Bus Tours

Bus Tours

Coordinator

Annetta Watkins Foard

Program

Bus Tours

CBI Bus Tours: A Special Opportunity to Explore “What’s in the Ground”

“It’s not often that you have the chance to visually see how the past helped shaped the present, and eventually, the future.” – Participant, CBI bus tour

 

Launched in 2011, the CBI Bus Tours are intended as an innovative, interactive approach to bringing the history of Charlotte to life, while exploring how our shared history and “what’s in the ground” in our community impacts our present and our future. The tours were developed and tested with the support of a grant from the Arts & Science Council.

Based on the success of the pilot tour series, Charlotte in Black & White. . .and More, CBI launched its bus tours as an ongoing program in June 2012, offering community tours on the second Friday of every other month thanks to support provided by Wells Fargo Community Development, Foundation For The Carolinas and Bank of America.  Tours have been developed in collaboration with Tom Hanchett (Levine Museum of the New South) and John Howard (City of Charlotte, Historic Districts Commission).

 

Contracted Bus Tours

Contracted tours are available for any corporate or community group that wants to engage its members in an interactive opportunity to explore Charlotte's past, present, and future. Contracted tours are customized by interested organizations with the support of CBI staff. Contact us to learn more about scheduling your contracted tour as well as pricing.

 

Bus Tour Partners

AIA | Arts & Science Council | Aspen Institute | Carolinas Healthcare | Center City Partners | Central Piedmont Community College | Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools | City of Charlotte | Crescent Communities | Department of Social Services | Duke Endowment | First Presbyterian Church | Foundation for the Carolinas | Generation Nation | Housing Opportunity Foundation | Knight Foundation | McGladrey | Mecklenburg County | Moore & Van Allen PLLC | Myers Park United Methodist Church / South Tryon Community Church | Piedmont Natural Gas | Teach 4 America

Our Main Coordinators

Any facilitators for this program

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Testimonials

“It’s easy live in a neighborhood bubble in Charlotte.  The CBI presentation and bus tour bursts the bubble with an engaging combination of history and tough questions about how we view the “other.” I left eager to learn and do more.” 

-Scott Waybright

 
“Our customized tour was offered in conjunction with ASC’s cultural leadership training class. Incorporating the CBI tour into their final program session provided an excellent framework for the class to take a closer look at work the cultural sector has been doing around issues of access, diversity and inclusion, and participate in a facilitated discussion about the civic engagement roles they have the opportunity to play as volunteer leaders.” 

-Katherine Mooring

 
“I was fortunate enough to go on the Community Building Initiative Bus Tour of Charlotte.  It was amazing to me how I thought I really knew the history, people, neighborhoods, and culture of the Charlotte community; however, I was amazed at how shallow my viewpoints were, even after serving as a CMPD officer for 15 years!  Early in my career, I learned about the “hidden” communities and streets, but I did not know about the rich history of the former Brooklyn neighborhood (which was in 2nd Ward), all the historical African-American leadership along the Beatties Ford corridor, and subtle nuances that have shaped this City." 

-Gene Lim, CMPD

 

Sustaining Sponsors