Last week, we had a fun luncheon our with some friends of ours at church. I just heard about the Tate House last year at Christmas and vowed that this year we would go and check it out. They offer lunch and dinner reservations, plus a tour of the pink marble Tate house all decorated for Christmas. Could anything be better than that? I don’t think so! You’ll see when you stay tuned below and see what a treat it is to go to the Tate house and see it decked out for Christmas. Read a little about the history below and then I’ll give you the grand tour. I took so many pictures and couldn’t share them all, but this will give you a taste of the beauty of the Tate House. I’m so glad I finally went! I’m not sure how long they have been opening for Christmas tours and lunches, but it’s truly a treat and worth seeing at least once. I’ve heard weddings here are absolutely stunning and the new conservatory they’ve added is a gorgeous addition. There’s also a boutique that you can shop at for Christmas items.
A little about the history of the Tate House from their website….it’s 45 minutes north of Atlanta and is a North Georgia wedding venue with a 19,000 s.f. pink marble mansion and a 4,000 s.f. ballroom. It was built in 1926 as a private estate by a land baron, Colonel Sam Tate, a philanthropist and business tycoon and is now a beloved wedding venue. The Tate House is listed as the Pink Palace in the National Register of Historic Places. When Samuel Tate purchased the land where the marble house was built, his son Stephen Tate, began the mining of marble, which eventually placed Tate, Georgia on the map. Did you know Georgia was known for marble mining? Well, it is! Stephen Tate’s son the eldest of his 19 children, known as “Colonel Sam Tate,” who consolidated the marble interests and gained control by 1917. Designed by the International Architectural Firm of Walker and Weeks, Cleveland, Ohio, building began in 1921. Legends were told of a rare, bright pink marble, referred to as “Etowah” marble. In 1920-21, Colonel Sam began watching the rare Etowah Pink Marble that came from the quarry just behind the house. Setting the matching pieces aside, he began construction of the Pink Marble Mansion. By 1926, Colonel Sam, his brother Luke (family attorney) and sister Florentine resided at the mansion. The second floor has four bedrooms, each featuring its own marbled bathrooms, mantled fireplaces, plus a morning kitchen and an office. The summer kitchen on the first floor has the original triple oak iceboxes and tin sink with butler’s pantry. Colonel Sam died in 1938 and he and his siblings never married. The last of the immediate family left in 1955 and the house was neglected until 1974, when Ann Laird of Arizona discovered it. She purchased the house and began a 10-year restoration project. In January 2001, the estate was purchased by Holbrook Properties, LP. Lois Holbrook and Marsha Mann plan to continue the restoration of the mansion and gardens. Recently named one of the top “must see” places in Georgia by Georgia Magazine and one of “Georgia’s Most Gorgeous Wedding Venues” the beautiful pink marble mansion is one of the most photographed homes in Georgia and one of the most popular North Georgia Special Events Venues.
Mark and I dressed festively for the occasion and took our annual Christmas picture with Daisy before we left. Someone asked me if Daisy only has one eye and I said, NO, she’s just fluffy! Haha! It was time for a haircut.
The Tate House in all her gorgeous pink marbled splendor. Her 100th birthday is next year.
That pink marble is something else!
This was my kind of tour.
We had a beautiful day for it, sunshine and blue skies!
Nativity scene in the garden.
We walked around outside before our lunch slot and saw a bit of the outside.
Of course, I had to take pics of our festive clothing.
Inside, we were greeted in the dining room by these stunning round tables set with sequin table cloths.
Lunch was a delicious buffet of salad, panko chicken with a sauce, wild rice, green beans, sweet potatoes, roll and dessert. It was all very good.
The buffet station, there were two of them.
Bar tree.
There were literally Christmas decorations everywhere. It was so festive!
After lunch, we went into the next area and upstairs to the new conservatory and the entrance to the mansion tour. See how pretty this is!
The conservatory was really amazing and so stunning with this beautiful Christmas tree and glitzy chandeliers. I can imagine a wedding in here.
From the outside.
Another peek at the pink marble mansion.
Look at those chandeliers! And notice the floors. Of course, they are real polished marble and they were the shiniest marble floors I’ve ever seen.
Inside was a treat for the eyes, with Christmas exploding everywhere. I wonder how long it takes them to decorate this mansion.
The mansion is very Victorian in style and all the decor reflects that with over the top Christmas decor.
This Christopher Radko tree has 1000 ornaments displayed and it’s worth a lot!
The Butler’s pantry with an extensive Christmas teapot collection.
One of the bedrooms, probably the master.
It was filled with Christmas decor and beautiful tree and swags.
Another black and gold room with matching decor.
Even the bathrooms were decorated.
Rounded staircase with mural.
Gorgeous!
Downstairs, all the rooms were decorated as well.
This table was inlaid with pink marble.
One more space all decked out for Christmas. How was that for a Christmas tour? Did you love it? We really enjoyed our day at the Tate House and I highly recommend going for the tour and lunch at least once. I know they have dinner and music on some evenings too, so you can choose your schedule. It’s out in the countryside of North Georgia and such a fun destination.
Wow! What a gorgeous place. I, too, wonder how long to decorate and then take down! I’d like to see where they store all of it once the season is over. Thanks for taking us along! Merry Christmas!
I loved every picture in this lavish post! A great visual treat. Thank you!