Fancy for a Day

“Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things.”
-Chaim Potok

One of the things we love to do when I’m in Colorado is high tea. It’s a chance to dress up and act like the posh ladies our mommas wanted us to be. In 2017, we went to Glen Eyrie Castle near Garden of the Gods. It was a stunning location and we got to see mountain goats actually scaling a cliff. This year, we tried out Miramont Castle. While it’s tucked into the town of Manitou Springs, it was a beautiful building and the view wasn’t terrible. We didn’t get the wildlife experience, but we did get Damien, a cat that lives across the street. He was very needy of attention and I love him.

A little bit of history here, Miramont Castle dates back to 1895. The Manitou Springs Historical Society bought the property in 1976 and had it added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1977. They’ve done an incredible job restoring and preserving. I’m odd. I really love ceiling architecture in historical buildings, with an extreme passion. I love photographing them. So when we arrived and were able to see inside the tea room, I was stoked. It was beautifully kept and the ceilings were eye catching.

We picked out our teas: Pink Lemonade and Mango Tango. I know, I know. Pink Lemonade hot tea? Don’t knock it til you try it my friends. It was delicious. We both agreed that the Mango Tango was our favorite though. It was so aromatic . Armed with our first pot of tea, scones were brought. They have a few different tea time options to choose from if the four course High Tea isn’t what you’re into.

Let’s take a second to praise whoever made these scones. If I could eat one a day for the rest of my life, I’d be good. They were white chocolate, craisin, and apricot. I don’t even like craisins, but I did that day. Served with an herb butter, almond butter, and strawberry preserve, I was in heaven. Following the scones, the next two courses included fruit and our tea “sandwiches.” i can’t tell you what my favorite was because it was all delicious. Even the weird smoked salmon and avocado mousse (which Carli disagrees and thought was too weird of a combo…she might be right as I think back on it).

Moving into our desserts, we were presented with our Mango Tango tea. Again, super good and was voted the favorite. Please try it if you go. However, the crowning glory was the tiramisu mousse/brownie dessert. I’ve had a lot of tiramisu, it’s my favorite dessert ever. This tiramisu was perhaps the best I’ve EVER had. Also, shout out to the shortcake.

So, if you find yourself in Manitou Springs and have nothing to do the following day, call up and make a reservation. Keep in mind, you do have to make them twenty-four hours in advance, but it is a great experience. And besides, who doesn’t want to dress up every once in a while and pretend you’re some fancy queen? Do you have a high tea experience I should try out? Let me know in the comments!

And as usual, travel well and travel often!