It's the weekend after Thanksgiving, the official start of the holiday season! And what better way to kick things off than a tour of one of the nation's most amazing homes all done up for Christmas. On our trip to Tennessee two weeks ago, we decided to take a break from hiking to enjoy a visit to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Ellison and I had the absolute best time (because as you know, we are just as much into house tours as we are into hiking - and for one of us, maybe even a little more so)! While I am sure that the Biltmore is stunning any time of the year, the holiday decorations added a special touch and certainly helped us all feel more festive. The awesome weather didn't hurt, either.
So we started with a plan - get there early (10 am), pick up our tickets (we ordered them online because the wait can be really long the day of) and then start with the house tour and make our way to Antler Hill Village for a visit to the petting zoo, a late lunch and some wine tasting at the winery. I know you're thinking that this doesn't seem very kid-friendly and you're probably right. Other than a handful of sleeping infants, there wasn't one other child to be seen. In truth, there wasn't anyone under the age of 50 to be seen. But Ellison isn't your average kid and this was totally her kind of day. Mine too. We were psyched about the whole thing.
Let's start with the actual Biltmore House. While you can drive right up, we decided to park further away and ride the shuttle. At this point Ellison was getting frustrated because we had already been in the car for two hours and she just wanted to get out and run around, but her enthusiasm was fully rejuvenated when got her first glimpse of the dramatic front entrance. With her love of all things European and castle-related, this was pretty much as close as she was going to get stateside.
The line to start the tour was short (thankfully) and we started with the Winter Garden area and made our way through the dining hall (love the fireplace!), the sitting areas (also love the fireplace!), library and bedrooms. Ellison's favorite was the sitting area with the giant Christmas trees because it had such a fantastic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can see why George Vanderbilt picked this spot (which was out in the middle of nowhere at the time) to build his architectural masterpiece.
The line to start the tour was short (thankfully) and we started with the Winter Garden area and made our way through the dining hall (love the fireplace!), the sitting areas (also love the fireplace!), library and bedrooms. Ellison's favorite was the sitting area with the giant Christmas trees because it had such a fantastic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can see why George Vanderbilt picked this spot (which was out in the middle of nowhere at the time) to build his architectural masterpiece.
Biltmore was built to maximize the mountain views and from every balcony and window you can look out over the 8,000 acres of forest that surround the main house. It took six years of constant construction to finish Vanderbilt's 250-room "country home" and there is an exhibit along the tour that shows the progress from start to finish. It honestly was so interesting and the attention to detail shown by Vanderbilt and his architects is to be marveled, particularly given the challenges they faced during construction. You can read more about the history of the Biltmore Estate here and here.
Below is the library of my dreams. Ellison's too. Done. That's all we can say about it. Somebody build this for us and we will pledge our eternal loyalty. Well, maybe with a little less red velvet and brocade, but let's not get picky. The billiard room isn't too shabby, either. I could live with it. Or in it. I'm pretty sure it's bigger than my house.
There was also a bowling alley, indoor swimming pool and a gym. I am not sure why I surprised at how modern the house seemed, but I was. It is less than 150 years old and many elements have been added since it was built in 1895, so there is no real reason that it wouldn't have what we now consider necessities, like indoor plumbing and electricity. I think because the house seems so "historic" and "European" that it messes with my sense of antiquity.
There was also a bowling alley, indoor swimming pool and a gym. I am not sure why I surprised at how modern the house seemed, but I was. It is less than 150 years old and many elements have been added since it was built in 1895, so there is no real reason that it wouldn't have what we now consider necessities, like indoor plumbing and electricity. I think because the house seems so "historic" and "European" that it messes with my sense of antiquity.
On to the gardens. The formal gardens were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who designed Central Park. They're amazing, of course, and I can only imagine how beautiful they would be in the spring when all of the flowers are in bloom. This is where we wanted to spend most of the day. The weather was perfect (thank goodness since there was so much to do outside!) - breezy and sunny, though it got a little cold in the shade. Ellison had a great time racing around, but then became real serious as she stopped to smell each of the different type of roses along the way. There are 2.5 miles of paths that wind through the forest, along the French Broad River and within the gardens. The conservatory, located within the formal gardens, was one of our favorites places on the estate. I love plants. I love to be warm. Put those two things together and a conservatory becomes my dream hideout. Ellison is pretty insistent that we begin construction on one right away.
Oh, if you happen to be in to the history of landscape architecture, the life of Frederick Law Olmstead or just American History in general, I highly recommend both A Clearing in the Distance: Frederick Law Olmstead and America in the 19th Century by Witold Rybczynski and Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmstead by Justin Martin. It will change the way you look at city parks forever.
Oh, if you happen to be in to the history of landscape architecture, the life of Frederick Law Olmstead or just American History in general, I highly recommend both A Clearing in the Distance: Frederick Law Olmstead and America in the 19th Century by Witold Rybczynski and Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmstead by Justin Martin. It will change the way you look at city parks forever.
After we toured the house and gardens (and after getting a hot chocolate and pastry), we moved on to Antler Hill Village. About a mile or a so away from the main house, Antler Hill Village was created around the Biltmore Dairy. It was designed from the beginning to be a working farm with the intent of making Biltmore self-sufficient in all ways. It was functioning as such before the main house was constructed and, once the mansion was built, served to provide food for the residents. Ellison and I were so impressed with the efforts by the George Vanderbilt and subsequent family members to ensure the sustainability of the estate. This seems to be something that is still a focus of the Biltmore even as it has expanded to include hotels, shops and the winery.
The petting zoo was kind of a letdown for Ellison because she was really looking forward to seeing some horses, but they were all out to pasture when we got there. She settled for some goats and a braying, bucking donkey with a serious attitude problem. You take what you can get when it comes to petting zoos. We also visited the blacksmith shop and a broom maker. That sounds beyond boring, but it wasn't, I swear! It was so interesting and the workers were very informed and engaging! Ellison and I both loved it and could have stayed there all day learning about how to make horseshoes and brooms.
The petting zoo was kind of a letdown for Ellison because she was really looking forward to seeing some horses, but they were all out to pasture when we got there. She settled for some goats and a braying, bucking donkey with a serious attitude problem. You take what you can get when it comes to petting zoos. We also visited the blacksmith shop and a broom maker. That sounds beyond boring, but it wasn't, I swear! It was so interesting and the workers were very informed and engaging! Ellison and I both loved it and could have stayed there all day learning about how to make horseshoes and brooms.
After the petting zoo, we had lunch at Cedric's Tavern, which is the more casual of the restaurants in the village. It was so delicious. No, for real, it was just so good. I'm sure the other restaurants are fantastic, as well. All of the ingredients are local and most come from the estate itself. We sat outside (next to an adorable Newfoundland puppy, which was an unexpected and totally welcome addition to our meal) and spent time discussing the upcoming Thanksgiving (which we just hosted for the first time and it was absolutely my favorite Thanksgiving in recent memory) and Christmas holidays. It was leisurely, I was with good company and I sampled all of the local craft beer. How could you go wrong? It was one of my favorite meals in a long, long time.
From lunch we went to the winery and sampled five different selections while Ellison kept track of which ones Trevor and I preferred on a score card (is that bad parenting? She learned a lot about wine so I'm calling it educational). There were some that were outstanding, some that were palatable and one that was horrid (I'm not going say which one, but Cardinal Crest, I'm looking at you). At this point the sun had set and we wanted to see the Christmas lights so we walked around the village, took the shuttle past the main house so we could see it all lit up and then headed home. Ellison and I, as tired as both of us were at this point, were so sad to leave not only the estate, but the magical holiday bubble that we'd been in for the past ten hours. We wanted to stay forever. Or at least until the next day.
From lunch we went to the winery and sampled five different selections while Ellison kept track of which ones Trevor and I preferred on a score card (is that bad parenting? She learned a lot about wine so I'm calling it educational). There were some that were outstanding, some that were palatable and one that was horrid (I'm not going say which one, but Cardinal Crest, I'm looking at you). At this point the sun had set and we wanted to see the Christmas lights so we walked around the village, took the shuttle past the main house so we could see it all lit up and then headed home. Ellison and I, as tired as both of us were at this point, were so sad to leave not only the estate, but the magical holiday bubble that we'd been in for the past ten hours. We wanted to stay forever. Or at least until the next day.
So I think the one thing we would have done differently (but couldn't because we had Waylon waiting for us back at the cabin in Tennessee) would have been to stay overnight. The area is so extensive that there were a number of things we didn't have time to see - like the hiking trails, for example. The estate has 22 miles of trails that wind all through the wooded areas surrounding Biltmore House and the three lodging areas (hotel, inn or cottages). Ellison was also dying to go horseback riding and I am sure that a ride anywhere on the grounds would be beautiful so I can't say I would have objected to that, either. But, this gives us a reason to go back next year. That being said, it really was so fun for us as a family and even if you don't tour the house, just visiting the grounds and gardens would keep you occupied for days. Ellison and I enthusiastically recommend a trip to the Biltmore and, other than not being able to pet the horses, loved every minute of our visit.
See you back here soon!
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