There's always such high expectations and the "need" to do something extra special on birthdays, at least for me. No matter how old I'm turing that year, I count down the days until my birthday and try to plan some sort of party or get together with my friends. My 22nd birthday was last week, and I feel like it was the last somewhat exciting birthday because it's the "Taylor Swift" birthday. I requested the day off from work about a month or so ahead thinking I would be able to do something fun with my friends, only to find out everyone was busy with work or school (they actually wanted to throw me a surprise Great Gatsby party, but it didn't work out *sad face*). I did end up going to dinner & bowling with them that night, but ventured down to South Orange County during the day with my mom.

South Orange County is filled with so many gems, and The Tea House on Los Rios in Historic San Juan Capistrano is definitely one of them. I've been to a few tea houses before (my favorite is Paris in a Cup in the Orange Circle), and this one is definitely one of the best that I've been to! The atmosphere of the place is very tranquil because the historic district is settled into full green trees, and there is soothing and romantic music playing in the background. It was perfect weather that day as well (about 72 degrees and sunny). Keep scrolling to see the beautiful China, food, and scenery at The Tea House on Los Rios.

I ordered the Victorian Tea, which is their ultimate tea experience. It comes with a glass of Champagne, homemade soup and a garden fresh salad, assorted finger sandwiches, freshly baked currant scone with their famous Early California Cream & preserves, fresh fruit accompanied by cream and brown sugar, your choice of one of their homemade delectable desserts, and your selection of tea (service for one).

Fancy hats are available to wear during your visit!

If you're in South Orange County, I would definitely recommend visiting the Tea House on Los Rios! My only suggestions is to NOT go on the weekend. My mom read reviews beforehand and saw that it's impossible to get a table on the weekend if you don't already have a reservation. Even so, the service slows down quite a bit during their busy hours. We were even there for about an hour and 45 minutes, and it wasn't very busy, but it was totally worth it because everything else about the experience was great!