Durham, N.C., the epicenter of the Research Triangle Park, is not known as a resort destination. But, nestled on the campus of Duke University, is a tranquil peace of resort heaven, known as the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club. It transports guests away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and opens its door for you to enjoy a slower-pace oozed with Southern hospitality.



The stately inn, nestled on 300 acres on the edge of Duke Forest, is owned by Duke University. Some weekends, you will be hard-pressed to find a room available at the  Washington Duke Inn, which could easily be mistaken for a country English estate in Durham, England, not North Carolina.

But, the good news for you is that sometimes the hotel is less busy such as when Duke University students are not on campus or when the Duke BlueDevils are not playing a home game. Summer is one of the less busy times for the hotel and as a result, you will find incredible rates and packages that every local or seasoned traveler should experience.



Under the culinary leadership of Jason Cunningham, I've been a fan of the Washington Duke Inn tea service for several decades now. They have the best scones in the state and an elegant tea service. It is also a perfect experience for kids. My son had his first tea in the Fairview Dining Room when he was seven.



Every time I have dined at the Washington Duke Inn restaurant in the past, I have had an exceptional dining experience.  I am a huge fan of the Fairview Dining Room, which is the official name of the AAA four-diamond ranked restaurant.

One of the best local secrets is that the Washington Duke Inn menu features the special Dinner at Dusk Menu, offered from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at a special price of $35 for three courses. The value alone in that meal is crazy good.  The Washington Duke Inn is also known for its weekend brunch so it's a popular spot for Duke students, alumni, and their families.

As you know from my past travels, I do not shy away from dining in fine restaurants in hotels with my kids. In non-hotel restaurants, I'm a little more cautious. The reason why I am comfortable choosing hotel dining with kids in tow is that hotels are used to dealing with children




Chef Cunningham has younger children than my two so he understands the struggles parents have when traveling. Parents, like myself, want great food, but here is Liza, who lives off of buttered noodles, a cheeseburger, and an occasional nugget. Meanwhile, my soon to-be-13-year-old is a self-exclaimed foodie, and we have to limit him or else, we will have to get a bank loan on his choices.

The Washington Duke Inn also operates the Bull Durham Bar for more casual salads, burger and sandwich options which is a perfect choice for families who need a less quiet atmosphere. I've dined here for lunch with the kids when we visited the nearby Duke Lemur Center.  Despite the numerous times I've dined at the Washington Duke Inn through the years, I had never stayed overnight and experienced what it would be like as a resort guest until this year.

Staying as an Overnight Guest in the Family Suite at the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club

Best Scallop Dish Ever Tasted in Washington Duke Inn Restaurant 

Swimming at Night and Drinks on the Green 

Luxury Hotel Perks You Will Enjoy at Washington Duke Inn in Durham, N.C. 

The Sister Hotel: The JB DUKE Hotel 

I don't like to call myself an expert on afternoon tea, but I get around when it comes to afternoon tea service. It's kind of the thing that I like to do during my travels.



I make my husband and children partake in it, too. In the past year, we've had tea as a family at The Jefferson Hotel and The Primland  Resort in Virginia,  as well as the Jekyll Island Club in Georgia. We've had tea at the Ritz-Carlton Charlotte and I have had tea at The Umstead in Cary, The Carolina Inn, the Ritz in Paris, The Fearrington House Inn, and at the Empress in Victoria, British Columbia. It's fairly clear. I like afternoon tea.

I've not had tea in every hotel that offers afternoon tea in North Carolina so until that happens, I'm not going on record saying that the Washington Duke has the best afternoon tea service in my home state, but I will publicly declare that the Washington Duke Inn is my favorite place for a traditional English style afternoon tea.



Here's why. I'm a tea sandwich and scones kind of girl. Scones and tea sandwiches are my favorite things about having afternoon tea. I am traditional with my tea selection, too. I like black teas served with cream and sugar. I rarely indulge in sweets in afternoon tea, either nor do I chose green teas.  My children love the sweets, but if someone offers me a cucumber sandwich and a scone, I promise you, I will choose those items every time over the sweet offerings.



The Washington Duke Inn has great scones and sandwiches. They have great sweets, too for its tea service, but I'm always too full on Devonshire cream and strawberry preserves to take a bite.



On my last visit to the Inn, I was introduced to a true tea expert. For the media, the hotel had Constance Lue,founder of the Old North State Tea Society, as special guest. She's like a living encyclopedia for tea facts. She likes Darjeeling tea, and she tells me that if you purchase tea from a grocery store then "darling, you aren't drinking tea!"

She loves scones as much as me, and she said, "if a hotel tells me they make their own clotted cream then I know it's not true clotted cream and is probably not very good. Devonshire is the only place that makes true clotted cream." She says there is a lady in N.C. that is originally from Devonshire, England and she can make good clotted cream, but she's about the only person that can get that homemade clotted cream pass from the tea lady.

Afternoon tea is a very social meal. Ms. Lue taught us to break up our scones into tiny bites, and put cream and jam on every bite.



Ms. Lue adds that the Washington Duke Inn is one of her favorite places for afternoon tea, and she hosts the annual Old North Tea Society tea at the Inn every year. I think she agrees with me on my assessment of the Inn's tea. She says the desserts are an important part of the afternoon tea process, too and the Washington Duke Inn balances its offerings of savory and sweet perfectly. I think that is what I like about the hotel's tea service, too. Some hotel teas that I've attended for tea like to showcase the desserts more than than the scones and sandwich bites. I have enjoyed those teas, but I prefer the traditional English style. Honestly, some days I would be fine with just scones and tea, which is called a cream tea and is hard to find in North Carolina.



I adored meeting Constance Lue, and her travel companion. They live in Oxford, N.C.  Ms. Lue teaches tea etiquette at the local community college to young students.

Personally, I think partaking in afternoon tea is something that every young person should do, and it's a favorite activity of my children now.  It's something I hope they will do with their children one day. I took my son to Washington Duke Inn for tea when he was just seven, and my daughter has yet to have tea there which I need to make happen.

 I love the fact that Washington Duke serves tea in the Fairview Dining Room. A lot of hotels serve afternoon tea in the lobby, and that can be a little distracting, if the lobby is busy.



And who knows, maybe in 30 years, I can become North Carolina's new tea lady. Right now, we have a wonderful reigning queen, and she is a delight.

The Washington Duke Inn serves afternoon tea daily during the holidays. For more on the Inn's tea service visit the dining page for the Fairview Dining Room.  Reservations for tea are required. The Inn will make a special menu for the children's tea.

Want to Go:
Washington Duke Inn 
3001 Cameron Blvd
Durham, N.C.


Disclosure: My opinions can't be bought about my luxury hotels and afternoon tea. My opinion of afternoon tea at the Washington Duke Inn comes from being both a guest who has paid and also as a member of the media. This story was made possible by a recent complimentary media event and I'm so glad they invited Constance Lue to be the guest speaker. I learned so much from her, and it will always be a great memory of mine. 

Happy Father's Day!


Yesterday was my daughter's dance recital. It was her first "official" one on the big stage with an audience of 600 proud parents, grandparents, siblings, and such.  It was held at Fletcher Auditorium in downtown Raleigh. Will, of course, was a proud dad. We are both proud of our little diva.


I took Will to the Washington Duke Inn for the kick-off to the Summer Beer Series dinners. He loved it. I did, too. This four-course dinner was with Mystery Brewing in Hillsborough. The Inn is hosting two more dinners this summer. The July 16 beer dinner will be with Carolina Brewery, of Chapel Hill,  and the August 13 dinner will be with Fullsteam Brewery, located in Durham. It's a great night of food and beer for a cost of $49 per person. You can register on the Inn's website.  I think these beer dinners would appeal as gift for the men who really don't want a lot of material possessions, but who love good beer, food and top-rate experiences. Chef Jason Cunningham and Chef Murray Healy put a terrific meal together for the event, and a dessert so good that I wanted to lick the plate. I also couldn't get enough of the beer steamed clams and tomato-angelica salad, which was our second course paired with "Nanaline", a muscadine plum belgian single brew.


These beer dinners are culinary masterpieces, and they work extremely hard to bring out the flavor of the beer with each dish.

Will walked away from the dinner becoming a huge fan of Mystery Brewing so we may just pop over to the Mystery Brewing pub in Hillsborough this summer for a little day trip. Will has told several people since Thursday's dinner, "I walked away enjoying all five beers, and that is usually rare."  The interesting thing about Mystery Brewing beers is that all the brews have a literary reference. If you've never tried the beer, you should. You can find its brews in these areas in North Carolina. I really enjoyed "Nanaline", the signature beer developed by Mystery Brewing, especially for the Inn, and the one served with the clams.

There is also another experience where I took Will to an event, and I think it would also be a special treat for dads. This was the TOPO Distillery Tour in Chapel Hill. After going on this tour, and trying TOPO's products, I only buy TOPO liquor to stock my home bar. TOPO's signature drink this summer is Cucumber Lemonade. They offer tours a few days a week.



And finally, Will is not a golfer, but our son is a wannabe. My last recommended excursion is the Ballantyne Hotel Golf School Stay and Play package. The Ballantyne Hotel is a great hotel in Charlotte. It's near Carowinds, uptown city activities, but more importantly, the hotel has a great spa and outdoor pool.  July is also family golf month at the Ballantyne Golf Club. Give Dad some golf lessons for a day or two while you and the kids lounge by the pool. He can then take the kids on the course to play golf during Family Month while you hit the spa. Sounds like a good plan to me.


I've never had tea at the hotel so that's on my summer wish list.

Cheers!

It's been awhile since I did a luxury hotel round up for the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. As I've mentioned before, it's important to not just think of our area's local luxury hotels as only frequented by out of town guests. With award-winning restaurants on site, our area's luxury hotels are places for Triangle residents to enjoy, too.  Here are some events that I think are exciting this summer.

The Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club in Durham, N.C. 

I look forward to kicking off the Washington Duke Inn's beer dinner series this summer. The first one will be held on June 12 in conjunction with Mystery Brewing in Hillsborough, N.C.



Next Thursday, Erik Lars Myers of Mystery Brewing Co. and author of North Carolina Craft Beer and Breweries, Executive Chef Jason Cunningham and Chef de Cuisine Murray Healy of the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club will present a multi-course beer-inspired menu on the Terrace on the Green. Erik will come to the Inn hauling kegs straight from the brewery! He’ll serve five small batch collaborative beers including one only served at Mystery Brewing’s Tap Room, as well as the Inn’s exclusive Nanaline, named after Doris Duke’s mother. I've been in Erik's company for another event, and I am really looking forward to this dinner and the opportunity to try more of his brews. This will be the prelude to my daughter's dance recital weekend, and as you'll see from what I wrote in the News and Observer, I need to kick back a little before I have to make the "donut bun." 

Other beer dinners are planned with Carolina Brewery on July 16 and FullSteam Brewery on Aug. 13. The cost is $49 per person and $39 for Executive Club Members. For more information: 919.493.6699.

Fearrington Village in Pittsboro, N.C. 

I spent some time at Fearrington Village last month, and  I am in love with the Inn, Restaurant and Spa. Fearrington has live music on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at the Roost, weather permitting.


The Fearrington Granary is a great place to have dinner in addition to the more formal Fearrington House Restaurant. While dining at the Granary, I chose the Twice Baked Goat Cheese Souflee for my entree with beets, spinach, watercress, and pecans. It was delicious. Be sure to visit the Fearrington Village calendar for upcoming wine dinners and other events.

The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, N.C. 

Hai Tran, the Umstead Hotel and Spa's sommelier coordinates a great wine tasting called Umstead Uncorked on the last Thursday of each month. Each wine tasting centers around a different theme, and Chef John Childers prepares a few small bites to with the tasting.


On June 26, Hai will have a Red, White, and You theme. I always love Hai's themes. In this tasting, you will discover American beauties to help you prepare for Independence Day celebrations. The cost is $40 per person. These events are fun, and I think it would be fun for a few girlfriends to do together. It is at least four glasses of wine so you may want to grab a burger on the terrace after the event.

The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, N.C. 

The Carolina Inn has its Fridays on the Front Porch all summer, and on June 14, the Inn will have a Moonshine tasting reception.


The special guest will be Moonshiner Wayne, cast member of the Discovery Channel's “Moonshiners,” during its Moonshine Tasting.  You will be able to sample a variety of North Carolina made moonshine and enjoy culinary delights while conversing with “Hill Billy” Wayne. One of his very own stills will be on display for you to view. My favorite distillery, TOPO, will have its Organic Carolina Whiskey Moonshine available to taste. The cost is $55 per person. A few seats are still available for this event on June 14.  Call for reservations at 919.918.2735.

I'll be back on Thursday for Instragram Travel Thursday.

How are you? You know how it is! Life is crazy when you are a parent, and I've had very little time to chat with you all here.  I've been out and about in Triangle lately. As a result, I wanted to share some things with you that I felt needed sharing sooner rather than later.

I love her new owl gown from Company Kids

First off, our owl pajamas for National Family Pajama Night arrived this week.  I love The Company Store. 

The Siena Hotel used Vietri China for the luncheon.

Last week on my TriangleMom2Mom column for the News and Observer, I received a lot of positive feedback on my column titled, "Do Really Skinny Women Eat?" You can read that post here. I'm back on the food-eating wagon, and apparently off of the exercise wagon since I wrote about my attempts to lose weight on the Denise Austin eating plan. The scale is moving up again, if I indulge at all. The "Do skinny women eat?" post idea came after I attended a fabulous luncheon at the Siena Hotel to celebrate Vietri's 30th Anniversary. I'm working on a story for Skimbaco Lifestyle about how a trip to Italy inspired the start of Vietri, the North Carolina based tablescape company. I'm hoping to sit down soon so I can devote some time it.




I am a big fan of Vietri, and am so glad I was able to attend this luncheon and meet, CEO Susan Gravely. The table setting was stunning, and I certainly ate like a queen. It will be a cold day in hell that I pass up food prepared by an outstanding chef like Executive Chef Adam Rose of Il Palio. 

I was also at the Washington Duke Inn in Durham last week for the luxury hotel's Fall Menu preview. Here, I'm enjoying the tasting with food blogger, Ron Wen of Foodalicious Follies. 




Executive Chef Jason Cunningham always seems to impress my Southern, simple taste. His menu is based on the farm-fresh ingredients that are abundant this time of year. I didn't get a photo of my favorite dish, but the Ashley Farms Sweet Tea Poulet Rouge really stood out as a favorite for me.  I also tried my first cinnamon sugar cronut. The Cinnamon Sugar Cronut was served with poached sour cherries and root beer ice cream. I loved it. 

Cinnamon Sugar Cronut

You can view the fall menu on the Washington Duke Inn website.  As the days grow shorter, the fall season's happy hour menu, served daily in the Fairview Dining Room, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., is a $30 three-course prix-fixe menu that includes a choice of appetizer, entree and a sample of sweets. 

Christopher Marley's collection is on display at the Umstead Hotel and Spa to January 1, 2014

I was also at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary to view the new art exhibit, Pheromone, by Christopher Marley. It is amazing! Actually, it is unbelievable that someone can make something so beautiful out of natural artifacts, such as bugs.



Anyone can visit the Umstead's art collection at any time, for free. The hotel has a fabulous brochure that will guide you through its remarkable permanent collection as well.  If you want to make a special evening, the fall menu is now available at Herons. I've not had anything from it yet so I can't recommend anything in particular, but I bet that pumpkin soup with marshmallow would be great on a fall evening.  You can view Herons fall menu here.  

Herons’ autumn prix fixe dinner menu offers guests the option of three or four courses.  A three-course menu is priced at $75; four courses for $85. Complementary wine pairings are also available for an additional cost.


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