Lilian Place Heritage Center — Attraction in Daytona Beach

I just got home from the Holiday tea..I am still dumbfounded on the events of the day. I have been to many teas across the state and thought it would be a lovely event to bring in Christmas. The tea room was beautifully decorated and the tea served was wonderful. I was sat with some other ladies and we enjoyed conversation but other than that there was no introduction, no welcome, no thanking us for coming and explaining what we will be eating..nothing. A warm welcome/introduction would have started the event off nicely. That was not the issue..after the tea we were told it also included a tour of the main house. We were escorted and made to stand in the front lawn, in the rain, to hear about the grounds. The older and extremely rude gentleman who apparently has family ties to the house NEVER mentioned no photos before entering. Once inside I went to snap a photo of a gingerbread ceramic house in the kitchen area..(side note: my mom had a massive stroke and I can only communicate through pictures and she loved gingerbread houses and I thought she’d like to see it)…all of a sudden I’m being told firmly no photos. I get it..it’s a museum blah blah..BUT there’s a right and wrong way to ask. I was taught to be respectful when communicating with others..A simple I’m sorry but no photos would have been a classy and mature way to tell me..instead he told the ENTIRE group that I would go home and show my friends and we would mark what we were going to come back to steal. I was HORRIFIED, ASHAMED, EMBARRASSED and HUMILIATED. I don’t know who he thinks he is but blatantly calling me a thief in front of a room full of people was a totally classless and vulgar act. I was so upset I turned around and left the property. I was planning on coming to all of your paranormal events and teas in the future and I will not...

I attended the Tea that they offered the third Tuesday of July. It was a totally horrific and unpleasant experience. The lady that ran the gift shop was pushy and obnoxious. The ladies that served the tea and 'food' were disorganized and rude. One lady, after pooring my second cup of tea suggested that I drink it out of the saucer like other lower class women do. I was astounded at her comment. The food, such as it was, was either frozen convenience items or old and stale. The 'scone' on my plate was no larger than a silver dollar, about twice as thick as a silver dollar, and at least 2-3 days old. Most of the plate was taken taken up with a large pile of fresh spinach, stems still on, with no dressing or means to eat it. The Tea was served in the Hodkiss House where there was no air conditioning - it was miserable in there. I was offerred a mimosa when I first came in and only after it was served did the lady tell me it would be a $5 'donation' and without asking me at checkout, they automatically charged me for it. The volunteer cashier was rude and disorganized. So, for $25 I got a frozen eclaire the size of half my thumb, a miniscule stale scone, a frozen piece of cheese cake with an Oreo on top (really? I didn't know the Victorians had Oreos) a 2 oz mimosa and two cups of tea. The so-called tour of Lillian Place was self-guided with no narration and only two floors were available to view. And of course, no air conditioning. I will do my best to discourage anyone I know from visiting this site in Daytona Beach FL. The volunteers were generally rude, pompous, and all about the money. What a total...

The Victorian tea was an absolute embarrassment! I planned a classy afternoon with daughters& granddaughters and it was anything but classy. The store bought food was average at best, with NO fresh fruit, food variety (food allergy sufferers)limited tea choices (if the creepy owner even knew which tea was which) or honey (on-site apiary??).There weren’t even attempts to make it remotely classy, ie; table linens, real flowers, music, staff interaction or even pretending to be part of the ‘Victorian’ experience. The grounds are in a nice locale but not well kept. The handrails, patio rails, etc are unsafe and unkept. The house tour was as nice as old buildings can be even though it didn’t seem to house the vast collection of antiques one might hope. Being the owner of a nearly 200 year old house, I do see the fascination of others to see these gems and I also know the challenges of upkeep, however attention to the small details were missed. Halloween walkway lights still out in late February we’re the clincher in my honest review! Potential guests reading this; your money would be better...