A few weekends ago, Andrew and I planned a four day weekend mini road trip to Asheville, North Carolina. Our basic plan for the trip was to enjoy the vast number of craft breweries in the area, eat amazing food, and take a day trip to the Biltmore Estate. Beer, food, and architecture tend to be our general itinerary for most places we travel to or explore, and Asheville didn't disappoint in any of those departments. In fact, there were so many places that we didn't get to try, beer and food-wise, that we hope to make another visit sometime in the future.
As an architect, Andrew always wants to take in the famous or historic buildings that are nearby, so the Biltmore was an obvious no-brainer. If you ever plan to visit, you will need at least a day to take in the gardens, go on the house tour, and enjoy the winery afterward. The estate is absolutely huge, which we knew going into it, but we still hadn't realized just how huge until we arrived.
While it ended up being a rather overcast and gray day, we still enjoyed our time strolling about the estate. The spring flowers were in bloom and were just gorgeous. Perhaps my favorite part about the entire estate were the many greenhouses that you could wander through. I could have spent hours amongst all of the lush plants and flowers had Andrew not nudged me along to the next thing.
Have you taken any quick road trips lately? Have you had the chance to visit the Biltmore?
It's so beautiful there!! I did not know a place like this existed here in the states. I definitely have to plan a visit some time this summer. I forgot to mention, is there a restaurant in there or is it just wine tasting?
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to go there. Such lovely pictures! I could explore that place for hours; thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI know! It's insane! It's the largest privately owned estate, or something like that, in the country. Andrew and I kept talking in a fake British accent joking that it was like Downton or something. And, yes! There are several restaurants or cafes on the estate. We ended up not eating there because we wanted to eat at other places in Asheville. If you go to their website there is a TON of info about what all you can do while there. You could probably spend two full days there if you really wanted.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely go if you get the chance! It is quite fascinating and rather romantic as well in some ways. I wish we would have had more time, honestly.
ReplyDeleteI have ALWAYS wanted to go there! What a gorgeous place. I think the cloudy day made the flowers stand out a little more, actually. So pretty.
ReplyDeleteLooks wonderful! beautiful pictures...would be a worth a visit:)
ReplyDeleteI haven't wanted to dish out the $$ to check out Biltmore, but your pictures are beautiful! This totally makes me want to go! Now I want to hear more about the beer you checked out ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you! And yes, definitely worth a visit!
ReplyDeleteIf you purchase your tickets online 7 days in advance you can get a $15 discount. It was $90 for both of us and it included parking, shuttle service, free reign of the estate gardens, a self-guided house tour, and a free wine tasting at the winery. It is a lot of money, but you'll easily be there all day with plenty to do, so I think the price has a lot of value. It was worth the money, I thought. And when the beer in Asheville is soooo cheap, why not splurge a little. (Have I convinced you yet?) ;) Hopefully I can scrounge something together about our beer adventures. We were having so much fun that I didn't take many photos...
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful estate! It looks like it should be in Europe. I've never heard of the Biltmore, but now I definitely want to visit. Your pictures are fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info! So often when we travel it's all about the beer+food, so it's hard to spend money doing things like this. But I think after a couple of trips to Asheville, we could branch out and do new things like Biltmore. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And yes, the estate is super dreamy and romantic. I also felt
ReplyDeleteas though we were in Europe while visiting. It just seems so atypical
of the US.
Heading to Asheville in 2 weeks and Biltmore is on our list! I am getting so excited! Where did yall eat? Any good recommendations?
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Alyson
This is gorgeous! I never even knew it existed. It definitely looks like someplace you could just wander for hours, and like a place you would like to find a nice shady tree with a book.
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