What’s better than a calming cup of your favorite tea?

How about a bottomless pot of it, served alongside a tray of homemade goods and the chance to slow life down, if only for a little while? The Smith-Byrd House Bed and Breakfast and Tearoom in Prattville offers its visitors exactly that and more.

David and Beth Melling decided to open the Smith-Byrd House, named after two families who previously owned the nationally-registered historic home, in 2007. Melling said that the couple was inspired to start the business as way to to combine their love for old houses, visiting bed and breakfasts and relaxing with a good cup of tea.

“The whole idea behind tea time is to slow down and take your time,” said Beth Melling, “With the three-tiered tray, it kind of helps you pace yourself rather than just scarfing everything down like we do in the drive-thru. We enjoyed staying in bed and breakfasts ourselves, and the ones that we had the most fond memories of are the ones where we had the most interaction with the innkeepers. We also have a love of old houses. So we thought, why not do it all?”

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The tearoom, which is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and requires a reservation, offers more than 100 varieties and flavors of teas, which makes the bottomless pots that come with the majority of the menu an opportunity for each guest to try several during a visit.

“We have several [teas] that are really, really popular,” said Melling. “One’s called Scottish caramel and also Lady Londonderry, a black tea with lemon and strawberry, is another one. A lot of folks also like Strawberry Shortcake and green almond cookie, which is a green tea with almond and coconut.”

In addition to warm cups of tea, visitors also have plenty to choose from when it comes to eats in the charming tearoom, which is decorated with stacks of colorful teacups, elegant tablecloths and whimsical hats adorned to the wall.

For instance, the “Queen’s Tea” comes with a salad and slice of quiche as well as a three-tiered tray filled with freshly made classic finger sandwiches, like cucumber and chicken salad, desserts, ranging from tea-infused brownies to mini creme brulee, and scones accompanied by lemon curd and clotted cream.

“Everything is made in-house,” said Melling. “Many of the recipes are ones that I’ve used for years, and then I’m always looking for ideas that I can adapt. It’s been really fun taking just a basic recipe and then playing with it. That’s the thing I really love doing, especially for seasonal. Some things are consistent, like the sandwiches and the salad, each time, but the scones’ flavors change, and we try to change out the desserts so that there’s something different each visit.”

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Melling said over the years, the tearoom has accrued a strong following of customers, ranging from locals to visitors from out of state. She said many people stumble across the tearoom on accident and are surprised — not doubt, delightfully — to find it tucked away many historic houses in downtown Prattville.

“It’s really cool that we’ve been in business 16 going on 17 years and people are still discovering us,” said Melling. “It’s like a little treasure that they found. Whether you’re by yourself or with a group, it’s just kind of a place to step back in time and slow down and really enjoy being here.”

To find out more or make a reservation at the Smith-Byrd House Bed and Breakfast and Tearoom, visit their website.