Where: Rome, Georgia
Style: Traditional
Tea Selection: 4 preselected loose leaf teas, 40+ teas available upon request
Teatimes: Monday to Thursday, 11:30-1:30 (Luncheon), 2:30 or 3:30 (Cream Tea); Friday to Saturday, 2:30 (Afternoon Tea); and private parties of up to 50 guests
Reservations: Required
Contact: Reserve here or 706-528-4546
Cost: $50 Afternoon Tea; $30 Luncheon; $20 Cream Tea
Prices and teatimes are subject to change. Please see our Georgia afternoon tea directory for the latest details.
After Destination Tea visited Southern Seasons for the first time in January, we posted,
This is the kind of tearoom review we love to write. The takeaway is: go here, you will love it.”
In the summer of 2023, owner Haley Johnson bought a 100-year-old building in historic Rome, completely renovating it to create a gorgeous and spacious tearoom decorated with antique furnishings. You enter through the gift shop and tea bar, open week-long for tea drinkers to pop in for a cup of tea or to restock their favorite blends. Since our visit, the Southern Seasons team has also completed a full kitchen buildout, allowing them to serve warm scones baked in-house. We checked in with the team to see how the first year of business has gone, and what’s in store for tearoom visitors this fall and winter.
Q: How has the first year of afternoon tea been going at Southern Seasons?
A: This first year has been wonderful, full of growth and milestones! Around the beginning of last fall, we opened the tearoom to the public and began hosting private events. Themed events emerged with vigor in October and have continued on since. Starting in January, we began having sold-out afternoon tea times, and we have been thankful and very moved to be able to see our guests enjoy Afternoon Tea in our tearoom. We are so pleased when guests tell us they’ve traveled to Rome simply to enjoy our special tea experiences.
In April, we celebrated another first: our kitchen was approved so we could make our tea tray items in-house. Because finding ways to delight our guests is so important to us, we love that having our own kitchen allows us to put our personal creative touch on the menus we build.
Next, our online store launched. Yes, Southern Seasons has an online store! The first order was fulfilled and sent off in late April.
Anyone who loves a touch of Southern flavor needs to visit the online store and grab a couple tins of teas. The Southern Seasons private-label teas are chosen with flavor and function in mind — from providing boosts of caffeine to the calm of relaxation. As autumn temperatures begin to drop, sip on our caffeine-free Cozy Cabin with rich coffee notes, burnt caramel sweetness, fruity undertones, and a delicate woodiness. Or try our staff’s favorite morning tea, Oh Crumpets, a black tea blend with buttery golden layers of caramelized brown sugar and warm vanilla. Come find the perfect tea for you!
Q: Have you made any significant changes or additions to your afternoon tea service or tearoom?
A: For the most part, our Afternoon Tea service has maintained its original line-up. We still provide two hot teas and two cold teas throughout the two-hour service with a three-tiered tray filled with tea sandwiches, sweet and savory scones, and several sweets including madeleines and macarons. In addition to the hot item served table-side, we have replaced our ending fruit compote with an amuse-bouche finish. We find this single bite light wrap-up to the tea to be a refreshing sort of cherry-on-top of all the rest of the goodies. Getting to see our guests enjoy themselves now on Friday and Saturday at 2:30 pm has been such a pleasure!
Moreover, we now have two additional types of tea services available Monday through Thursday. Luncheon is served from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, and includes a starter, an assortment of tea sandwiches and other savories, and a dessert, served in courses. Guests get to choose the shared pot of hot tea for the table and then individually decide on iced tea options we’ve prepared.
Cream Tea is offered at 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm. Each guest gets their own pot of tea and three teatime treats such as scones, madeleines, macarons and more.
Q: Are there any special items you have begun making in-house that are very popular?
A: Absolutely! We are making our own scones now, and several flavors have become favorites. We have a delicious butter toffee scone and are trying out an apple pie chai scone for fall. We also have sourced our own private-label brand of luxury tea that our guests adore. Bergamot Breakfast (a black tea) and Cozy Cabin (an herbal tisane that has a coffee-like character) have become real crowd-pleasers! These teas are also available online for purchase via our website.
Q: Please tell us all about your upcoming holiday themed teas.
We are so excited for the fall holiday season! October is going to be a blast with our magical Witches and Wizards Tea Parties held every Saturday, but we’re leaning into British tea traditions and culture in November with our Teas at Balmoral. This Scottish estate was well-loved by Queen Elizabeth II. We’ll have our renditions of some of her favorite tea treats and other autumnal goodies to enjoy. Our tea room will be transformed with tartan and more! We think this tea will be perfect for the families to enjoy together as they travel about for Thanksgiving festivities.
Q: Have you received any accolades in your first year?
Yes, we are a Best of Georgia Nominee in Speciality Restaurants, and we would appreciate if anyone would like to vote for us!
To reserve your afternoon tea at Southern Seasons, call 706-528-4546 or reserve here.
[Note: This is a sponsored blog post.]
