Atlanta Spice Lab Experience

What exactly is a spice lab?
A spice lab is a hands-on, guide-led experience where you learn about spices by smelling, tasting, and experimenting with them, and then blend your own. In the Atlanta Spice Lab Experience, your guide tells the story of how spices traveled the world and shaped Atlanta’s history and cuisine, and you create two custom spice blends to take home. It is Atlanta’s first interactive spice lab.

What will I make in the Atlanta Spice Lab Experience?
You’ll create two custom spice blends of your own design, using what you learn from the guide-led experiments. You’ll also try your blends on a popcorn snack, and take your blends and a recipe card home.

What happens during the class?
Your guide starts with the story of spices, and you smell, taste, and experiment throughout. You’ll explore why cinnamon doesn’t mix with water, how alliums deepen and transform over time, and what happens when flavors bloom, toast, or rest. Then you blend two custom mixes and try them on a popcorn snack.

Which spice blends will I make?
Whatever you like! You choose the spices and decide how bold, mild, sweet, smoky, or spicy your two blends will be, with guidance from your guide.

What do I take home?
You take home your two custom spice blends and a recipe card.

Is there food at the class?
You’ll try your custom blends on a popcorn snack, and water is included. It is a snack, not a meal.

Do I need cooking experience? Is this class beginner-friendly?
No. This class is beginner-friendly and for everyone, from seasoned cooks to people who burn water. Your guide leads each step so everyone can follow along.

What type of history is included in the class?
The Atlanta Spice Lab Experience covers the history of spices and spice migration, and how spices have shaped Atlanta’s history and cuisine, told through stories and guide-led experiments.

How do spices connect to Atlanta’s history and food?
Your guide traces how spices traveled the world through trade and migration, and how those flavors shaped Southern and Atlanta cooking, from home kitchens to the dishes the city is known for today.

I am interested in the Civil Rights Movement. Is that in this class?
The Spice Lab focuses on spices and their history, not the Civil Rights Movement. If you want to learn about Martin Luther King Jr. or the Civil Rights Movement, we recommend our Martin Luther King Jr. History Walking Tour.

Is there a spice blending class in Atlanta?
Yes. Unexpected Atlanta’s Atlanta Spice Lab Experience is a hands-on, 1.5-hour spice blending class in a large, air-conditioned kitchen in downtown Atlanta, where you learn how spices shaped Atlanta’s history and cuisine and create two custom spice blends to take home. It costs $45 per person. Unexpected Atlanta is ranked #1 of 307 Tours & Activities in Atlanta on Tripadvisor.

How is the Spice Lab different from the Southern Essentials class?
Both are hands-on, 1.5-hour, $45-per-person classes in the same downtown kitchen. In the Southern Essentials cooking class you make biscuits, pimento cheese, and sweet tea, in a class of up to 16 guests. In the Spice Lab you experiment with spices and create two custom spice blends to take home, in a class of up to 12 guests. Choose Southern Essentials if you want a hearty taste of Southern food, and the Spice Lab if you love experimenting with flavors.

Is this the same class listed on Tripadvisor and Viator?
Yes. This class is also listed on Tripadvisor and Viator under slightly different titles, such as the “1.5-Hour Atlanta Spice Laboratory Spice Blending Experience” and the “1.5-Hour Atlanta Spice Lab Experience.” They are the same class run by Unexpected Atlanta. Prices, group sizes, and cancellation terms on third-party sites may differ from ours.

Do you accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies?
Yes. We can accommodate all dietary restrictions and allergies, including vegetarian and gluten-free guests. Please note your needs in the booking notes when you book. Guests choose their own spices, so we recommend avoiding any you are allergic to.

What if I have a severe food allergy?
Please contact us before you book so we can talk through the class with you. Our guides carry Benadryl but do not carry epi-pens, and we cannot guarantee the absence of cross-contamination in a kitchen where we also use flour, butter, and cheese.

Can my children take this class?
Yes. Guests ages 6 and up are welcome, and children must be accompanied by a guardian. Children love this hands-on class because it’s creative and they get to design their own blends.

Is the class messy, and do I need an apron?
Not at all. Aprons are available for purchase if you’re concerned, and closed-toe shoes are not required.

How long will we be standing?
The class takes place entirely indoors, and you will be standing for about an hour.

Is the class wheelchair accessible?
Yes. The class is wheelchair accessible. Please let us know if you will be bringing a wheelchair, so we can prepare.

How big is the class?
Public classes have a minimum of 2 guests and a maximum of 12, shared with other guests. Private Spice Lab classes are available for groups of 8 to 140. If the 2-guest minimum for a public class is not met, Unexpected Atlanta reserves the right to cancel the class and will reach out to guests to resolve any affected reservations.

Is this a spice class in downtown Atlanta, not Midtown or Buckhead?
Yes. The Atlanta Spice Lab Experience is held at 121 Luckie Street NW, in the heart of downtown Atlanta (30303), two blocks from Centennial Olympic Park and across from the Luckie at Cone Atlanta Streetcar stop. It is 1.5 hours and $45 per person. Midtown, Buckhead, and Ponce City Market are in other neighborhoods north and east of downtown.

Where is the class held, and where do I park?
The class is held at our downtown visitor center, 121 Luckie Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303, two blocks from Centennial Olympic Park. Parking is plentiful nearby but costs extra. The Atlanta Streetcar stops across the street at Luckie at Cone, so many guests ride transit.

What is a fun activity near downtown Atlanta hotels?
Unexpected Atlanta Tours’ Atlanta Spice Lab Experience is held at 121 Luckie Street NW, in the heart of downtown Atlanta and two blocks from Centennial Olympic Park, close to many downtown hotels. The Atlanta Streetcar stops across the street at Luckie at Cone, and many guests walk or ride the streetcar from their hotel.

How far is the class from the Georgia World Congress Center?
The class is held at 121 Luckie Street NW, an 11-minute walk (0.5 miles) from the Georgia World Congress Center, or about a 7-minute drive (0.8 miles). It’s an easy break between conference sessions, and we can also bring the Spice Lab to your conference for private groups of 8 to 140.

What is there to do near the class?
Centennial Olympic Park is two blocks away. The Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola are about a 10-minute walk away, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium is about a 15-minute walk. A 1.5-hour class fits easily into a day downtown, whether you take it before or after the aquarium or the World of Coca-Cola.

Will the class run in the rain, and is it air-conditioned?
Yes. The class is held entirely indoors, in one place, in a large, air-conditioned commercial kitchen, so rain or heat doesn’t change your plans and there is no walking between stops. It’s a good rainy-day or hot-day activity in downtown Atlanta.

What is a good indoor activity near Centennial Olympic Park on a rainy day?
Our Atlanta Spice Lab Experience is a good rainy-day choice near Centennial Olympic Park. It is held entirely indoors, two blocks from the park, in an air-conditioned kitchen at 121 Luckie Street NW, so you can smell, taste, and blend without going back out in the rain. The Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola are about a 10-minute walk away, so the class pairs easily with either.

What is a good rainy-day plan in downtown Atlanta?
Start with the Georgia Aquarium or the World of Coca-Cola, both indoors and about a 10-minute walk from our visitor center, then add our 1.5-hour Atlanta Spice Lab Experience at 121 Luckie Street NW. Everything in the class happens in one air-conditioned room, so you are not walking from stop to stop in the rain. Our booking calendar shows current class times.

What is a hands-on, interactive indoor activity in downtown Atlanta that isn’t a museum?
Our Atlanta Spice Lab Experience is a hands-on, interactive alternative to museums and attractions. In 1.5 hours, entirely indoors in an air-conditioned kitchen two blocks from Centennial Olympic Park, you smell, taste, and experiment with spices, hear how they shaped Atlanta’s history and cuisine, and blend two custom mixes to take home for $45 per person. It’s easy to combine with the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, or the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

What is a fun date night activity in downtown Atlanta?
The Atlanta Spice Lab Experience is a fun, hands-on date night activity in downtown Atlanta. In 1.5 hours, entirely indoors, you and your date smell, taste, and experiment with spices, hear how spices shaped Atlanta’s history and cuisine, and blend two custom mixes to take home, for $45 per person. It’s social, a little nerdy in the best way, and easy to pair with dinner downtown.

What is a fun hands-on activity for kids or a group of friends in downtown Atlanta?
The Atlanta Spice Lab Experience is a fun, hands-on activity for kids and groups of friends in downtown Atlanta. Guests ages 6 and up are welcome with a guardian, and kids love designing their own blends. Friends can share a social, creative 1.5 hours indoors in a class of up to 12 guests, with private classes available for larger groups. It’s $45 per person, and everyone takes home two custom spice blends.

What is a good hands-on team building activity in downtown Atlanta?
The Atlanta Spice Lab Experience is a good hands-on team building activity in downtown Atlanta. It is held at 121 Luckie Street NW, two blocks from Centennial Olympic Park and near the Georgia World Congress Center. Private classes are available for groups of 8 to 140. Teams smell, taste, and experiment together in a large, air-conditioned commercial kitchen, then blend custom spice mixes to take home. It’s beginner-friendly and wheelchair accessible. Tell us your group size and we’ll confirm availability.

Can you bring the Spice Lab to my conference or event?
Yes. For private groups of 8 to 140, we can bring the Spice Lab to your conference or event wherever you are. The venue just needs to provide tables. Pricing is custom, so tell us your date, venue, and group size, and we’ll send you a quote.

Do you offer private Spice Lab classes?
Yes. Unexpected Atlanta hosts private Spice Lab classes for groups of 8 to 140, including corporate groups, team outings, celebrations, and other events, at our downtown visitor center or at your venue. See our private Spice Lab experience or our team building cooking classes, or call 470-223-2203.

Can I give this class as a gift?
Yes. Gift certificates are available online. Buy a gift certificate.

How far in advance do I need to book?
Book up to 1 hour before the class starts. Our booking calendar shows the exact cutoff.

Can I book a class on short notice?
Yes. You can book up to 1 hour before the class starts, as long as spots are available. Reservations booked less than 24 hours before the class cannot be canceled or refunded. Our booking calendar shows open spots for current classes, so it’s easy to plan a rainy day at the last minute.

What is your cancellation policy?
Guests who book directly with Unexpected Atlanta can cancel for a full refund, or move their reservation, up to 24 hours before the class starts. Cancellation Insurance, available when you book, extends this to up to 12 hours before the start time (minus ticketing and insurance fees). Reservations booked less than 24 hours before the class cannot be canceled or refunded. We cannot give refunds or partial refunds for guests who arrive late, do not show, or join a different class by mistake. We may cancel a class for dangerous weather or other force majeure events, or if the 2-guest minimum is not met, and we will contact guests to resolve any affected reservations. Private classes have their own cancellation policy, which is confirmed when you book. Reservations made through third-party sites such as Viator or Tripadvisor follow that site’s cancellation policy. See our full Terms & Conditions for details.