We are thinking of visiting the estate.

Is it worth the drive from the DC area?

Is it worth the extra expense to stay at the hotel on the grounds.....or should we stay nearby and just visit the estate?

Thanks for your help.

"Worth it" is a very subjective idea. I visited the estate and enjoyed it, but I was already in the area. It's a big beautiful house with some interesting history, but, IMO, not significantly different from other similar places like the DuPont estates.

I'm not sure what you mean by driving in from DC. If you're looking at a weekend getaway for someone living in the area then, sure, it would be enjoyable. If you're talking about carving out a day or more from a trip to the DC area, personally I would think twice.

Just my (not so) humble opinion...

Hi,

We toured the estate two or three years ago. Both my husband and I enjoyed it. We spent most of the day there. First, we toured the main house. We rented an audio cassette which helped. It took quite awhile to go through it. Lots of interesting things to see. As I remember, the house has a bowling alley, swimming pool, and huge veranda. It is interesting to see how people lived back then. We also toured the grounds. They had a beautiful garden near the house. And we ate dinner at the winery -- which is a drive from the main house.

We did not stay at the hotel on the grounds. We stayed at a B&B in Ashville. For us, it was fine.

I don't know how far the drive from DC is. If it is a far drive, we would probably not go, just because looking at mansions is not one of our special interests.

Combine the trip with a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway - go to Blowing Rock, Linville Falls - beautiful area. When we went to the Biltmore, we just stayed at a BW. The grounds are beautiful and visit the winery.

I live in NC so visiting the Biltmore is very convenient. I don't know if I'd drive six hours just to see it. You might want to contact the Biltmore for information on their special events and weekends.

Asheville is charming town, full of fun and funky galleries, shops and restaurants. You'd probably want to stay in the downtown area to be near them. I stayed in the Haywood Park Inn (800-228-2522)last year and loved it.

We visited Biltmore several years ago during July. We are keenly interested in touring homes such as this and therefore found it very interesting although I would strongly advise against visiting in the summer heat as it was utterly stifling and thus made our visit something of an ordeal. (Dont believe what they say about the cool mountain air - the pool at our hotel was closed as the water had become too hot for safe swimming). We found this house to be much more personal than other Vanderbilt homes we'd visited (Breakers in Newport for example). Some very fine art, interesting collectiion of early photography, etc. Grounds are lovely, but, again, the heat was a huge problem in this area.
We stayed at the Grove Park Inn which was an interesting experience, but not fabulous - although the heat kept us inside which didnt add to the fun. Biltmore was a short drive from the hotel so I'm not sure you need stay on the estate grounds unless you are interested in sampling the accomodations available.

When you step up to pay for tickets, make sure you reach down and grab your ankles...EXPENSIVE

That's a long drive. I live in central NC, and I would hesitate to drive to Asheville just to see the estate. It is very interesting, however, and will take up most or all of a day. Couple it with a couple of days on the Blue Ridge Parkway and/or in the surrounding area (the Parkway itself and/or the waterfalls south of Asheville - largely in Transylvania County). Linville Falls, as someone else mentioned, would be a great choice as well. The gardens would certainly be better in warmer months, but mid October would give you magnificent autumn foliage. Don't know what you are expecting for accomodations, but you can get very inexpensive hotels near Highway 40 that are very convenient.

I'm jumping on the bandwagon with the others. Yes, the Biltmore estate is wonderful, but not as a daytrip from DC. If you would like to combine it with a drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway (if taking the BRP from mile 1 stop by Mabry Mill in Virginia), visit waterfalls, Southern Crafts Guild, etc. then head to Asheville. If you are planning to visit during leaf season, get reservations now. Also Asheville tourism (? www.exploreasheville.com?) has a weekly leaf report during the season.

I prefer the self-guided tour of Biltmore to the docent led tour of the Newport relatives. Ellie, when I was in Newport (in a September) it was hot and humid too. No breeze off the water the day I was there wilting from the weather.

From my understanding about the new hotel is that you still have to pay the full admission price and do not get an earlier opening time than non-hotel guest. I'm not into fancy hotels so I wouldn't spend the $$$ for the place. The Sleep Inn Biltmore is more my speed. But if you enjoy luxury hotels, it is new and probably trying to compete with the Grove Park Inn for guests. There are also a number of B&B's in the area.

Yes Ncgrll, I've sweltered in Newport as well. Makes you wonder just how much fun these rich folk were having sitting around under piles of heavy clothing at their summer get-aways....guess I wont complain about sitting around my little back yard - barefoot and in shorts!

Thanks for all the info.

We live in the DC area and were considering the area for a weekend getaway. We' have heard a lot of people talk about Biltmore. Recently saw Fallingwater for the 3rd time, have been to Newport(grew up in Boston) and was curious about the estate in NC

We've been along the parts of the Blue Ridge parkway, saw the mill, and did some hiking. The area is absolutely beautiful.

My husband and I drove to Asheville from the D.C. area, but our main objective was not to see the Biltmore. It was kind of a pilgrimage for me to see the boarding house where Thomas Wolfe (Look Homeward, Angel) grew up, the Thomas Wolfe museum, and the cemetery where he is buried. In my office where I am now working I have a picture of me standing behind his gravestone which says, simply, TOM. We stayed in Greenville, N.C., the first night, thus arriving in Asheville early the next day. We saw some wonderful-looking B&Bs but chose a motel along the highway just south of town. We headed immediately for the Thomas Wolfe home.

The next day we spent the entire day at the Biltmore (expensive! but we thought it was worth it). My favorite room was one of the first you enter, the dining room--fabulous wood and fireplaces and two (three?) story high ceiling. We liked being able to proceed at our own speed (not being required to take a tour). The tour led us through several large but definitely un-fancy bathrooms (what can you expect for a house built in the 1890s?). We went in late May and were disappointed that the azaleas and spring flowers were almost gone, but roses and summer flowers weren't flourishing yet. Late April or early May would be ideal times to go. We ate at the restaurant in the old stables--some stables! It was really nice, though I believe the restaurant at the winery is fancier.

On one of our days we drove down to Cherokee, saw a well-done museum there (but didn't visit Cherokee village), and then drove home on the Blue Ridge Pkwy., stopping at one point for a hike. This part of the Parkway was almost deserted, very winding and beautiful, better than most of the Parkway we saw the following day when we followed it most of the way back to Maryland.

I meant to say we drove back to Asheville on the Blue Ridge Pkwy. Cherokee is SW of Asheville.

Dick,

I live in Asheville, and I have a 12 month visitor's pass to Biltmore, so I go pretty often. I've only toured the house a few times, and since nothing really changes on that tour, I spend most of my time there in the gardens, or at the restaurants or gift shops. Maybe I misread your message, but I got the impression that you live in Washington DC, while others understood that you're visiting there. If you're visiting DC, there are many things in that area for you to see; save Biltmore for another trip. If you live in DC, I don't know that you'd want to drive here ONLY to see Biltmore, but there are so many other great things to do in our area--- great shops, restaurants and galleries downtown; shopping at Biltmore Village, the Blue Ridge Parkway, llama rides (yes, you read that right), arts and crafts, etc. A couple good websites for more information are www.goasheville.com, www.ashevillechamber.org, and of course www.biltmore.com. You could probably spend a couple days touring Biltmore. The house takes a few hours, a meal at one of the three estate restaurants, a tour of the winery, and the gardens are quite extensive. Since opening the Inn at Biltmore, they've added whitewater rafting, horseback riding, carriage rides, and other fun things that you can do on the estate. Plus there are several different behind the scenes tours of the estate. I've never been, but one of these days I want to go on the rooftop tour, the views of the mountains must be amazing. I would imagine they have hotel packages that include admission to the house, but being local I haven't yet stayed at the inn, so I'm not certain. If you choose to stay outside the estate, there are several nice places just outside of the estate near Biltmore Village (a shopping village--- no charge to get in), many hotels and motels along Tunnel Road (east of downtown) and the Smoky Park Highway (west of downtown), tons of B&Bs, and of course the Grove Park Inn. You didn't mention when you're planning a trip, but I would suggest visiting during Biltmore's Candlelight Christmas Evenings (11/6-1/1). It costs extra to go in the evening when the house is lit with candles, but if you go during the day there's no additional charge, you can still see all the trees lit up, and the house is really beautiful. Hope this helps you make a decision.

If you decide to make the trip, I highly recommend the behind-the-scenes tour. It offers a new perspective on the house and family and is very well done. You will also get to see some rooms that are not open to the general public.

Sue,

Thanks for the info..the website you mentioned was very helpful.

I understand the confusion, but we DO live in the DC area and were just interested in an easy weekend trip.
Thanks

Has anyone stayed at the new Inn on Biltmore Estate to which the OP refers? Southern Living has a short one-pager in the Sept. issue- says rates vary seasonally, starting at $139 double occupancy from Jan- March weekdays to $359 April-July and October-December. Rates do not include admission to B.House. Inn has its own restaurant. If anyone has stayed at the Inn, please post your experience, as it may be a consideration for a future trip. Thanks.

Based upon all the great info...we will probably try to make it a weekend in the Asheville area...and not just focus on the mansion