Atlanta's untold stories, told with radical creativity.

For Akila McConnell, storytelling isn’t just a passion. It’s a calling. As the founder of Unexpected Atlanta Tours & Gifts, Akila has built a company that goes beyond traditional tourism, using immersive experiences to uncover the hidden narratives of history, culture, and justice.

Her mission? To share unexpected stories that matter.

Whether through in-person tours that intertwine Atlanta’s food scene with civil rights history or groundbreaking virtual experiences that connect audiences to pivotal moments in American history, Akila is redefining what it means to educate, engage, and inspire through tourism.

An Innovator in Tourism

Akila has changed what a history tour can be. Her approach is built on radical creativity, deep storytelling, and a commitment to justice.

From virtual Juneteenth experiences that bring history to life with interactive elements to innovative in-person tours that blend food, history, and hands-on activities, Akila has made the case that a tour can carry real history and still be a good time.

Her ability to make history engaging, immersive, and relevant to today’s audiences sets Unexpected Atlanta apart among a lot of similar offerings.

“We don’t have the Golden Gate Bridge or the Statue of Liberty,” Akila says. “What we have is a pursuit of justice and truth, and that’s what makes Atlanta special.”

A Passion Rooted in Justice

Akila’s journey to founding Unexpected Atlanta wasn’t linear. She grew up in Alabama, the daughter of Indian immigrants who had to leave their home country due to the caste system’s limitations on their professional opportunities. From a young age, justice was more than an abstract concept. It was a lived reality.

“My parents always talked about fairness and justice,” she says. “As a kid, I was fascinated by history, why do people act cruelly? Why do societies allow injustice? Those questions shaped me.”

Akila pursued those questions academically, studying philosophy, justice, and law. But even after earning her law degree, she realized that the courtroom wasn’t where she would find the answers she was looking for.

Instead, she turned to storytelling.

“I do this work because it’s who I am,” she explains. “It’s what I most passionately care about. When I’m most in my zone, it’s when I’m thinking, teaching, and sharing these stories.”

The Challenge of Teaching with a “Spoonful of Sugar”

One of the biggest challenges Akila faces is finding the balance between education and engagement. “You don’t want to be a professor,” she says. “You want to make it fun and interactive while still delivering something meaningful.”

It shaped Unexpected Atlanta’s approach, combining deep storytelling with immersive elements, whether it’s through live-streaming guides at historical sites, interactive games, or hands-on culinary experiences.

“Our mission is to share unexpected stories, but our method is radical creativity,” Akila says. “We’re constantly pushing the boundaries of how to teach, how to engage, and how to create true immersion.”

Innovation in Action: Virtual Experiences That Make an Impact

One of the innovations Akila is most proud of is Unexpected Virtual Tours. While the company originally focused on in-person experiences, the pandemic forced them to rethink their approach.

Rather than seeing it as a setback, Akila saw an opportunity.

“In 2020, we quickly realized that people needed our storytelling,” she says. “Companies didn’t know what Juneteenth was. We had been doing this work for years, so we built virtual experiences that made it accessible.”

Their flagship Juneteenth Virtual Experience is now a game-changer. With live studio hosts, interactive trivia, and even a guide streaming live from Hampton, Virginia, where the first enslaved Africans arrived in the U.S. the experience has been described as eye-opening and moving.

“Our guests tell us they get goosebumps,” Akila says. “That’s when you know you’re making an impact.”

With over 15,000 guests and 400+ corporate clients, including Fortune 500 companies like Amazon, Meta, and Wells Fargo, her virtual experiences are setting a new standard for cultural education in tourism.

The Never-Ending Puzzle of Innovation

Akila’s drive to innovate never stops. She credits much of Unexpected Atlanta’s success to her team’s creativity and problem-solving mindset.

“We hire really creative people, and we push each other,” she says. “Every year, we look at what we did and ask, ‘How do we make this better?’”

That question has led to ideas like the “Where in the World is an Emancipation Statue?” interactive game, created as a response to climate challenges affecting their live tours. They even wrote an original song for it, proving that no obstacle is too big when you approach it with creativity.

Akila applies the same philosophy to leadership. “In my household, we say: ‘Be a problem solver. Figure it out.’ There’s always a solution. Sometimes, the solution is abandoning an old way of doing things, but you always find a way forward.”

Looking to the Future: What’s Next for Unexpected Atlanta?

As Unexpected Atlanta moves forward, Akila is thinking about the future of in-person experiences, how to adapt to climate change, accessibility needs, and evolving audience expectations.

“We’re challenging what it means to do an in-person tour,” she explains. “More people are struggling with long walking distances, and the climate is changing. If you keep saying, ‘We only do 4-hour walking tours,’ you’re going to be left behind.”

Instead, she’s developing shorter, more immersive experiences, like their 2-hour Historic Market & Biscuit Making Tour, where guests explore the history of Southern cuisine while tasting different breads from around the world, then making their own biscuits.

“This tour has blown up,” she says. “It’s storytelling, culture, and hands-on experience all in one.”

For Akila McConnell, innovation in tourism isn’t just about business growth. It’s about using storytelling to make a lasting impact. Whether it’s in-person or virtual, Unexpected Atlanta is the argument that the right stories, told the right way, change how people see a place.

Know someone who would love an unforgettable Atlanta experience?

Whether it’s a virtual Juneteenth event for your team or an immersive in-person tour, check out Unexpected Atlanta at unexpectedatlanta.com. History, culture, and radical creativity await!