The Biltmore Estate is one of the most iconic destinations for visitors to Asheville, North Carolina. Covering a sprawling 8,000 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it is the largest privately owned home in the country. Year-round guests can enjoy tours of the house and gardens. The estate also houses more than 92,000 collector items including famous artworks by Monet and Renoir as well as one-of-a-kind historical pieces from across the globe. Visitors can enjoy a variety of experiences for all interests including shopping, delicious dining options, a spa, and an ever-rotating schedule of events and special exhibits. For a truly unique visit to Asheville, the Biltmore is an unparalleled destination, offering a blend of history, luxury, and natural beauty that captivates more than a million visitors per year.
HISTORY
The Biltmore Estate was built by George Vanderbilt after he became enamored with this area of Western North Carolina on a visit in 1888. He purchased 125,000 acres of Blue Ridge Mountain land for his new country home outside of Asheville, North Carolina. George was the grandson of the famed Cornelius Vanderbilt who was one of the wealthiest Americans of the 1800s from his self-made transportation empire.
The 250-room French Renaissance château was the work of renowned nineteenth-century architect Richard Morris Hunt. Construction took six years to complete. It was such an immense undertaking that the estate had its own brick factory, woodworking shop, and a three-mile railway spur to transport materials onsite.
The sprawling farmland surrounding the house was restored by the man who designed New York City’s Central Park and Washington DC’s United States Capitol Grounds, Frederick Law Olmsted. His meticulous landscape design for the Biltmore included the stunning formal gardens visitors enjoy today.
The history of the Biltmore is also deeply intertwined with the history of American forestry. Olmsted’s revolutionary transformation of the former farmland was achieved through America’s first application of scientific forestry. After the passing of George in 1914, his wife Edith sold off around 87,000 acres of the estate to the United States Forest Service for less than $5 an acre. This land is what we know today as Pisgah National Forest, one of the first national forests east of the Mississippi River.
The Biltmore House was officially opened to the public in 1930. This helped increase tourism to the Asheville area during the Depression. This also ensured that the estate could be self-sustaining. The profits earned from tourism to the estate go towards properly preserving this National Historic Landmark. Today, the Biltmore is one of the most visited destinations in North Carolina, beloved by locals and tourists alike.
VISITING INFORMATION
As part of the Mountain Discovery Pass, included with most Carolina Mornings reservations, guests receive one adult daytime estate admission to Biltmore per home, per paid night stay plus day of departure. There are a variety of Carolina Mornings luxury vacation homes in the area around the Biltmore Estate to make your next visit seamless. Choose from large-group Asheville cabin rentals that can fit anywhere from 12 to 20 guests to cozy romantic retreats.
To tour the Biltmore House, visitors must reserve their tour time prior to visiting. The reservation time on your purchased ticket is the entry time into the estate. It is recommended that visitors arrive earlier than the designated entry to allow for plenty of time to drive from the admission gate to the house to park.
As beautiful as the Biltmore House is, there is much more to visiting the estate than touring the house! There is an assortment of shopping and dining options onsite as well. Browse apparel, home goods, and various souvenirs to bring mementos from your visit home with you. There are also specialty shops like a Christmas store with unique seasonal décor, a book shop, toy store, and a garden shop filled with gardening accessories, books, and plants available for purchase.
Enjoy the wide-variety of dining options available on the estate. If you only have time for a quick bite between activities, there are grab-and-go sandwich options, fresh salads, baked goods, and other snacks. Do not forget to stop at the Biltmore Creamery for delicious ice cream. When in season, the Peach flavor is a Carolina Mornings favorite!
If you have more time to sit down and enjoy a meal, there are also a variety of restaurants on-site. For a more casual experience, try Cedric’s Tavern. This restaurant has a warm and inviting atmosphere that pays tribute to the neighborhood pubs of Ireland. Their menu features global cuisine with rich flavors and the Estate’s own microbrews - Cedric’s Pale Ale and Cedric’s Brown Ale.
If you are looking for a more formal dining experience, make sure to visit The Dining Room for a four-star dining experience. This award-winning restaurant emphasizes local ingredients and features white linen tablecloths and fine china with sweeping views of the surrounding estate. For a full list of all the available culinary offerings at the Biltmore Estate click here.
The admission gate to the Biltmore Estate opens at 8:30 AM and the closing time varies, depending on the time of year. The many shops and dining options also vary in the times they are open and closed. Check the Biltmore’s website here for more specific hours of operation. The grounds are separated into three main areas, the Biltmore House, the Antler Hill Village & Winery, and the Deerpark® Area. Each of these areas have their own set of experiences guests can enjoy.
CAROLINA MORNINGS STAFF FAVORITES
To help our guests take advantage of their time at the Biltmore, we have rounded up our favorite Biltmore experiences for you to get the most out of your next visit!
ROTATING ART EXHIBITS AND INSTALLATIONS
Biltmore’s event center, Amherst at Deerpark® offers an ever-rotating lineup of special ticketed art exhibitions. Currently, visitors can enjoy the iconic works of Dale Chihuly at the Chihuly at Biltmore exhibition until January 5th, 2025. Chihuly’s colorful shapes of beautiful glass have adorned galleries across the globe. For a limited time, visitors can view this collection, curated specially for the Biltmore.
These special exhibits are purchased as an additional cost. To guarantee entry to this and other future exhibits, entry reservations should be made in advance.
LIVE MUSIC
During the warmer months of the year, the grassy lawn in the heart of Antler Hill Village hosts evening musical performances. Join the families picnicking and dancing together on the Village Green while the sun sets behind the surrounding mountains. The concerts feature a diverse array of musical genres including jazz, blues, rock, pop, swing, and bluegrass. Pro tip - grab your favorite bottle of wine from the shop next door to enjoy during the music!
Catch these live performances every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from April through to the end of October. The music lasts from 4:30 PM–8:15 PM. Check here for the upcoming, up-to-date schedule.
CHRISTMAS AT THE BILTMORE
Christmas at Biltmore is one of the most magical times of the year to visit. Every year from November through the start of January, the estate grounds are transformed into a winter wonderland with Christmas lights and luminaries.
The Biltmore home is beautifully adorned in grand holiday decor boasting ribbons, garlands, and twinkling Christmas trees in nearly every room. This time of year, visitors are also able to take an evening tour through the house by candlelight. Walking through the rooms with cozy fires in grand fireplaces and live music floating through the halls, it is easy to feel transported back to the Gilded Age when the Vanderbilts hosted festive gatherings.
WINE TASTING
Established in 1985, the Biltmore Winery is a great place to spend time on the estate grounds. Enjoy a complimentary tasting of crisp whites and rich reds. The grapes used in the wine come from esteemed partner vineyards on the West Coast as well as right here in the Blue Ridge Mountains from the estate’s own vineyard. The wine tastings are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To ensure a tasting time that works within your schedule, visit the winery upon arrival to schedule your tasting for the day.
Meet people from across the globe while enjoying generous pours of award-winning wines. Grape juice is available for families with underage children. After the tasting, peruse the adjoining shops for souvenirs with a glass-to-go of your favorite vintage. Keep any purchased wine bottles safely behind the store counter for later pickup. This way, you can enjoy your time on the grounds without the hassle of carrying bulky bottles around.
WALK OR BIKE THE ONSITE TRAIL SYSTEM
Given how much there is to do, it is easy to overlook the trails on the estate. This is especially true for visitors with a limited time to explore the grounds. However, for returning guests or those that have multiple days to explore the Biltmore, this trail system is a great way to see less-visited corners of the estate.
These trails pass through quiet woodlands and along the scenic French Broad river. From paved paths to dirt trails, enjoy over twenty miles of picturesque trails, perfect for hiking or biking. For those traveling with their dogs, bring them along! They are welcome in all the outdoor areas of this pet-friendly estate.
SEASONAL GARDENS
One of the most peaceful things to do on the estate grounds is to stroll through the ever-changing 75-acres of gardens surrounding the Biltmore House. The Biltmore Gardens are a testament to Frederick Law Olmsted’s visionary expertise in landscape design.
In the springtime, the Azalea Garden is bursting with bright pinks and purple blooms. Walk through the terraced gardens backdropped by long-range views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Alongside the house, beautiful Wisteria blooms spill over the sides of a grand pergola. Enjoy winding paths through shrubs and a koi pond with exotic lilies and framed in by statues.
The most well-known garden at the Biltmore, the Walled Garden, is a geometric arrangement of beds that are constantly changed with the seasons. Alongside these colorful rows is a rose garden featuring more than 250 varieties.
The Conservatory is perfect for winter visits when it is too cold for the outdoor beds to be blooming. Under the glass-ceiling of this structure is a tropical oasis. Walk through rooms of cacti, succulents, palms, and exotic orchids. Christmastime is particularly beautiful with showy displays of bright red poinsettias, perfect for a holiday photo-op.
KID-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES
The sprawling estate grounds have plenty to entertain the whole family, kids included! Here are some of the top kid-friendly activities at the Biltmore -
BILTMORE HOUSE
Kids can enjoy their own personalized 50-minute audio tour when walking through the Biltmore House, narrated by Cedric, the Vanderbilts’ lovable Saint Bernard.
ANTLER HILL VILLAGE
The Barn in Antler Hill Village is where the families used to tend to the livestock and crops of the estate in the 1800 and 1900s. Today, the Barn is home to friendly farm animals like goats, chicken, lambs, and calves. It also hosts a variety of family-friendly activities.
Kids can watch live demonstrations by various craftspeople to learn what it was like for those families. The Barn also hosts kid-friendly games and crafts and naturalist talks. These talks teach kids about the wildlife living on the Biltmore grounds. Next to the Barn is the fenced-in Pisgah Playground. This wooden play area features a lookout, a rock climbing formation, and a sand play area.
TICKETED ACTIVITIES
There is also a wide-variety of ticketed kid-friendly activities to choose from during your visit. These include croquet, carriage and tractor wagon rides. There are also guided outdoor activities for the whole family to enjoy together such as biking, fishing, and hiking.
A visit to the Biltmore Estate is more than just a tourist destination—it is an immersive journey through history offering a glimpse into the opulent lifestyle of the Vanderbilt family during the Gilded Age. From the moment you step inside the iconic estate, you are transported into a world of grand interiors adorned with fine art, grand fireplaces, and lavish furnishings. Beyond the estate’s architectural splendor, the Biltmore offers an array of experiences. Enjoy fine dining and unique shopping opportunities featuring handcrafted goods and exclusive wines produced at the estate’s renowned winery.
The grandeur of the Biltmore continues on into its stunning seasonal displays in the historic grounds and gardens that invite visitors to bask in the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Wander through blooming gardens, bike along winding trails along the French Broad, and take in sweeping views of the mountains surrounding Asheville. A must-visit for history buffs, architecture enthusiasts, and nature lovers alike, the Biltmore Estate promises an unforgettable experience that blends luxury, history, and the tranquility of the natural world.
