Experience 6: Afternoon Tea at the Williamsburg Inn

To celebrate my 40th birthday, my friend Rose took me on a daytrip to Colonial Williamsburg. The highlight of the trip was visiting the beautiful Williamsburg Inn for afternoon tea. I have had tea in a variety of settings, but there was something about experiencing this most civilized ritual in a country inn that made it a special treat.

Though I’ve been to Colonial Williamsburg many times, I’ve never been to the inn. Built by John D. Rockefeller in 1937, the inn fits in nicely with the historical setting and has hosted many famous people, including Queen Elizabeth who stayed there first in 1957 and again during her visit to Virginia in May to celebrate the 400th birthday of Jamestown. It seems especially appropriate to have tea in the same place the Queen visited (though I’m guessing she probably took tea in her suite and not in the public rooms).

We were seated in the Terrace Room and began our tea with a glass of champagne, toasting friendship and birthdays. Then we chose our tea from the extensive menu and I picked the inn's special Williamsburg tea. It was a rich black tea (my favorite) that was absolutely perfect. I like my tea sweet and there is something about the satisfying plop of sugar cubes into a teacup that makes me smile. We sipped our first cup of tea while waiting for our scrumptious accompaniments.

Like most afternoon teas, the Williamsburg Inn offers three courses: finger sandwiches, scones and petite desserts. The sandwiches were an issue because Rose is a vegetarian and I don’t eat eggs, but we muddled through. I enjoyed the ham sandwiches and tea wouldn’t be complete without cucumber sandwiches. Rose was limited to the egg salad and cucumber and we both passed on the salmon.

The scones are my favorite tea course and these didn’t disappoint. In fact, we asked for more! They were served with the obligatory clotted cream, lemon curd, orange marmalade and a “mystery” jam that the server believed was raspberry, but I’m convinced was passion fruit or some other equally sweet jam. In any case, the scones (raisin and plain) were perfect with just clotted cream, though I did try each of the other toppings.

Surprisingly, dessert is my least favorite course. Maybe it’s because by the time I get to dessert I’m already full of scones and tea, or it could be because the petite desserts are about presentation rather than taste. Our dessert course included miniature cakes, fruit tarts and cookies. They were all beautiful, but my favorite of the desserts was the macadamia cookie dipped in chocolate.


Sipping tea while the harpist serenaded me with “Happy Birthday” contributed to the decadent experience, as did the lush arrangements of flowers that filled the rooms of the public spaces. Tea and roses, the combination of scents is heavenly. I enjoyed two pots of my fragrant tea and a couple hours’ of friendly conversation. There is just something about afternoon tea that is so special; it makes me feel happy and feminine and hopeful, as if anything is possible and all my dreams can come true.

If you have time for tea, you have a very nice life.



Do It Yourself

Going to afternoon tea? The experience is similar—and memorable—whether you’re in London, England or Williamsburg, Virginia.

--Make your reservations well in advance of the date you would like to have tea. I had wanted to have tea on my birthday when I was in London, but because I waited until the week prior to our trip to make a reservation, they were booked. (It was also a Bank Holiday, which I didn’t know until we got there.)

--If you have dietary restrictions (vegetarian, food allergies, etc.), ask about substituting alternatives at the time you make your reservations.

--Tea is a fabulous experience for everyone, including older children. Many places that offer afternoon tea also offer a children’s menu (including peanut butter and jelly finger sandwiches!).

--If your pot of tea comes with a strainer, don’t forget to use it! Loose tea leaves in your cup of tea make for a not-so-pleasant experience (though I suppose you can read your fortune in them afterward).

--If you've never tried clotted cream, don't be thrown by the name. This is what heaven tastes like.

--Take your time and enjoy the experience.