Letter from the President
Dear Members and Friends:
Once a year, the Rice’s Hotel/Hughlett’s Tavern Foundation reaches out to the community and beyond to ask for their support. A hidden jewel in the Northern Neck, the Tavern and its dependencies offer a wide variety of activities that enhance our social and cultural lives.
At the centerpiece is our historic building, circa 1795, which houses the café, gift shop, Spinners and Weavers Guild Studio, Quilt Guild Studio, and several museum rooms. The Tavern Meeting Building serves as a meeting place for our members and is also rented to community groups and private individuals. Our forge houses the Tavern Blacksmith Shop. A growing collection of antique carriages is displayed downstairs in our Carriage House; upstairs is the Woodworkers Guild Workshop. The open-air Pavilion comes alive during our Farmers Markets, held monthly on the third Saturday from April through October.
We have six active artisan groups: the Tavern Quilters Guild, the Blacksmiths Guild, the Woodworkers Guild (TWIG), the Spinners and Weavers Guild, the Crafters, and the Tavern Café. Other upcoming activities in 2023 include our Wine Fest at the season-opening Farmers Market (Saturday, April 15), Bingo for Quilts at our August Farmers Market (Saturday, August 19), the Tavern Quilt Guild Show at the October Farmers Market (Saturday, October 21), and Golden Village Christmas (Saturday, December 2). There's also a Take-out BBQ scheduled for Sunday, March 12, and an outdoor BBQ with a band in September. Every July, we offer Grandparents Camp, an inter-generational day camp that provides learning opportunities to children.
We continue to offer our Heritage Arts Classes. Taught on-site by our own guild members and others from the community, these classes give you an opportunity to learn traditional arts and crafts that enhance our contemporary life. Check out our web site for our expanding course offering, which includes weaving, blacksmithing, woodworking, spinning, quilting and many others.
By renewing your membership, we offer you:
- Access to Guild Membership
- Special Members-only functions
It takes many individuals to keep the Tavern up and running. We would also like to take this opportunity to request some of your time. We have an amazing core of dedicated volunteers, but could always use a few more. Your reward for becoming involved is sharing the joy of supporting this vibrant historical treasure with other friendly, fun-loving individuals.
We are grateful for your generosity and support of Historic Rice’s Hotel/Hughlett’s Tavern.
Cordially,
Mark Payne,
RHHT Foundation, President
