This year, Holiday Tea at Hermitage Farm moves into the Greenhouse beside Barn8. According to the farm's events page, the room will be decorated for the season and filled with greenery. The tea brings live entertainment and a menu of teas, pastries, seasonal sweets and savory bites, all prepared by Barn8's culinary and pastry teams.
Two years ago, the same tea was held in the farm's historic Main House. Moving it in 2026 is one of two clear calendar changes at Goshen's best-known farm in its first holiday season under new hospitality owners. The other is a November bourbon dinner led by a chef whose cooking career was built in Charleston, South Carolina. Both are on the calendar now, and both can be booked.
Who Holds Which Part of Hermitage Now
Before getting to the dates, it helps to know who runs what, because two sales happened this year and they did different things.
- January 2026. Cara Osborne and Steve Brooks bought Barn8 and the farm's hospitality operations, according to the Courier Journal. The Lane Report describes that purchase as covering Barn8, the tasting facilities and the on-site tourism operations.
- October 2026. The hospitality ownership group grew. It added Louisville-based Blue Equity, Auctus Point Holdings, former University of Louisville basketball star Russ Smith and The Indigo Road Hospitality Group. The acquired portion covers about 160 acres of the farm's footprint. The Oldham Era put that at more than a fourth of the nearly 700-acre farm.
- What stays the same. Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown, who have owned Hermitage since 2010, keep the adjacent working horse farm and its operations. They are the ones who restored the Main House, built out the gardens and agricultural operations, and opened Barn8 as a farm-to-table restaurant.
So the thoroughbreds, whose farm's nursery has produced winners of the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and Breeders' Cup, remain with the longtime owners. The restaurant, the tastings and the events now answer to the expanded group. The Lane Report says The Indigo Road will keep leading the culinary, lodging, event and guest-experience side.
Matt Case of Auctus Point Holdings described the group's intent in the announcement covered by the Lane Report: "As a third-generation Kentuckian, I understand that places like Hermitage Farm cannot be recreated once they are lost. This transaction is about preserving an irreplaceable Kentucky asset while carefully investing in its future."
The holiday calendar shows that preserving and investing in practice.
The Tea Moves Out of the Main House
Holiday Tea is a familiar tradition, and the events page calls this season "the return of one of our favorite holiday traditions." In 2024, the farm's listing placed it in the historic Main House, with dates from November 30 through December 23.
The 2026 version changes the room and the timing:
Holiday Tea will be offered Fridays and Saturdays, November 27 through December 19, with seatings at 12 PM and 4 PM.
Count it out and that's eight days: November 27 and 28, then December 4 and 5, 11 and 12, and 18 and 19. With two seatings a day, that comes to 16 seatings for the whole season. The first one falls on the day after Thanksgiving, and the last ends six days before Christmas. If you're hosting family that week, November 27 and 28 are the only tea dates that fall on Thanksgiving weekend.
OpenTable lists the tea at $75 per person, and the farm says to book it under the Experiences tab there.
Hosting in the Greenhouse also links the tea more closely to the restaurant. The farm describes the Greenhouse as "nestled beside Barn8." The kitchen and pastry teams preparing the tea are a few steps from the restaurant.
A Charleston-Trained Chef Cooks With Willett
The second change is in who runs the kitchen. The farm's events page now names Ryan Singletary as Barn8's executive chef. As recently as February 2026, Charleston food site Holy City Sinner listed him as chef de cuisine at Costa in Charleston.
His most visible night in Goshen so far is the Common Ground Dinner Series on Thursday, November 19 at 6:30 PM. The guest is Willett Distillery, the Bardstown producer founded in 1936 and family-owned and operated for five generations. Singletary will cook with Willett Executive Chef John Sleasman. The farm says the two share culinary roots in Charleston and will serve a five-course dinner "inspired by the flavors and traditions of Lowcountry cuisine." The courses are paired with wines and Willett spirits.
From the event listing:
- The night closes with an exclusive pour of a limited-edition Willett bourbon.
- Afterward, the Willett team stays on for more tastings and conversation, with a chance to explore some of the distillery's rare offerings.
- The price is $175 per guest, including tax, fees and gratuity.
The dinner falls one week before Thanksgiving. Like the tea, it books through OpenTable from the farm's events page.
The Lowcountry theme belongs to this one dinner. Even so, the regular menu already had a hint of it. Barn8's April 2026 dinner menu listed market fish with "Marsh Hen Rice Middlins & Field Peas."
The Season at a Glance
| Event | Dates | Time | Price | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Ground Dinner with Willett Distillery | Thursday, Nov. 19 | 6:30 PM | $175 per guest, all-inclusive | Barn8 |
| Holiday Tea | Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 27 to Dec. 19 | 12 PM and 4 PM | $75 per person on OpenTable | Greenhouse beside Barn8 |
Barn8 on an Ordinary Night This Winter
Between the special events, Barn8's dinner menu includes housemade cavatelli at $28 and canestri at $30, steelhead trout at $38, mussels at $22, the Farmers Burger at $24 and a Fischer Farms New York strip at $56.
Sunday brunch includes biscuits and gravy for $15, a fried Joyce Farms chicken sandwich for $16, fried catfish and the Farmers Plate for $18 each, and steak and eggs for $28.
OpenTable lists the following hours:
- Monday through Thursday, dinner from 5 to 9 PM
- Friday and Saturday, dinner from 5 to 10 PM
- Sunday, brunch from 10 AM to 2:30 PM, then dinner from 4 to 8 PM
On Holiday Tea Fridays and Saturdays, the 4 PM seating ends close to the start of dinner service. That makes it easy to plan a tea and an early dinner in one afternoon on the farm. Hours can change around the holidays, so check with Barn8 directly before you drive out.
If relatives are coming in for the season, Hermitage rents rooms on the property year-round. The accommodations page offers the Main House for up to 14 guests and the Smokehouse for up to four. You book either one by sending an inquiry, so ask early if you're hoping for a weekend in December.
One more Oldham County project worth knowing about as you plan the season: on October 6, the Humane Society of Oldham County broke ground on a new Adoption & Community Center at its existing 7.4-acre site. According to the Oldham Era, opening is planned for spring or summer 2027. It is backed by a $1.5 million capital campaign.
At Dee Amber Anderson, we're always glad to swap Oldham County recommendations, whether that's which Holiday Tea seating suits a visit from the grandparents or where to take guests after a December Sunday brunch in Goshen. If this season has you thinking about how your own home fits into the life you've built around places like Hermitage, we'd be happy to talk it through. Request a Complimentary Home Valuation whenever the timing feels right.
