Like bourbon and fine wine, tea obsession is “steeped” in unlimited possibilities. Tea lovers espouse esoteric verbiage and folklore, stock caddy upon caddy in their pantries, and, as members of the “secret society of the leaves,” decry coffee culture at every opportunity. Obsessed with tea for four decades myself, I consider my Teafluencer title from Harney & Sons Fine Teas my premier accolade among a (very) limited set of honors.
Here’s an assortment of Southern tea experiences that, as the English writer (and thirty-cup-a-day man!) Samuel Johnson penned about his beloved beverage, “will raise you up and settle you down.”
The Fearrington Inn & Restaurant
Fearrington, North Carolina
Sometimes you just need a good dose of English countryside—tea included—without sailing across the pond. Fearrington Village reveals tranquil garden paths to meander, McIntyre’s Books to peruse, and afternoon tea in the verdant patio or cozy indoor lounges. Tea options include several signatures, including Fearrington Breakfast, a custom blend of Ceylon, Assam, and Kenyan leaves that perfectly complement gingerbread madeleines and deviled egg potato salad cups.
Morikami Tea House
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
Del Ray, Florida
I attended my first Japanese tea ceremony when Professor T.R.H. Havens invited his Japanese Civilization class into his garden to culminate the semester at Connecticut College. I didn’t appreciate the ceremony’s formal choreography in college, but today, I welcome the meditative opportunity and serene setting of a Japanese tea room and, of course, a garden with flowering Clerodendrum and bonsai specimens. Morikami celebrates the Omote-Senke school defined by its “tea whisking” technique. Don’t know what that means? Omote-Senke tea ceremony classes and workshops will explain.
The Hermitage Hotel
Nashville, Tennessee
We may think of afternoon tea as a quaint and dainty affair, not a rough and tumble political arena. The Hermitage begs to differ. Daily debates here led directly to the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. Anti-suffragists attended a tea-themed gathering in August 1920, an attempted rebuke of the Nashville Equal Suffrage League that was headquartered in the historic hotel. Every August, the Hermitage celebrates the Suffragist Movement with a Yellow Rose Tea ceremony, one of several themed afternoon tea experiences held throughout the year in the hotel, a National Historic Landmark.
Laura’s Tea Room
Ridgeway, South Carolina
One of the many joys of touring Ireland or the U.K. is discovering the ubiquitous village tearoom. These outposts supply a quaint environment in which to pause and plot the next manor garden visit or retracing of Wordsworth’s steps across the tarns and fens. Laura’s Tea Room offers a similar respite in small-town Ridgeway, fittingly part of South Carolina’s Olde English District. Laura’s guests enjoy a variety of high-quality teas and such treats as scones with Devonshire cream, chicken salad and cucumber sandwiches, and chocolate sponge cake before hitting the antiquing trail. Reservations are required—and make the whole experience feel right proper.
CW Organics Apothecary & Tearoom
Ridgeland, Mississippi
Located a few minutes north of Jackson, Ridgeland’s CW Organics Apothecary & Tearoom purveys custom-blend tisanes (herbal infusions) with short but specific titles such as Morning Bliss and Immunity Boost. The shop honors the Camellia sinensis, the botanical source of black, some green, and oolong teas. Settle in for Tea for Two, or choose your own pot’s blend of leaves alongside such fancies as “B.L. Tea” sandwiches, vanilla and orange blossom scones, and decadent caramel cake.
The Vinoy Resort and Golf Club
St. Petersburg, Florida
High tea at the Vinoy concludes a one-hour historical tour that travels back to the hotel’s inception (which involved a bet with the pro golfer Walter Hagen), through its 1920s heyday, 1970s demise, 1990s revival, and recent anachronistic and beautiful restoration. Tea is served on the mezzanine with gloriously tart lemon tarts, finger sandwiches, and scones. If, like me, you cherish high tea in magnificent grande dames, make sure to also tip your teapot in Atlanta’s Waldorf Astoria and the Davenport Lounge located inside the Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans.
Floris at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Richmond, Virginia
Like the tea parlors of the grand hotels, museum cafés present wonderful opportunities to disconnect from the outside noise and immerse oneself in a cultural aesthetic. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts recognized this allure when, in late 2023, the Floris tearoom opened on campus. Staff are trained in tea culture and present a tea service reminiscent of English and French salons. Dust off your Proust or Austen and settle in for locally sourced teas including Savory Blends Tea Company, a Richmond-based purveyor, and artistic confections like jasmine tiramisu.
