Has anyone been to Biltmore Estate in NC?

[Barb A.]

Thinking about a summer trip. How long does it take to see the estate? Trying to decide how long to plan on staying. What else is there to do in the area? Where to stay? Thanks for the help.

 

[LukenDC]

I visited Biltmore last June. One can easily spend a day on the estate. In addition to the house, there are formal gardens and a winery. The tour of the house took about two hours. We had lunch afterward at a restaurant near the winery.

Since this was a day trip from Gatlinburg, we did not spend time exploring the surrounding community.

 

[padams]

You can see the estate in a day (and that includes time to visit the gardens, winery, etc.). You can see the rest of Asheville in another couple of days (unless you want to hike the surrounding areas and that would take more time). Asheville is a good long weekend destination.

 

[Christine]

I went about 10 years ago while I was visiting my in-laws who lived in Asheville. We had our daughter with us and she was about 7 at the time so we couldn't stay ALL day, but she loved touring the house. It was winter so we couldn't view the gardens or do much else. We were probably there for 3 hours. Easily all day in the summer.

The local town of Asheville has a lot of quaint shops and restaurants. Other things in the area are caves and rocks to explore.

 

[Jennasis]

The Biltmore is LOVELY! The tour we went on took a few hours (guided, through the house). It was fascinating. The gardens are pretty expansive too, but we were there in March and there wasn't much in bloom at the time. You can also go horseback riding there (guided trail rides), tour the winery, etc. The town of Asheville is adorable and you should probably check out this site for more tourist info http://www.exploreasheville.com/index.aspx

Lots of concerts and artsy things. Not to mention that Aseville DOES have the fanciest McDonald's in the world (was showcased on the Travel Channel!).

Have fun!

 

[Bunnyfeather]

I think it depends on your interests.

The Biltmore is gorgeous and huge, so most people can spend a whole day and be done on a day. I have known people who preferred 1.5 days if they had the time, but think I'd be done in a bit less than a full day-more like late morning to mid-afternoon with a leisurely lunch.

But I have spent an entire week in the area several times, hiking to watch a sunrise from a mountaintop, exploring a bubbling creek, relaxing in a rocker on a big porch. It is, IMO, the most beautiful part of the US.

 

[SC Minnie]

Depends on what you like to do. There are artsy things and also outdoorsy things. We went for a weekend a couple of years ago and spent one day at the Biltmore and the other day whitewater rafting. The section of the river we were on had low class rapids so it was not rough at all.

 

[moburg]

We go several times a year. We were just there last weekend for horseback riding and carriage riding. We also walked through the azalea and rose gardens.

We also used to go every year for the Christmas candlelight house tours, but because they raised prices last year, we schedule the house tour during the day, but then cancelled altogether because of snow.

And we'll go again in the fall for the foliage, or earlier in the spring when the gardens are at their best.

But we are probably going to start curtailing our visits because they are raising prices so much. $75 for an hour of horseback riding? We will probably all go on the carriage ride next year instead of 4 horseback and 2 carriage that we did this year. The carriage rides are only $35, which still isn't cheap for a short 45 min round trip with at least 15 minutes of stops.

And we used to have dinner at the Deer Park after the Christmas house tour and lunch after the spring horseback, but that too has gotten too expensive. So we eat off the property now.

If they think they are covering costs for lower attendance during the economic downturn, they are going in the wrong direction. The prices are discouraging more people. Lower prices would broaden the market and increase attendance, most probably bringing in more money for them.