I've never been inside Rowena's before because I thought it'd be insane to go in with two small children. So this time I went in with about 14 small children.

A bunch of homeschoolers from around the area were given a tour of Rowena's bakery and tea shop on Friday. Actually, a charming girl named Kelly organized for us homeschoolers to have two tours per Friday for a few weeks, to accommodate everyone who was interested. We (I) failed to properly sign up because we were travelling while the arrangements were being made, but some people cancelled and we snuck in.

A few homeschoolers in the wild:



So we all filed into the store part of it and the kids (and moms) engaged in a little sampling. Then we put on our hairnet hats and had the tour. Here's a picture of me and Sadie in our hats:



We saw the giant jelly pots, the huge ovens, the enormous mixers (which came from some sort of battleship) and the places where they package everything up. Kids on the tour:



We bought some lemon cakes, which were mildly enjoyable, and some key lime curd which was completely marvelous but tasted like lemons. We also bought the children's book written and signed by Rowena which tells the story of the store's rejuvenation, and has illustrations the children would recognize from the things they had seen on the tour.

It was a nice, interesting morning. I appreciate the lady at Rowena's that gave us the tour, but I'm sure by the line of parents lined up to buy treats that it was well worth her time. :D Now I no longer have to be curious as to what's behind that red door, and the next time I need a quick, cute little present, I'll know where to go!

Labels: field trips, groups, rowena's tea room