Spring Garden Tour & Tea
(Adult) Take a tour of the beautiful demonstration gardens with an Extension Master Gardener docent. Find inspiration in our horticulturists’ plant choices and garden bed designs. Hear about our 18th century origins and our mission today, then step inside for afternoon tea. Garden tours run rain or shine.
A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.
Green Spring Gardens LocationI Like Coffee, I Like Tea
(Adult) Tea and coffee are the most popular beverages in the world, and both have legendary pasts. Learn about the history, provenance and health benefits of these flavorful, and competing, brews as we compare and contrast them. Regardless of your preference, you may change sides in the battle of the cup.
Cost: $18 (lecture only); $42 (lecture + tea)
A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.
Green Spring Gardens LocationClara Barton, Red Cross Angel
(Adult) Award-winning actress and Smithsonian scholar Mary Ann Jung performs as Clara Barton, who faced bullying and bullets to save lives as a Civil War nurse. Discover how Clara created The Missing Soldiers Office and the American Red Cross in an interactive performance that reveals her struggles and accomplishments and inspires all of us to "Never Give Up!"
A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.
Green Spring Gardens LocationGarden Tour & Tea
(Adult) Tour the glorious demonstration gardens with master gardener docents. Hear about Green Spring’s fascinating history, our educational mission today and how we can help your summer gardens grow!
A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.
Green Spring Gardens LocationMatchmaker, Matchmaker
(Adult) June is for weddings. Explore the many ways that people have found their mates throughout history, from the ancient roles of matchmakers to the emergence of marriage markets and the origins of “dating.” Discover why June is historically the most popular month for marriage.
A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.
Green Spring Gardens LocationWhat a Coincidence!
(Adult) Mark Twain was born on the day Halley’s Comet visited in 1835 and died on the day of its return in 1910. What are the odds? Hear theories on why coincidences happen and what they mean. Discover some of the most remarkable known coincidences and chance events in human history.
A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.
Green Spring Gardens LocationGreen Spring Past and Present
(Adult) Learn about Green Spring’s 18th-century origins, its early owners and the enslaved people who once lived and toiled here. Hear fascinating stories of past residents of the 1784 Historic House and discover how Green Spring became a horticultural and historical resource for visitors today.
A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.
Green Spring Gardens LocationGluten-Free Tea and Tattle
(Adult) Rumor, hearsay, scuttlebutt, scandal. Gossip is widely condemned yet sometimes considered a positive force in society.
Hear all about the origins and changing definitions of gossip, how people have “dished” hilariously through the ages, and why gossiping was once considered synonymous with tea-drinking!
Please note: All tea food for this afternoon tea will be made with no gluten-containing ingredients but cross-contamination is possible.
Green Spring Gardens LocationThe Origin of Manners
Concepts of courtesy and good manners have defined cultures through the ages and made social interaction run smoothly. Learn how manners have changed from medieval times to the Victorian era to the present day and consider the differences between "good manners” and “etiquette.”
A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.
Green Spring Gardens LocationHistoric Green Spring programs are followed by a traditional English afternoon tea, unless otherwise noted. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries and scone.
Historic Green Spring programs are by reservation only (703-941-7987, TTY 703-324-3988).
