Where: Atlanta, Georgia Style: Museum gallery Tea Selection: Four paired loose leaf teas Teatimes: Monthly themed teas Reservations: Ticket purchase required Contact: 404-881-0900, Purchase tickets here Cost: $94.95 Royal Tea Experience; $84.95 High Tea Experience; $59.95 Ages 12 and under Destination Tea Tips: Two hours of free parking is available at Atlantic Station, a five minute walk away. Closer still is paid parking on Mecaslin Street. Leave yourself time for the included tour of the museum, including a visit to the rooftop conservatory. Go to the ground floor to check in for afternoon tea.
Destination Tea Notes: Local history buffs will delight in the new monthly themed teas at Millennium Gate Museum, opened in 2008 to “preserve and interpret Georgia history, art, culture and philanthropic heritage.” The museum’s name refers to Atlanta’s self-given sobriquet, “Gate City” around the turn of the 19th century, by which time 15 railroad lines passed through Atlanta, making it a hub connecting all of the Southeast. Our tour guide explained, all other arch monuments around the world were built to celebrate a victory of war, while this building stands as a celebration of peace.
Dining tables have been cleverly placed throughout the ground floor galleries, allowing The Ginger Room staff to serve their popular afternoon tea at this special event, with changing themed menus. Here you’ll be treated to the same homemade British specialties (shepherd’s pie, classic scones, Bakewell tart) served at The Ginger Room teahouse in Alpharetta and sister tearoom Ginger Yums Sip Shop in Johns Creek. And as the teahouse owners are your hosts, you will experience the trademark gallant presentation and pageantry found at their weekend teas, including a bit of afternoon tea etiquette and finally the crowning of the afternoon’s queen. To complete the experience, Assistant Foundation Director Carlos Wilcox invites guests to tour the surrounding exhibits which chronicle Georgia’s history from Native American settlement to the 21st century, finishing with an elevator ride up to the rooftop conservancy for a spectacular view of Atlanta’s skyline.
Approaching the museum from the back allows you to stroll in the park and enter on the floor where the event is held.
Loving this brightly lit space
Dining tables are interspersed throughout the gallery.
Our table at right is tucked up against a display case.
The Ginger Room co-owner Angela Avery donned a green cape and tea hat for the March theme.
Tea Selection
Four loose leaf teas are offered, and we love that guests can request a pot of their favorite – which we did – or just sample cups of each tea as it makes the rounds. We liked the St. Patrick’s Celebration Tea best (Ceylon tea with notes of vanilla, marigold and champagne). Also offered was Dawn of Massal (pea flower tea), Grand Marnier (orange tangerine black tea) and All Green Everything (green tea with aloe, pineapple and cucumber).
A glass of bubbly soon followed, along with a small pitcher of Ginger Yums ginger juice to make it a zesty ginger mimosa if you so choose. That’s a very healthy mimosa!
Scones & Spreads, Savories and Sweets
Our table for two was definitely a compact situation, but they made it work by using beautiful elongated silver tiered trays. Angela donned one of her favorite tea hats by ArtofHats Studio in Marietta, GA.
Plenty of finger sandwiches on soft breads for the two of us: egg salad, coronation chicken salad, smoked salmon and cucumber. Dr. Karl’s childhood scone recipe is paired with a clotted cream (that spread more like butter), jam and lemon curd.
Here’s where the “high tea” label begins to fit. Each guest is given a savory option, and we decided we are extremely smart, because we chose Dr. Karl’s shepherd’s pie, which was fabulous, and balanced with a fresh green salad.
The Ginger Room offers a combination of homemade and locally sourced desserts with their afternoon teas. This does mean that you have to divvy up some of your dessert items, but we are usually so full by the dessert course that we don’t mind sharing. Desserts included: peaches and cream custard, macaron, chocolate ganache petit four, iced teapot sugar cookie…
…and vanilla petit four, English shortbread crown cookie, Bakewell tart, rosewater pistachio thumbprint cookie and second macaron. Everything very yummy!
Enjoying an afternoon tea near these 1950s society ladies is quite the thing. Throughout the museum, photographs and artifacts are on display from 20 of Atlanta’s pioneering families, such as Adair, Candler, Glenn, Herndon, Rich, Woodruff, Rhodes and others.
We made it to the top for a picturesque view of our hometown. A statue of Cyrus the Great overlooks the pond, commemorating the author of the world’s first universal declaration of human rights.
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