I remember playing “tea” as a child, sitting at my little table and serving pretend cookies and pouring tea to my stuffed animals. Afternoon tea might be a British tradition, but those traditions don't have to involve family travel to England to enjoy the perfect girlfriend day out. Take your daughter, your mother, your best friend, all your BFFs to experience this British tradition. Afternoon Tea is served in many places around the world, as I discovered in my own backyard at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver. 

Petite finger sandwiches, warm scones, Devonshire cream shipped directly from England, African Rooibos tea amidst The Brown's historic lobby on a rainy afternoon. In the background, a pianist tickled the grand piano’s ivory keys. The Brown Palace has a long history of serving Afternoon Tea, and I enjoyed the intimate setting with my mother-in-law Linda. Several young girls (all dressed up!) were also partaking of Afternoon Tea with their grandmothers, mothers, and families, a perfect family or multigenerational getaway. Afternoon tea is a like an adult dress-up party!

Linda and I chatted, we laughed, and reveled in each other’s company, rare moments just she and I, away from the hustle of our family events. We even splurged for a glass of Kir Royale, Prosecco champagne with crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur).

My first afternoon tea experience fittingly took place in England at the InterContinental London Park Lane. It was lovely (as the British say), but really it was an enlightening experience for this Iowa farm girl. Finger sandwiches, scones, tea – in a five-star property between Mayfair and Knightsbridge with a view of Buckingham Palace. I fell in love with this British tradition, and just a few days later, on a rainy afternoon, I again sat back in a lobby, this time Ireland's Ashford Castle, and enjoyed Afternoon Tea. 

I agree – it would be an amazing journey to travel to England for Afternoon Tea, but what if I want Afternoon Tea, but don’t have time to travel to the U.K.? Take part in a longstanding tradition and do Afternoon Tea in your hometown, or while traveling elsewhere on vacation.

I have so many Tea Rooms to choose from either in or near Colorado

• The Molly Brown House Museum, Denver, CO
• The Briarwood Inn, Golden CO
• Historic Hotels of the Rockies serve the British tradition of Afternoon Tea in their historic lobbies: the Castle Marne, the Delaware Hotel, the Nagel Warren Mansion, the Historic Elk Mountain Hotel, the Plaza Hotel, the Hotel Colorado and the Grand Union Hotel are a few places where stopping in for a spot of tea will satisfy the stomach as well as nourish the soul.
• Click here for more Colorado Tea Houses

**NOTE: Check websites for Afternoon Tea Schedules!

Host an Afternoon Tea Party in your own home with these recipes from Denver’s Castle Marne Bed & Breakfast!

Photos: Courtesy of The Brown Palace

So how about you? What’s your favorite Afternoon Tea spot near your home? Or how about outside your home town?
Help TravelingMom.com explore Afternoon Tea Options by posting your suggestions below.

< Prev		Next >