Upcoming Experience Schedule - Reserve Your Seat

Beyond the Carolinas: A Curated Honey Tasting Experience 

Laurel Haven Estate | Lancaster, SC

Saturday October 24th, 11:00 am or 2:30 PM

$20 - limited seating - reserve ahead

Buy Tickets on Eventbrite

Join The Giddy Bee for Beyond the Carolinas: A Curated Honey Tasting Experience, a 30-minute guided tasting created exclusively for Honey & Harvest Festival guests at Laurel Haven Estate.

During this express tasting, guests will sample four distinctive honeys from across North America, each selected to showcase the remarkable diversity of honey beyond the Carolinas. You’ll learn how to taste honey like a honey sommelier by noticing aroma, color, texture, flavor, floral source, and finish — while gaining a deeper appreciation for how region, season, and nectar source shape every jar.

This intimate experience is designed for curious beginners and honey lovers alike, offering a refined introduction to varietal honey and the beautiful differences that make each harvest unique.

Make a Day of It!

Your tasting takes place during the Laurel Haven Honey & Harvest Festival (11:00 AM–5:00 PM), where you can enjoy:

Local honey vendors & beekeepers
Educational honeybee exhibits
Harvest-themed artisan market
Live music
Laurel Haven Estate wines
Food available for purchase

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Guided Honey Tasting: Exploring Honey Through Plants, Place, and Flavor

UNC-Charlotte Main Campus - McMillian Greenhouse 

Friday, November 6th 6:00 - 7:30 

$75 | Buy Tickets at UNC-C Botanical Gardens

Honey is much more than something sweet; it is a reflection of the flowers, landscape, season, and honeybees that created it.

In this guided sensory tasting, participants will explore a curated selection of varietal honeys while learning how botanical source and geography influence honey’s color, aroma, texture, and flavor. We’ll discuss the difference between varietal and infused honey, how beekeepers identify and harvest varietal honeys, and why honey produced from different nectar sources can taste dramatically different.

Participants will also learn the basics of how to read a honey label, what common terms really mean, and what to look for when choosing honey. We’ll explore when buying local honey matters, when it may not, and why honey from other regions can be just as meaningful to taste and enjoy.

The tasting process is inspired by professional honey evaluation. We’ll connect each honey back to the plants and ecosystems that make it possible and explore the relationship between pollinators, regional agriculture, and the landscapes around us.