Biltmore Estate - worth $60 each???

[vicb]

vicb,

If you went to Biltmore in February it WAS cheaper! It is always less expensive to visit in the winter. Also, if you have friends/relatives with annual passes they can get a certain number of discounted tickets per year.

Linda

That makes sense Linda, there were four of us aside from my in-laws and I know we didn't pay $240! We had bought the annual passes for my in-laws for their 50th wedding anniversary gift (they had recently retired to the area) and I think they were only around $100 each so a good deal if you live in the area. They went several times during the year for different festivals and did a candle light tour at Christmas (which I think was an add on cost) that they said was lovely.

 

[iluveeyore]

Wow, thanks so much for all of your responses!

We are going without the teenagers this trip (no one but us likes the Nascar races in person!). I had looked at the Sleep Inn near the Biltmore entrance - they have a deal with a room and two tickets for $172 (2-day tickets).

We still might go to Charlotte for a few days. DH and I have to hash it out. Who knows, maybe we'll drive to Disney (I wished upon a star, let's see what happens )
Tracey

 

[caybean]

Wow, thanks so much for all of your responses!

We are going without the teenagers this trip (no one but us likes the Nascar races in person!). I had looked at the Sleep Inn near the Biltmore entrance - they have a deal with a room and two tickets for $172 (2-day tickets).

We still might go to Charlotte for a few days. DH and I have to hash it out. Who knows, maybe we'll drive to Disney (I wished upon a star, let's see what happens )
Tracey

Read everyone's responses and do think the Biltmore is worth it... but more importantly...if you decide to visit Charlotte, let me know if you have any questions! I live there Too bad you will just miss the NASCAR Hall of Fame being opened in May!

 

[maleficentmom]

Wow, thanks so much for all of your responses!

We are going without the teenagers this trip (no one but us likes the Nascar races in person!). I had looked at the Sleep Inn near the Biltmore entrance - they have a deal with a room and two tickets for $172 (2-day tickets).

We still might go to Charlotte for a few days. DH and I have to hash it out. Who knows, maybe we'll drive to Disney (I wished upon a star, let's see what happens )
Tracey

If you go to Asheville,take a detour to Valle Crucis NC, to the original Mast General Store, buy a cold old fashioned glass bottle of soda,some candy or Moon Pie and sit on the front porch and enjoy!Lots of great stuff,plus the Annex has sportwear and old fashioned candy by the pound.Eat at "Family Billiards"(get directions from the Mast folks),best burgers ever and play a game of pool(no alcohol served,appropriate place to take kids,mine love it).Also,the outlets are near Boone,not far.While in Bristol,be sure and head to Piney Flats to seei Rocky Mount Historaic site(real costumed people give the tour,our daughter did this as volunteer over the summer,very interesting,takes about an hour or so). Also check out Gray Fossil Site and Museum in Gray,wonderful displays and tours of Miocene era critters.If you go to Disney, you can fly Allegiant Air from Tri-Cities Airport really cheap(sometimes around 40 each way,plus bags).We live in Gray/Johnson City,so let me know if you need any more info. allegiantair.com grayfossilmuseum.com

 

[iluveeyore]

I'm so jealous you live in Charlotte - we love it there and have been many times - don't worry, we'll be back to visit the Hall of Fame!

Read everyone's responses and do think the Biltmore is worth it... but more importantly...if you decide to visit Charlotte, let me know if you have any questions! I live there Too bad you will just miss the NASCAR Hall of Fame being opened in May!

 

[OhhBother]

If you go to Asheville,take a detour to Valle Crucis NC, to the original Mast General Store, buy a cold old fashioned glass bottle of soda,some candy or Moon Pie and sit on the front porch and enjoy!Lots of great stuff,plus the Annex has sportwear and old fashioned candy by the pound.Eat at "Family Billiards"(get directions from the Mast folks),best burgers ever and play a game of pool(no alcohol served,appropriate place to take kids,mine love it).Also,the outlets are near Boone,not far.While in Bristol,be sure and head to Piney Flats to seei Rocky Mount Historaic site(real costumed people give the tour,our daughter did this as volunteer over the summer,very interesting,takes about an hour or so). Also check out Gray Fossil Site and Museum in Gray,wonderful displays and tours of Miocene era critters.If you go to Disney, you can fly Allegiant Air from Tri-Cities Airport really cheap(sometimes around 40 each way,plus bags).We live in Gray/Johnson City,so let me know if you need any more info. allegiantair.com grayfossilmuseum.com

Just wanted to say hi neighbor! We live in Erwin, and I work in Kingsport.

To the OP, have fun at the race. While you're there, look for the Wellmont Health System logos. That's where I work, and we're "the official medical provider" for BMS.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

If you go to Asheville,take a detour to Valle Crucis NC, to the original Mast General Store, buy a cold old fashioned glass bottle of soda,some candy or Moon Pie and sit on the front porch and enjoy!Lots of great stuff,plus the Annex has sportwear and old fashioned candy by the pound.Eat at "Family Billiards"(get directions from the Mast folks),best burgers ever and play a game of pool(no alcohol served,appropriate place to take kids,mine love it).Also,the outlets are near Boone,not far.While in Bristol,be sure and head to Piney Flats to seei Rocky Mount Historaic site(real costumed people give the tour,our daughter did this as volunteer over the summer,very interesting,takes about an hour or so). Also check out Gray Fossil Site and Museum in Gray,wonderful displays and tours of Miocene era critters.If you go to Disney, you can fly Allegiant Air from Tri-Cities Airport really cheap(sometimes around 40 each way,plus bags).We live in Gray/Johnson City,so let me know if you need any more info. allegiantair.com grayfossilmuseum.com

We were at Mast General store just last weekend. Still have some of the $20 in candy that the kids talked me into They caught me at a week moment. It's an awesome store. We spent over an hour in there. We spent the weekend in Boone and went snowtubing at Hawknest. We had a blast and we'll probably make this a yearly trip.

 

[LJC1861]

The Mast General Store in Valle Crucis is definitely worth the visit! There is also one in downtown Asheville, but it does not have the old fashioned charm that the Valle Crucis one does.

As for the I-40 detour....that DOES mess things up quite a bit and will add some time on to your trip. A lot of GPS devices are not picking it up, so don't rely on your GPS for accurate information. You will need to take I 81 to Johnson City and then come down on I 26.

Biltmore annual passes are a wonderful thing! We just let ours expire, but have had them every year that we have lived here. They pay for themselves when you visit the estate twice! When we had them we would go almost every weekend just to walk on the trails, or have a picnic, or ride our bikes on the bike path, or.......

The estate is SO much more than the house, and there is always something new to see or do, especially with the gardens as they plant different things during each season. I find myself just breathing slower as soon as I drive on to the property. One of the neatest things is to notice how long it takes to get from the entrance to the house. It is about 3.5 miles of windy road. In the days that the family lived there it was about 45 min-1 hour by horse and carriage. It is so peaceful and beautiful. It also takes just as long..about 3.5 miles to go from the house back to the exit of the estate. What remains today is only 8,756 acres....which was down from over 125,000 acres that George W. Vanderbilt bought when he first began building. Much of what is now Asheville and the surrounding neighborhoods was the original Biltmore Estate.

Biltmore Village, just outside the gates was built for the employees who built the estate. All Souls Church was built by the Vanderbilt family so they would have a place to worship. Just down Hendersonville Rd. is an old school building that is now part of Mission Hospital. This is the school that was built to educate the children who not only lived on the estate, but the children of the employees who lived in Biltmore Village. The train yard that you can see from the bridge just outside the main gate...you guessed it....put in to make getting materials to the estate that much easier. In fact, during the building of the estate the train line went right up to the area that is now the front lawn where the fountain is. The fountain was originally a larger swimming pool and Cornelia Vanderbilt (George and Edith's only child) used to swim in it.

I can go on and on.....I love the Estate and the history, and the stories.

Linda

 

[maleficentmom]

Just wanted to say hi neighbor! We live in Erwin, and I work in Kingsport.

To the OP, have fun at the race. While you're there, look for the Wellmont Health System logos. That's where I work, and we're "the official medical provider" for BMS.

It's a small world after all!!!!

 

[billybobblockhead]

I live 30 minutes from Biltmore. We've had annual passes on several occasions since we have been married. Awesome place, worth the $$. To be honest, you can walk as much there as you can in a day at the MK, but the difference is you are walking up and down hills

 

[gillenkl]

on the AAA.com website Biltmore is showing as $32 per ticket