Rita's Tea Room

France has Edith Piaf, the U.S. has Kate Smith and the U.K. has Vera Lynn; every nation seems to have a voice that captures the spirit of its people. Rita MacNeil is one such voice of Canada, and especially of Cape Breton, an island at the northeast tip of Nova Scotia. Rita, as she is known to her fans, embodies the spirit of the hard-working people who have forged a life in this great country, people who live and love in this rugged land.

Rita, famous for her shyness, has a prodigious voice that embraces the listener; her fans are faithful and share an almost spiritual connection with her. She sings songs about going down into the coal mines, returning home after being away too long, and her own life stories, all of which connect with her audiences on a profound level. Her music transcends entertainment and touches the soul of the listener. She may be shy but she has a power and a tremendous gentleness that radiates through when she sings; you feel the love.

Rita sang in small clubs for many years before her career skyrocketed in the mid-1980s. She now performs all over the world, and has shared the spotlight with many greats: Anne Murray, Patti Labelle and André-Philippe Gagnon, to name a few.

Whether she is performing in a small pub in Nova Scotia or in a grand concert hall in Tokyo, Rita always wraps up the evening by inviting folks to visit: “If you ever find yourself passing through Big Pond, drop by for tea.” In her hometown of Big Pond, Cape Breton, Rita purchased an old school house that she lived in with her family in the 1980s. The house, which overlooks rolling hills and the shores of the beautiful Bras D’Or Lake, has been turned into Rita’s Tea Room, the perfect place to host all those guests she has invited to tea as her career has grown. All are welcome to stop by for traditional Cape Breton fare, such as creamy fish chowder, homemade pies, buttery oat cakes and, of course, tea.

Over the years, fans and friends have responded to Rita’s invitation by sending her teacups, and this collection of cups from all over the world is on display in the Tea Room. The staff is friendly and welcoming. A visit to Rita’s Tea Room is truly a warm experience – you feel you are stopping by to visit friends. The food is as good as your grandmother’s cooking. After a visit to Rita’s, you walk away feeling you have been somewhere truly special.

In this day and age, when we follow celebrities on Twitter or watch their latest rehab stints on reality TV shows, Rita has found a delightfully sincere way to share who she is with her fans. A trip to Rita’s Tea Room is not a visit to a theme park; it is an authentic down-home experience offering a warm welcome and a gracious taste of Cape Breton hospitality and culture.

So if you ever find yourself passing through Big Pond, drop by for a cup of tea.

Rita's Tea Room
8077 Highway 4
Big Pond
Cape Breton Island, NS
Canada
Tel: (902) 828-2667