Biltmore House
 

General Self Guided tour is $44.00

Butler's Tour is an addtitional $17.00
Family and Friends tour is $17.00
Architect Tour is also an addtional $17.00

Premium House Tour is a private tour for 2 hours for an additional $150.00

Three different Segway tours $45, $75, and $100

River tour of the property Raft $35, Kayak $25.


Has anyone done any of these additional tours? I'm not for sure what all I want to do here.

We did the Segway tour and the Architect Tour . . both gave us additional insight to the General tour

This list makes me gag. I remember when admission was $15 for the works.

HTTY

We were there in late January and did only the house tour (it was too cold and rainy for any outside activities). We did the General Self Guided Tour with the Audio Tour (additional $10). It was the Audio tour that really made the difference. Great information! Be sure to listen to all the extra audio items available for each room. Listening to everything and taking our time, we were there for over two hours.

FYI There is no cloakroom in the house so everyone was carrying their coats around-- awkward and cumbersome.

We had lunch at Cedric's Tavern in Antler Village on the estate grounds. Pub fare-very good cheeseburgers and beer.

WE've done what was then the general tour and we've also done the "rooftop" tour.

Depends on how long before you get "housed-out" I guess.

Rich,
Which Segway Tour did you do? We've done a Seway Tour before in San Francisco, btw.

There was just two when we went . . one that included lessons ( which we needed since we had not ridden before) and one that you did on your own. .

I don't know when you're planning on going but make sure to save time to go through the gardens. They are beautiful. We didn't do any of the optional tours and spent hours in the house. I would have loved to see more of the gardens but my friends were protesting from the hours of walking we had already done!

We just did the General House Tour last month. We went with a member so the cost was $30--still expensive. In February, you get the free audio tour but I would have paid an extra $10 for it. It is very worthwhile and as mentioned above, there are extra information buttons for several rooms. That is the only tour I would take unless you are visiting for more than one day. It is a big house.

George Vanderbilt was 27 when he started building this mansion. It's really unbelievable. We have the beautiful Stan Hywett Hall here in Akron, home of the Seiberlings but Stan Hywett looks like a cottage compared to the Biltmore.

We ate lunch in the stables and eating with a member gets you a 10% discount. There was an exhibit tour in the winery but we never got there. We spent a lot of time in the house. It wasn't crowded. Too bad they don't offer a grounds only pass. For $10 they did offer a next day pass. You could spend all day just walking around the grounds.

Be sure to sign the guestbook if interested in returning. I signed the guestbook on the computer in the Basement room and was offered a one year pass for $40. We will be returning to Asheville this year so I bought one.

Also interesting, is the downtown area where they have converted several of the homes of the Biltmore staff into restaurants and retail stores.

And then there is the crazy downtown Asheville Blue Bus Tour!!!??? Asheville prides themselves on being a bit weird and crazy. If you want to laugh, or have a group that has been drinking or you don't take anything seriously, you will enjoy it. If you are looking for a informational guided downtown tour of Asheville, this is not the tour for you. (Just imagine a male nun on a bike with a squirt gun shooting at the bus--and that is not the weirdest thing that happens) It is basically a comedy club on wheels. I think there is an article written about it "How Weird is Too Weird?

The Blue Bus Tour would not be us for sure. We planned on eating at Stables too. I don't know any "members", so I guess we'll pay the full amount. LOL

We have made several trips, but only purchased the grounds ticket. We try to go in April when the early flowers are in bloom. The gardens are as beautiful as you can imagine. Plan to spend a lot of time there. The house audio tour is great, but plan on a full 2 hours to view everything. After seeing the house 4 or 5 times, we wish we could do only the gardens. The general admission is steep, but well worth it. I get tired after a couple of hours on my feet, so a glass of wine in the Stables is welcomed. By all mans you should do this.

After sneering at people who ask "worth it" questions, I have to ask whether Biltmore is "worth it" (gag, cringe, self-mortification) if you have toured a lot of grand houses in Europe and Newport?

It is on the way to somewhere we are going, and we could do it, but you know, speniding money to look at an imitation of a Loire chateau when you have been to the Loire . . . .

Not sure exactly how to say it, but Biltmore "feels" American. Been through a few chateaux in the Loire valley and those "feel" French. Maybe it's the rugged sense of mountains all around that add to the country living lifestyle that the Vanderbilts maintained, despite the grand scale of it all. Maybe and maybe not, but the furnishings, room styles, and room usages feel American.

We did the Architect's Tour and thought it was great --lots of information on the house and the family and also access to areas not seen on the regular house tour. For us, it was more than likely, a one-time visit so we went with the extra cost and were glad we did.

I'm kinda of leaning towards the Family and Friends Tour. The Butler Tour and the Architect goes to different areas of the home(I think). Did the Architect go on the roof?

Yes, we did go out on the roof----actually more like a balcony since, as you know, the roof is pretty pitched. But I do recall we had a great view of the grounds and we were up quite high.

Thanks, Kathleen

just what I needed to know