Taking Tea in New Orleans

The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans

THE ROOSEVELT HOTEL
130 Roosevelt Way • New Orleans, LA 70112
504-648-1200 • therooseveltneworleans.com

The classic European-style hotel just off Canal Street has operated under many names since it opened more than 100 years ago. But it was as The Roosevelt Hotel that it became known as a beacon of luxury in the South during the 1920s, 1930s, and beyond. After Hurricane Katrina prompted a four-year, $170 million renovation, it reopened as The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, on July 1, 2009.

The Roosevelt Hotel in New OrleansDuring the 1990s, the hotel’s famous Teddy Bear Teas, held each Christmas in the Blue Room, had become extremely popular. It was only natural that the hotel’s new management revive and expand them, and they are once again a New Orleans tradition. Beginning on the Sunday after Thanksgiving each year, the ballroom is transformed into a Christmas wonderland that delights children of all ages. The tea menu includes children’s favorites such as tea-sized peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, served with milk or hot chocolate. (Grown-ups can partake of tea or more adult beverages, including the hotel’s famous Sazerac cocktail.) Santa and Mrs. Santa make a grand entrance in a parade led by a bugler, and everyone has an opportunity to meet the big guy in red. The 90-minute experience ends with a traditional New Orleans second-line parade back to the Roosevelt’s lobby, where young patrons receive teddy bears.

The Roosevelt Hotel’s Teddy Bear Teas are offered weekends, beginning November 29, and weekdays December 21 through 23. Reservations are required.

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