Bus Tours

Bus Tours

Coordinator

Annetta Watkins Foard

Program

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 to shape the present, and eventually, the future.” – Participant, CBI bus tour

 

Launched in 2011, 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, in collaboration with Dr. Tom Hanchett (Community Historian, Levine Museum of the New South, retired) and John Howard (City of Charlotte, Historic Districts Commission).

 

Based on the success of the pilot tour series, “Charlotte in Black & White... and More,” CBI offered the tours as an ongoing program beginning in June 2012, offering community tours on the second Friday of every other month for several years, thanks to support provided by Wells Fargo Community Development, Foundation For The Carolinas and Bank of America.  CBI is currently working to secure funding to once again offer bus tours open to the general public.

 

Customized Bus Tours

In addition to “Charlotte in Black & White… and More,” CBI continues to develop bus tours that speak to different “things in the ground” in Charlotte. In 2019, tours focused on our LGBT history helped us to tell a fuller story of our past.

 

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.

 

Virtual Bus Tours

CBI’s signature bus tour experience has been adapted as a virtual presentation for your team. Contact us to learn more about this “bus tour without the bus!”

Recent Bus Tour Partner Organizations

American Airlines

Annie E. Casey Foundation

Arts & Science Council

Atrium Health

Bank of America

CAPLaw Conference

Charlotte Legal Diversity Interns

CLT Regional Business Alliance

Charlotte Works

CMPD

CMS

City of Charlotte

Community Building Initiative

District Attorney’s Office

Duke Energy

Greater CLT Apartment Assoc.

GCHEG

Leadership Charlotte

Next Level Leadership

Providence Day School

PwC

Queens University

UNC-Charlotte

YMCA of Greater Charlotte

Our Main Coordinators

Any facilitators for this program

Contact Us






    Testimonials

    “Thank you again for the wonderful program. Multiple people told me that you “rewrote history” for them and introduced them to a side of Charlotte they never knew. Really amazing feedback. I also really hope we can keep the students engaged with your work at CBI. My to do list today includes perusing the website to learn more.” 

    -Meredith Niess

     

    “It’s easy to 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