offered in English. Available on weekends. Advance booking is required.

Illuminarium Atlanta

Have you ever wanted to escape reality and transport yourself to a magical, immersive world that includes one of the best bars in the city? That's what the Atlanta Illuminarium offers.

This adults-only night-time experience features two themed rooms offering different immersive experiences. The first room rotates, allowing you to encounter the markets of Tokyo, the beautiful flower gardens of France, a luminous underwater reef and safaris through Kenya to a mysterious crystal cave.

The next room offers an out-of-this-world experience. Lunar journeys, multicoloured nebulae, Saturn's rings and moon walks. Jump into unknown territory at SPACE. And to liven up these journeys with 4K projections, enjoy good music, often with a live DJ, beers, signature cocktails and snacks.

Details of interest

• Price: from £19.
• Duration: Monday and Thursday from 11:00 to 18:00. Wednesday from 11:00 to 15:00. Friday from 11:00 to 17:00 and 18:30 to 23:00. Saturdays from 10:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sundays from 10:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays.
• What the tour includes: access to Iluminarium After Dark. Access to two bars.
• Transportation: not applicable.
• Pros: it is an immersive experience in two themed rooms where beer, drinks, good food and live music await visitors.
• Cons: drinks, transport and food are not included.

Whether it's a hen night, a birthday celebration or just a night out with friends, the Drag Pub Crawl is one of the 70 fun things to do in Atlanta. The cabaret show led by a drag queen is the perfect way to spend a night in the heart of Georgia.

The night promises unforgettable fun with this tour led by one of the city's drag queens. You'll enjoy Atlanta's vibrant nightlife to the fullest, visiting the city's most popular taverns and clubs. There you can have a drink or two while watching your guide perform, dance and sing as a celebrity impersonator. You'll be entertained with dance contests, jokes and karaoke.

Your drag queen will guide you on an energetic tour that takes you to famous Atlanta nightclubs, where you can enjoy live music. End the evening with an interactive cabaret show. Make the most of your visit to the capital of Georgia and don't miss one of the 10 best things to do in Atlanta at night.

Important details

• Price: from £38.
• Duration: 2 hours.
• Time: evening.
• What the tour includes: the show and a drag queen guide. A couple of hours of fun and entertainment. A tour of Atlanta.
• Transportation: on foot.
• Pros: party, drag queen, cabaret, taverns and bars.
• Cons: service is provided in English. Transport not included.

Beer and variety shows have been the stars of the show so far, but now I recommend a couple of additional experiences following stylish underground venues and wine-making tradition. These are:

The forbidden red phone experience in Atlanta

If you're looking for a place to hang out, enjoy delicious drinks and food, and get a little tipsy in an exclusive atmosphere, the Red Phone Booth experience in Atlanta is for you. But what makes this tour so special?

Admission to the venue is reserved for customers who get their secret phone number. They must then head to an old London phone booth that has been restored and once again stands out in the city with its red colour.

Located in the heart of the city, Red Phone Booth offers classic handcrafted cocktails inspired by the 1920s, such as the Sazerac, the Old Fashioned and the Boulevardier in the iconic Dailey's building in downtown Atlanta.

Red Phone Booth makes the experience even more authentic with double reverse osmosis ice, hand-crushed for the purest and cleanest ice. The menu also features a selection of smoked cocktails with walnut or mesquite chips that intensify the flavours. If, in addition to cocktails, you want to enjoy a good beer, they are also available. And to complete the forbidden experience, a room with more than 100 cigars in a humidor awaits you, a paradise for tobacco lovers.

How do you get into this speakeasy? You have to get the secret number, which can be found among the best hotels and restaurants in Atlanta.

Wine tasting in Georgia's best vineyards from Atlanta

If you're looking for a way to get out of the city and explore the beauty of North Georgia's wine country, this day trip from Atlanta is a great option. During the tour, you'll enjoy a tasting of approximately 13 wines. The private bus takes you through the rolling hills of the area and stops at three local vineyards, including Habersham Winery, where you can sample a wide variety of wines, enjoy fine dining and shop in a Bavarian-inspired village.

The tour begins with pick-up from your accommodation first thing in the morning, so you can make the most of your visit to Atlanta in one day. From there, around the village of Helen, the group goes directly to the first winery to taste the wines while a representative guides you through their history, pairings and general information.

At the end of the visit, at each winery you will have time to browse the gift shop or return to the patio to continue tasting wines. Helen specialises in arts and crafts. You'll find 200 shops selling artisanal wines, candles, cuckoo clocks, blown glass decorations, breweries and more. And if you have the opportunity to take the tour during Oktoberfest, even better. The intention is for you to remember Germany in a single village.

Between shops and wines, it will be time for lunch. In Helen, you can try a combination of traditional Southern cuisine and German cooking. For dessert, try cornmeal ice cream, a typical Georgia dessert made in a traditional mill since 1876, the Nora Mill Granary. In the afternoon, the tastings and walks through the village continue. After 9-10 hours, you will be taken back to your starting point.

• Age. Although tours such as those featuring distilleries or seasonal parties allow adults aged 18 and over, beer tasting at distilleries and wineries often requires a minimum age of 21. Check with your operator before booking your tour.
• No intoxicated persons are allowed on tours. Yes, you will have a few beers or cocktails during these types of tours, but out of respect and for the enjoyment of all attendees, people must be of sound mind prior to the beer tour.
• Dress code. Most venues recommend closed shoes, and even places such as the red telephone box require formal attire.