It’s my birthday! Every year, Kevin and I like to travel somewhere special to celebrate (and you know, cushion the blow of getting another year older!). Kevin had a conference in Atlanta, so we figured that I could fly out and spend the weekend nearby. That’s when he came up with the idea of visiting the artsy town of Asheville, North Carolina.
I had no idea what to expect – especially since he planned to spend most of the first day exploring a house. WHAT!? I had my doubts…
But this wasn’t any regular house. Asheville is home to the Biltmore Estate, a sprawling private residence with, ohh, just 250 rooms in total! The place is a marvel and was constructed from 1889-1895 by George Vanderbilt from one of America’s richest families thanks to the booming railroad business.
The central staircase – you’ll get dizzy walking up and down the floors here!
You can just wander on your own, but you’ll miss out on all the history of this place. The estate offers an audio tour – where you walk around with a headset that looks like an old-school 1990’s cell phone ($10.98 per headset).
Or you can do what we did – and take a guided tour. I love the TV show Downton Abbey, so I was immediately drawn to taking the “Upstairs – Downstairs Tour.” The 60-minute guided tour goes behind-the-scenes of the house where you see the servants’ living quarters and how they prepared for elaborate meals and parties.
Kevin is intrigued by the wall of dishes in the kitchen that were used by the Vanderbilt’s during their many soirees
The home had electricity and this call box was like the early version of room service
The tour also includes parts of the main house where special guests would stay, oftentimes for a big party or celebration. Some of the rooms even include photos and the very (uncomfortable-looking) clothes everyone got dressed up in.
Who heard of packing lightly? An example of the suitcase a guest would bring that has drawers and compartments for just about anything imaginable
Onto the front of the house, you can see how elaborate the place is.
The main banquet hall is impressive and lined with a giant pipe organ. It reminds me of the haunted mansion at Disney!
The striking solarium as you walk into the home
After going through the home, be sure to check out the nearby gardens and the winery on site with wine tasting included with your ticket!
I can’t imagine how much work it must be to keep up these gardens. I have issues remembering to water the 5 plants in our condo.
About a 15 minute drive from the house, be sure to stop by for some wine tasting on the Biltmore grounds, which is included in your ticket cost
Looks like Kevin was right! We ended up spending pretty much most of our day here — a good 4 1/2 hours. But the time went by in a flash! Stay tuned for more updates on our weekend in Asheville.
THE SKINNY ON THE BILTMORE:
Admission cost: Varies on the time of year, but we paid regular admission of $60. If you plan earlier, you can save money by booking directly on the website.
Hours: Biltmore House is open daily from 9 AM – 5 PM
Walking tours: The Upstairs-Downstairs tour is a blast, but be prepared for a lot of stairs. All tours are an additional cost on top of the entry price and can be bought on site at the tour desk inside the home.
Christmas at the Biltmore: This place goes all out for Christmas from what I could tell from many of the postcards and books in the gift shop. This year, they celebrate from November 4 – January 8. The home will be decked out with Christmas decorations and is open in the evening where you can walk through with candlelight.
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