My Favorite Richmond Activity: Afternoon Tea at The Jefferson Hotel.

     A couple weeks ago, I had the most wonderful weekend stay at the beautiful Jefferson Hotel in nearby Richmond! You can read my full review of the hotel here, but there was one aspect to my stay that was extra special, so I thought it deserved its own blog post. And that would be the delightful experience that is Afternoon Tea at The Jefferson Hotel!

     I'm a huge tea drinker- it's always been my preferred caffeinated beverage over coffee. In addition to enjoying tea beverages daily at work and home, I've always been captivated by the fact that going to Afternoon or High Tea is a full social experience in itself. (You just don't get that same classy experience at a coffee shop, right?) One of my biggest travel regrets is that when my parents and I visited the UK several years ago, we never got to have High Tea there. England might be the ultimate place for a formal tea experience, but you can find it in the US as well!

     Shortly after I moved to Charlottesville, I started hearing people talk about the Afternoon Tea experiences at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. I kept that in the back of my head as a fun weekend activity, and I finally got to go for the first time in Fall 2018! My friend Anna from Vermont was visiting me and the weather wasn't going to be great, so I thought that a day trip to Richmond might be the perfect thing to do when the weather wasn't great for wineries or hiking. We did Afternoon Tea on a Friday afternoon, and it was absolutely wonderful! I loved it so much that I decided to take my mom for it as her Mother's Day present when she came to visit me last year over Easter weekend. I really wanted to do it this year too and to make it an annual tradition, so I was thrilled to learn that my friend Emily and I would be treated to Afternoon Tea during our stay at The Jefferson Hotel! You obviously don't have to be a hotel guest to do Tea, but I will say I think it makes it even more special to be staying there as well.

     So what exactly is Afternoon Tea and how does it work? Afternoon Tea at The Jefferson Hotel is a high tea service with a Southern flair. It's available Friday-Sunday each weekend, and reservations are required in advance. I advise calling the hotel to make your reservation several weeks in advance for holiday weekends- you don't want to be shut out of your preferred dates. 

     Tea is held in the hotel's gorgeous lobby, from 12-4:15pm. Their traditional Afternoon Tea features your choice of their fantastic teas, and a delicious assortment of tea sandwiches, scones, and other treats. My personal favorites from this most recent visit included the peppermint chocolate scones and the chicken salad sandwiches. The first and third Saturdays of the month, The Jefferson hosts a Chocolate Lovers Tea, and in addition to the standard tea fare, there is also a chocolate themed buffet area that guests can visit! I've done both the regular Afternoon Tea and Chocolate Lovers Teas- I think the Chocolate one is my favorite since the extra goodies are just delicious, but the standard Afternoon Tea is still great as well.

     Afternoon Tea at The Jefferson Hotel is $35 for adults, and $30 for children. Gratuity is already included in the price which is convenient. (Chocolate Lovers Tea is $39 and $32.) While this is a pricier activity, especially if your group is larger, I can't stress how special and delightful of an experience it is. 100% worth the cost in my opinion- hence why I've been back more than once and plan to keep going! My mom loved doing this last year for Mother's Day, and I think it would also be a fantastic way to celebrate a birthday or another fun milestone. 

     Those are a few snapshots from my past times attending Afternoon Tea- I've truly loved it more each time I've done it, and it's for sure my favorite Richmond pastime. If you'd like more information about The Jefferson Hotel, see my full review post here! 

     Have you ever been to High Tea before? Is it something that's offered near where you live? The Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte also does one- I'm dying to finally try it on a future trip back to Charlotte!

      God Bless,

      xoxo Annaliese