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©2010
teaincharleston.com
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Tuesday, September 9, 2008
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"For at least two centuries, 'Come for tea' has been just another way of saying, 'Come, let's share a little bit of our lives together'."
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All tea travelers are invited to attend the Meet and Greet event that will be held from 4:30pm-6:30pm on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 in the lobby of the Francis Marion Hotel. Refreshments will be provided, and up-to-the-minute information about the tour will be available.
Tea in Charleston tour coordinators, Denise LeCroy and Mary Rudloff, want to meet you and say hello! This will also give you a chance to mingle with other tour guests from around the country. You might even see somebody you know!
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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
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"Wouldn't it be dreadful to live in a country where they didn't have tea?"
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Welcome to Charleston, South Carolina! We have a wonderful day in store for you, so let's get started!
After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel this morning, we are off via trolley to tour the character-steeped city of Charleston. Over 300 years of American history will come alive as we listen to stories about the American Revolution and the War Between the States. Our tour covers over 100 points of interest, including a stop at the Battery waterfront with its stunning views and warm sea breezes.
Next we will have an opportunity to stretch our legs as we visit one of Charleston's most graceful structures, the Joseph Manigault House. Built in 1803, "Charleston's Huguenot House" is a premier example of Adam-style, or Federal architecture. The garden Gate Temple and outstanding collection of American, English and French furnishings of the period capture the lifestyle of a wealthy, rice-planting family.
Our morning ends at the Charleston Visitor's Center and since the rest of the afternoon is yours to explore on your own, you have arrived at the perfect place! Here you will find free brochures and maps with information about dining, shopping and local attractions. Shopping itself can be an art form in Charleston, and dozens of specialty boutiques, art galleries and restaurants line King, East Bay, Meeting, Broad and Market streets. Lunch is on your own.
Keep an eye on your wristwatch because later this afternoon we have reserved a seat for you back at the hotel for a Cream Tea (Southern style!), followed by a fascinating presentation by Dawn Evers Corley - The Charleston Silver Lady.
Dawn is a native Charlestonian who, for twenty years, perfected her expertise on silver in the antique and silver shops along King Street in Charleston. She is a much sought after lecturer, has taught extensively, and is a former fellow with the Charleston Antiques School. She is considered an expert in fine jewelry.
During our time with The Charleston Silver Lady, we will learn about silver, jewelry, antiques and the history of the South, Charleston in particular. This will be a "hands-on" format with hundreds of rare pieces to examine and learn from. Each piece is a link to a time period and the culture that produced it. Most are museum quality; many were made by Dawn's Southern ancestors (her private collection has been showcased in museums and national exhibits). This is a very unique opportunity indeed to hold a piece of history in your hand.
Following her presentation, The Charleston Silver Lady has kindly agreed to offer one free verbal appraisal (per person) of any small piece of personal silver or jewelry.
As early evening approaches, feel free to stay and visit with other tea travelers in our group, or return to the streets of Charleston for more shopping or sightseeing. The rest of the evening is yours to enjoy as you please. Dinner is on your own.
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Thursday, September 11, 2008
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"Across cultures and centuries, tea has been endlessly adapted and reinvented. Fresh, yet timeless, tea is both the flavor of the moment, and the taste of the past."
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Breakfast will again be enjoyed at our cozy hotel this morning, after which we travel by coach across the Ashley River and up scenic Highway 61 to Middleton Place plantation. By the way, we have a special treat in store for you during the ride (we promise: no sing-alongs!)
A carefully preserved 18th-century plantation and National Historic Landmark, Middleton Place was established early in the life of the Carolina colony and served as a base of operations for a great Low Country planter family and was home to a dynamic African-American slave community.
Upon arrival, we will first explore the 65-acres of formal gardens. Our garden interpreter will focus on the history and horticulture of America's oldest landscaped gardens. The highlight for us, of course, will be Middleton's collection of Camellia sinensis. We will learn who first brought these tea plants to the United States, why, and when.
A guided tour of the plantation house is next. Built in 1755 to serve as a gentleman's guest wing beside the family residence, the house offers a glimpse at the collection of rare Middleton family furniture, silver, china, books, and historic documents.
By now we will have worked up an appetite, so what better way to treat ourselves than with a Low Country lunch in Middleton's beautiful pavilion. After lunch, you will have free time to further explore this magnificent plantation, for there is plenty more to see.
Visit the Plantation Stableyards for a look into 18th and 19th century working plantation life. Garden enthusiasts will have the opportunity to purchase rare Middleton Camellia Japonicas and Middleton Oak tree seedlings as well as many other annuals, perennials and herbs at the Garden Market & Nursery. The delightful Museum Shop is an exciting resource for plantation-made craft items.
We will arrive back at our hotel by late afternoon, and the rest of the day and evening are yours to enjoy at your leisure. Supper is on your own.
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Friday, September 12, 2008
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"Tea may be steeped in history, but history is steeped in tea."
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Our last day is jam packed with excitement!
Following a tasty breakfast at the hotel, our comfortable coach will deliver us to Wadmalaw Island, home of the Charleston Tea Plantation and, like yesterday, we have another little surprise in store during the 25-minute drive.
A visit here is worth all the tea in China! The Charleston Tea Plantation encompasses over one hundred acres on beautiful Wadmalaw Island, in a region of the Low Country that has an ideal climate for growing tea. It is the only tea plantation in North America - truly an American treasure. The next nearest tea plantation is 4,000 miles away in South America, so this should truly be a one-of-a-kind experience for many of us.
We will tour the tea fields, and then walk through the factory to observe how tea is made. Following the tour, we will enjoy a picnic lunch. After lunch, Bill Hall, tea plantation co-owner and fourth generation tea taster, will talk to us about tea, the history of growing tea in South Carolina, and conduct a tea tasting with the group. Later, there will be ample time to explore the gardens further and visit the gift shop.
Mid-afternoon will find us back at our hotel where you will have a couple of hours to relax. Near the supper hour, our coach will transport us across town for Tea in Charleston's premier event a private tour of the Old Exchange Building and a Charleston Tea with James Norwood Pratt in The Grand Hall.
The Old Exchange Building, one of the three most historically significant buildings of colonial America, was built by the British in 1771. American patriots were held prisoner there during the Revolutionary War. But for us, the building holds further interest for it was here, during the Charleston Tea Party of 1773, that the seized tea was stored (Charleston didn't dump her tea into the harbor like they did in Boston! We will learn why). As we tour this noteworthy location in American tea history, we will not only discover the significance of Charleston's "tea party" to American history, but also its contribution to the formation of the new state of South Carolina.
Finally, what better way to end your visit to Charleston than with a magnificent Charleston Tea! The Grand Hall of the Old Exchange Building will be transformed into a stylish tea parlor where we will be served an elegant tea ~ Charleston style. But that's not all! James Norwood Pratt, one of the world's leading authorities on tea and tea lore, will join us to speak further on tea. A book signing will follow.
As this evening and this trip - draws to a close, you will be returned to the hotel for a final nights rest filled with sweet dreams of three wonderful days of . . . Tea in Charleston.
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