Exploring Asheville's Biltmore Estate - A One Day Visit

The Biltmore Estate, conceived of and built for George Washington Biltmore, is the largest privately owned home in America. It's a chateau-style mansion, based on the French Chateau de Blois, sitting on 8000 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside of Asheville, North Carolina. Once considered the most visited spot in the state - the Biltmore no longer tracks visitor attendance - it's still a crown jewel of a place to visit and spend an entire day, or weekend. I recently was able to visit due to the generosity of my  sister-in-law who invited me along to spend the day tagged on to her annual pass. Come along as we visit George and Edith's place on a crowded and rainy Saturday.

First off, admission prices to the Biltmore are steep - prices run from $60 to $85 depending on the season and day. Your fee includes admission to the grounds, gardens, garden hothouse, the house, the small history exhibit about the house and the Vanderbilt family and to Antler Hill Village which includes a playground, small farm with animals, blacksmith shop, restaurants, shops and the Biltmore Estate Winery which includes a free wine tasting. You may also purchase several different add-on tours including a guided audio tour, an actual guided tour, a rooftop tour, a premium tour or specialty wine experiences such as a behind-the-scenes winery tour. And that's not all! You can also participate in outdoor activities at the Outdoor Adventure Center such as land rover expeditions, bike rentals and clay shooting.(for an extra fee) If you're hungry there are no less than 14 places that you may purchase food including 2 ice cream shops, a wine bar, a bistro, a tavern, a restaurant, 2 cafes, a market and a bake shop. Whew! Maybe it would be better if you had a whole week here instead.

You enter the estate through the main gate off of Biltmore Avenue and there are several parking lots (parking is included) with a few that have shuttle bus service that takes you directly to the house.( And if it's your first time visiting the estate, that first view is a doozy. It's so very majestic.) We parked and took the shuttle to the house where we found we needed a timed entry reservation - which we didn't know about - but that was easily remedied and we entered the house some 15 minutes later.

 One of the cool things that Biltmore does is have ongoing exhibitions so you can see something different each time you visit. Currently there is a costume exhibit of mannequins wearing clothes that were recreated from photographs of the Biltmore's and their guests by a team led by a Hollywood fashion designer. I really enjoyed seeing the clothing exhibit. It brought some of that time period to life. (Last year they presented a Chihully exhibit) 

The indoor swimming pool

Not sure why the bowlers are headless?

We took our time walking through the guided pathway through the house - I think it took us about an hour and a half to go through not using the audio headsets. The self-guided tour takes you from the conservatory to the grand ballroom to bathrooms and the servants quarters downstairs (its' very Downton Abbeyesque) so you get a glimpse of quite a bit of this incredibly large house. Vanderbilt was an avid art collector and that's evident as you tour the house seeing his collections.

Next we moved on to the Stable Cafe in the former stables which also house a few gift shops and a snack bar, where we had a delicious lunch ( I highly recommend the pimiento mac n cheese fritters) with no wait. The ambience and food at all the Biltmore restaurants is just a treat and that rings true at the Stable Cafe, also. 

Fancy taking home your own gargoyle?

Even though is was raining we took a walk down through the gardens and into the garden hothouse. There are loads of plants available to see from cacti to orchids and it was a nice respite from the rain.

We shuttled back to the parking lot to drive to Antler Hill Village which includes the winery, farm and The Biltmore Legacy, an exhibition that includes treasures from the Biltmore family and insights into their lives in Asheville.

George in Venice - what a cool photo!

 We waited in line for a short bit to do the wine tasting which is free and includes 5 tastings though if you request more they won't deny you. We walked through the exhibits and then saw some of the chickens though the farm was closed for the day. It was already 5 o' clock and we had been here since 10am. How time flies when you're having fun! 

The tasting bar at the most visited winery in America

Biltmore Village
George Washington Vanderbilt was ahead of his time. He hoped for the whole estate to be self-sufficient. And he built a model village just outside of the estate for all of the estate's workers. Here you can see the All Soul's Church and several other buildings built here which are now stores and restaurants. We ate dinner here at the Village Wayside Bar & Grille which is housed in an old train depot right on the tracks. It's a unique spot with good food - we both liked our choices of fish & chips and curried chicken salad.

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Where We Stayed
Though we visited the Biltmore for a day, we decided to get a hotel room so we weren't driving back late at night. We stayed at the Clarion Inn right down the road from the entrance to the Biltmore. Our rate was $75 and we had a hot breakfast in the morning plus a clean room with 2 queen beds. The property was in great shape - very clean - the staff was helpful and there was even a small bar open in the late afternoon and evening if we want to hang out there. I'd highly recommend what you get for your price and the proximity to the Biltmore.( The only drawback was parking and access to the hotel as you had to enter through the Texas Roadhouse parking lot next door and it was packed. Very hard to do on a Saturday night)

It was a fun getaway and I'm glad you thought of taking me along, M! Thanks!

Us and George and his dog, Cedric

How about you? Have you visited Biltmore Estate?



Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand, Our World Tuesday and The Weekend Wanderlust Weekend Travel Blog Party!