BILTMORE ESTATE
 

We live about 600 miles from Asheville.
How many visits are necessary to see the house?

How much time should we spend in the area?

My husband has no great interest in house visiting, so I need to know what else is within a reasonable driving distance of Asheville.

Is it less crowded in the house on weekdays?

Thanks.

It all depends.
Have you ever been to Europe, and gone thru a castle or chateau? If so, Biltmore will seem a 1900 erea attempt at a knockoff.
We went thru it 2 years ago, and my impression was that it didn't come close to the authentic Euro originals.
If you've not been to Europe, you might find it interesting.
Our tour was about aan hour long, and we lingered on the grounds another hour. The basic tour was maybe $25-$30 each, but then they had a separate tour for another $25 each of the second floor, and then another separate tour of the kitchen and other behind-the-scenes areas for another $25 each.
We were also QUITE unimpressed with the staff. There are guards every 2-3 rooms of whom we would ask questions, like, "Whose bedroom was this?" or "Is the painting on the wall of some historic significance?". Each and every one of the staff of whom we asked questions replied, "I don't know". If you're not a curious person, this won't bother you. They may have been good guards, but they were lousy guides. We had the distinct impression they were there only for a paycheck, and took neither pride nor interest in their work.

The Biltmore can be seen in 5-6 hours if you do not want to do any of the behind the scenes tours.

I got the basic ticket plus the acoustiguide and spent about 5 hours there last summer. I toured the house and went to the winery. Then I had lunch at one of the restaurants (not the expensive one). It was enough.

The Biltmore is modeled after a couple of the Loire Valley chateaux in France. There are elements of Blois and Chambord. It is well worth seeing.

Risha, I would plan to spend several hours there. We have done the guided tour of the entire place, and our guide was well-informed, and made it extremely interesting. We have also gone two other times, with friends, and at Christmas at night with candlelight, when it is gorgeous, with music downstairs.

You know, one person can't tell another how long a tour will take..... because people do them so differently. I think the Estate is well worth the money, the gift shop is a good one, the main restaurant has good food, and we enjoy the winery, the flower gardens, etc.

We also saw the boarding house where Thomas Wolfe grew up, and you don't want to miss the Folk Art Center,operated by the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, about five miles east of downtown.

Asheville is one of our cities that we North Carolinians are proudest of...... it has a lot of charm and good vibes!

Risha, one more thing...... Biltmore Estate has a great website with links to other local attractions, etc., at *biltmore.com*..........

You may be tempted to skip the behind-the-scenes tour. Don't.

I'd highly recommend a visit to Biltmore. And I'd say that in many ways, it's actually better than many of the castles and chateaux in Europe.

Yes, of course it was modeled after places like Blois and Chambord. But, the technological updates are uniquely American and remarkable for a house at the turn of the twentieth century. And, it still has its original collection of artwork and furnishings intact, whereas most other historic homes in this country and elsewhere do not.

The landscape of the estate (Frederick Law Olmsted's last great work) is also uniquely American, and very much an improvement upon the vast majority of historic homes, chateaux, and castles in the world. The formal gardens are a delight much of the year, and the rest of the estate's 8000 acres are gorgeous.

The other thing that sets Biltmore apart is that it's still privately owned. That is remarkable in this day of government handouts. And I've always found the staff to be very hospitable, friendly, and professional.

I'd recommend 5-6 hours for visiting the estate. And the rest of the Asheville area is a great visit, too. Beautiful mountains, a wealth of natural beauty in the forests and parks nearby, a great downtown, and a myriad of other attractions.

I disagree that the Biltmore is a just a french chateau wannabe. It is, as ThePhan noted, uniquely American and even if your husband doesn't enjoy touring houses, he might be interested in the turn of the century technology, architecture, landscaping, vineyards, or the history of the Vanderbilts.

Besides the Biltmore, Asheville has a thriving arts community. There are a number of small towns in the area with shops & galleries offering high end crafts.

What is interesting to your husband? Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains? Golf, hiking, horseback riding, fishing. Plenty to do.

We did the Biltmore's behind the scenes rooftop tour, which my husband really enjoyed. Also, the winery isn't Napa Valley but you might enjoy the tasting room if you are wine drinkers.

The thing I liked best about the Biltmore was the servants quarters and the areas where the servants worked. You don't see restorations of those in most great houses.

I have been to many European palaces and castles and still enjoyed The Biltmore. I did not understand the posters who had negative things to say about it.

My only regret the day I went is that it rained and I did not really have time for the gardens. Insofar as skipping the "behind the scenes" tour. The regular tour with the acoustiguide occupied almost 3 hours for me as I push all the buttons. I pretty much had sensory overload by then.

Others can, of course, disagree, but what you decide to see really depends on what YOU want and not what someone else wants--and how much time you have.

I thought the Biltmore tour was terribly overpriced and extrememly poorly organized.

We paid them around $80 for two self-guided tour admissions. They turn you loose in the house where we stood in extremely slow moving lines of people ambling from room to room -- looking, but learning very little. Would guided tours be all that difficult to manage?

I thought the Hearst Castle tour in California was much better organized and exceedingly more interesting.

As far as what's to do in the area, Asheville is a nice town worthy of several hours of diversion, and the Blue Ridge Parkway is certainly worth a look....

The Biltmore is not inexpensive, but I found it worthwhile. I took the basic Hearst Castle tour years ago and found it a sort of overdone Hollywood set. The Biltmore is much more interesting--and much classier.

However, to each his own. I spent about 4-5 hours at The Biltmore because that was all the time I had. It had been on my list of places I wanted to see for a very long time. I stopped overnight in Asheville in route to an elderhostel in Highlands, North Carolina. There was plenty I did not see in Asheville and, perhaps, some day I will get to return.

So little time and so many possible tourist destinations. . . .

BTW, it's not referred to a "the" Biltmore, it's just Biltmore. Unlike fine arts museums (the Met, the Getty), historic houses rarely use a definite article in front of their names. You don't say "the Mount Vernon," "the Monticello," "the Winterthur," or "the Kykuit".

I could easily spend an entire day at Biltmore, and I imagine you could too if you're at all interested in gardens.

The house itself takes a couple of hours, more if you go back and revisit rooms to drink in the details. It's full of art and priceless antiques, including a ceiling imported from a European castle (perhaps to appease future visitors who, for some peculiar reason, expected an entire European castle to be imported brick by brick).

One of the more interesting things about Biltmore is that when it was completed in 1895, it was at the time one of the most technologically advanced structures on earth, and most of the technology, including a Victorian washing machine is still there.

How much time could you spend in Asheville, even after you've done Biltmore? Probably a week or more if you really want to take advantage of all there is to see and do. We've got art and culture, outdoor activities, great architecture, fine dining, terrific gardens like the NC Arboretum, historic neighborhoods, grand churches including a cathedral and basilica (small-scale, but still impressive), great nearby towns full of character, a nearby casino and Indian reservation... the list goes on and on.

If you want to find out more on Asheville, your best bet is to perform a search here on Fodor's. Lots will come up.

Since I live in Asheville and have had friends who've worked as guides as the Biltmore I wanted to respond. I think much of your experience will be based on when you go...busy tourist/bus day as opposed to not. I would recommend either getting there early or late in the day. The guides are very knowledgeable, most have at least master's degrees and spend many hours learning details about the house, architecture, history, etc.
As far as your husband...depending on his interests he may enjoy wandering around the grounds or the winery tour. If he is active there are lots of great hiking and biking areas close by as well as fly fishing and golfing.

Returned from Asheville two weeks ago. Took the Biltmore Estate upgrade option for $10 to have an "Entry Pass" good for one year.
Our plan was to spend about four hours a day on the grounds. The remainder of the day out and about in Asheville.
This was a very relaxing pace, never felt rushed knowing we could return the next day.

Day one went through the first floor and spent most of our time walking through the gardens, the festival of flowers were in full bloom.

Day two went through the 2nd & 3rd floors. Went over to Deerpark for lunch and to view the art exhibit.

Day three went downstairs and viewed the historical photo exhibit, kitchens, servant's quarters, lounge etc. Went through the shops at the stables, had a snack, went over to the winery, and restored barn area.

The weekdays we could linger in any room and ask questions of the ever present hosts that shared detailed information on whatever rooms they were in. The third day was Saturday, the crowds were endless. Try to plan your visit for weekdays. The were doing timed entry tickets the way museums do for special exhibits.

Could we have done it in one day? Probably, but it would have been one very long day, not nearly as relaxing.

We spent an afternoon at the Grove Park Inn, beautiful grounds. If your husband plays golf check out the Grove Park Inn web site.

Hope this helps you plan your schedule.
Sandra