South Street is an artistic Mecca of Philadelphia. From developers offering free and low-cost gallery space to artists with a vision, to the dozens of franchise shops that march to the beat of their own drummer, South Street is to Philadelphia what the Lower East Side is to New York City.
    One of the more noticeable oddities of South Street spans the length of half a city block on the corner of 10th and South streets. "The Magical Garden" is one artist’s combination of unique, urban renaissance with a dash of psychosis. The huge, indoor and outdoor mosaic mural was made and designed by local artist Isaiah Zagar, who began tiling South Street in the 1960s and basically never stopped. He constructed the Magic Garden out of found objects, including cement, bottles, ceramic pieces and bicycle spokes.
    Zagar has created more than 100 mosaic murals in Philadelphia, the majority of them within the South Philly area. Most of these hidden gems go unnoticed by the general public, but the team of people at Philadelphia’s Magic Garden is out to change that.
    Philadelphia Magic Gardens recently re-launched its mosaic mural tours that will continue through September 20. Spanning as far east as 4th and Bainbridge, the tour will introduce people to rarely noticed mosaic murals around Philadelphia. Guides on the tour will discuss the materials and techniques, as the stories behind the artwork. All of this will intertwine with local Philadelphia history stories as well.
    Tours cost $12 per person and are generally about an hour long. For more information, please visit the Web site at phillymagicgardens.org.