This is starting to become a bit hot! You’ve undoubtedly heard of The Biltmore Estates and are wondering, “Is Biltmore Worth It?” if you’re considering a road trip to Asheville, North Carolina.
If you’re anything like us, you’ve read a tonne of articles touting the benefits of the Estate and why visiting should only cost you about $100 (or $200 for the two of you!). However, you’re worried that it will be overly touristic or that it would be a waste of time.
We were the same. Because we are from North Carolina, we have researched for you to decide if going to Biltmore Estate is worth the money you will save or spend to make the greatest memories, have the best meals and beverages, and embark on the most adventures with your travel companions—like us!
Warning: We found that the majority of individuals shouldn’t visit The Biltmore. After spending the day there, discover what reasons affected our choice by reading on!
Also Read: Routes to Take to Get to Asheville from Charlotte
A Brief History of the Biltmore Estates
Built by George Washington Vanderbilt II in the late 1800s, this magnificent mansion is the biggest privately owned residence in the country. This is hardly shocking considering that it was built by 1000 artisans over six years, with 250 rooms and 178,000 square feet!
George wanted to construct a small piece of European luxury for his family in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a dream inspired by his travels around Europe. When visiting the Biltmore, it is easy to see the influence of Europe. It brought to mind the architecture of Vienna.
Where Can I Find The Biltmore?
The location of the Biltmore Estate is Asheville, North Carolina. Situated in Biltmore Village, it’s not too far from Asheville’s downtown.
This is a simple stop to make whether you’re visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Blue Ridge Parkway, or the waterfalls inside the Pisgah National Forest (more on that below!). If you’re nearby, Asheville is just a 2-hour journey from Charlotte.
Whenever we rent a car to travel from Asheville or another city to the Biltmore, we always use Discover Cars!
Is the Biltmore Worth the Money? Breakdown of Attraction
The Biltmore is surrounded by several locations and activities. But, depending on your travel preferences and viewpoint, this may not always be the case. To help you decide whether or not to visit the Biltmore, let’s review all of the facilities and share our opinions on how deserving they are of each other.
Area of Biltmore Village
Situated right outside the main entrance of the Biltmore Estate lies Biltmore Village, North Carolina. Imagine restaurants, shops, and cobblestone streets that bring to mind a little English village.
The appearance of every company and eatery, including Hardee’s and McDonald’s, is the same, and to be honest? It has an upscale, touristic atmosphere. This is the location to stay if you want to be near to the Biltmore, but be prepared to pay extra!
We opted to stay in the downtown area, which allowed us to drive to the Biltmore in only five minutes and stroll to clubs, restaurants, and entertainment. Is it worth the effort? but it’s fun to stroll around and window shop for a bit, we advise avoiding it!
The Structure of the House
We reasoned that since we were already at the estate, we might as well see a popular attraction, so we purchased tickets that included the Biltmore house tour.
We took the self-guided tour, which was supposed to take an hour or so, and came with an audio guide. Not being great history enthusiasts, we completed the tour in about 45 minutes, skipping some of the audio guides because it covered a lot of ground.
The Structure of the House
We decided that since we were already at the estate, we might as well check out a major attraction, so we purchased the tickets that included the Biltmore House Tour.
We decided on the self-guided tour, which was meant to last around an hour, and came with an audio guide. Being non-historical enthusiasts, we completed the trip in about 45 minutes and did not listen to all of the audio guides because they were so detailed.
Normally, we wouldn’t bother with audio guides when visiting historic sites, but we were happy that we did when we did (they were free when we went, but I’ve heard occasionally they cost money). You wouldn’t have known what you were looking at without the audio tour, which would have made the trip much less worthwhile.
About 92,000 objects make up the vast collection of the Biltmore, which includes pieces that his successors commissioned as well as antiquities that George Vanderbilt collected on his travels. Here are a couple of your favorite artists if you appreciate their work.
At first, seeing every chamber was intriguing, but after a few trips, we started to get the impression that “once you’ve seen a couple, you’ve seen them all”. You could be let down by the tour of the house, particularly if you’ve already seen European castles and palaces like Versailles. Is it worth the effort? Unless you like ancient homes and antique artwork, we advise against it. If not, disregard it.
The Parks
Depending on the season, the following five ticket options are available as of this writing in 2023: Grounds, Grounds & Exhibition, House & Grounds, House, 2 Day Grounds & Exhibition, or Guided House Tour, 2 Day Grounds & Exhibition.
NOTE: It will not be visible to you if there isn’t an exhibition at Deerpark. Of course.
Hence, entrance to the grounds and garden—which were our favorite aspects of the visit—is available to all attendees, regardless of the type of ticket they purchase.
Huge, just outside the front door of the home, is the Biltmore Garden. It is divided into nine pieces due to its large size.
- South Terraces and the Library
- The Italian Garden
- Garden of Shrubs
- The Spring Garden
- Conservatory
- Azalea Park
- Garden with a Wall
- The Rose Garden
- Boat House & Bass Pond
There are other walking trails on the property in addition to the famous, seasonally changing Biltmore Blooms. It’s a beautiful, serene spot, but we couldn’t understand how other people stated we could spend hours there. Everything can be completed in an hour or less.
The most enjoyable aspect is the Conservatory. It has unusual warm-weather plants and flowers that seem both exotic and exquisite. Additionally, there is a vendor offering wine and beer, so you may unwind in the lovely setting while sipping on an adult beverage. Unquestionably, Culture Craving Couple is approved.
Is it worth the effort? The gardens of the Biltmore would be our choice for a standout feature. But even at the cheapest ticket of $60 per person or $120 per couple, we wouldn’t go since it would be too expensive to just walk around some flowers for an hour.
It could be helpful if you like flowers, but only in the spring or in the sweltering summer months in North Carolina when they are in bloom.
Deerpark
The location of Biltmore’s exhibition and wedding is Deerpark. This will only be seen if there is an exhibition and you purchase an admission ticket.
Important: Although most tickets allow you entry to the grounds for two days, if you choose this path, you have to visit Deerpark and Biltmore House on the same day.
Is it worth the effort? We rejected it because we’re not into art events and didn’t even purchase this ticket. If you’re a couple that wants to see as much art and history as you can, you may base your trip around an exhibition.
Village of Antler Hill
Most admission tickets include a drive of ten to twenty minutes to Antler Hill Village, which is located at the Biltmore House.
NOTE: The travel was not forty-five minutes as guest services had said. As we observed in the autumn, it may back up at busy times like Christmas or summer. However, there’s something that nobody informed us about and you should know!
The grounds of Antler Hill Village include a farmyard, a petting zoo, an Outdoor Adventure Centre, and tourist attractions including shops and a café that bind the estate’s past to the present. Free wine tastings are also available at a nearby winery; however, more about that later.
We spent about thirty minutes strolling through the village, feeling that not much was happening. Taylor loved animals, so she was glad to see the petting zoo, even if there was only one pig and a few non-pettable birds. Is it worth the effort? Not unless you want to squander cash on pricey things.
The Biltmore Estate Winery
Wine, oh wine! Free wine is also available! We couldn’t wait to enjoy the complimentary wine sampling that came with our ticket. All was not, however, as we had anticipated.
Reservations were necessary for tastings at the vineyard, but as of 2023, this is no longer the case. So you make your way up to the winery and get in the queue. After waiting for around thirty minutes, we went to the off-season. In peak seasons, it needs to be much longer.
The tasting area is dull, stuffy, and uninspiring. Taste is hurried. We anticipated remaining to savor the wine like we would at a tasting. You may taste five wines in twenty minutes. As soon as we finished the last sampling, the barman would come around to give us our next, and we felt like we were sucking everything back.
We may choose our own five wines to sample rather than being served a pre-arranged flight. I like white wines, while Caleb likes reds, so it was handy to have options.
Use These Tips If You’re Going To See It
These are the best travel advice we discovered while there, in case you’ve read all of that and are still itching to go:
- Get your lunch someplace because everything surrounding the estate is touristic. That is to say, the lunch was ordinary and quite expensive. You may leave the estate and return, so go out to dine somewhere. We recommend seeing the grounds and home first, then leaving and returning to the vineyards.
- Purchasing your tickets in advance saves you money.
- Eat a substantial breakfast – Because you don’t know when you’ll be leaving for lunch, eat a big brunch to avoid becoming hungry. We ate breakfast at Sunnypoint Cafe, and the carrot cake pancakes were the best we’d ever had. I consider myself a pancake specialist. It is a thing, believe me.
- Use the audio tour – As previously said, it will help you grasp the rooms beyond just starting with abandoned-looking furniture!
- Arrive at least 45 minutes before your home tour begins because it takes time to get to the estate, park, and walk about. You do not want to miss the tour for which you paid a lot of money!
- You’ll be walking a lot, so wear comfortable shoes!
Alternatives to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville
We had the good fortune to have a long weekend traveling from Raleigh to Asheville, North Carolina, which allowed us to spend more time doing a range of other enjoyable things in Asheville than visiting the Biltmore if you’re short on time.
Take a food tour.
We started our three-day visit in Asheville with a cuisine tour arranged by Eating Asheville, after our weekend in Charlotte. We’ve taken a lot of food tours, but this was the greatest one in the entire country by far.
We felt really satisfied after enjoying such a wide variety of dishes from different cuisines. We would choose this trip over the Biltmore to save money and yet have what we believe to be a better experience, even if the pricing was about the same.
A brewery tour with a guide
If you are acquainted with our manner of traveling, you are aware of our passion for the greatest meals, drinks, and adventures; for this reason, we consistently suggest food and beverage excursions. Try a beer tour to make sure you see the greatest breweries and taste the best beer if a gourmet holiday isn’t your thing.
Fun fact: When it comes to becoming the finest beer city, Asheville and Portland are sometimes at odds. There are numerous breweries in Asheville, most notably in the well-liked River Arts District.
A walk to the Pisgah Forest Waterfalls with a guide
When we ventured into the forest by ourselves to view the waterfalls, things did not go as planned. For instance, we traveled for three hours without stopping to eat or drink since we were hungry and felt the hike would only take twenty to thirty minutes.
A guided stroll in the morning, followed by an extravagant dinner and cocktail party that evening, is a much better option than a day at the Biltmore if you and your partner like the great outdoors as much as we do.
Dine at Rosabees.
You would be silly not to have lunch at RosaBees in The River Arts District—it’s not a tour. It was one of the greatest lunches we had ever had—a blend of Asian and Hawaiian cuisine! Ensure that you order the “belly bowl.” The crispy pork belly and mahi mahi will transform your life, without sounding too dramatic.
Conclusion
Should you visit the Biltmore Estate throughout the day in Asheville? “No,” we answer. Even if you can afford it, we advise against it in favor of engaging in more engaging and memorable activities that will strengthen your marriage rather than idling about a home throughout your day in Asheville.
If you appreciate flowers, art, or history, have a few days in Asheville and some cash to spend, or just want to claim you’ve been there, you could go. But the Biltmore is not a place you should go if you’re here to figure out where to spend and save money so you can enjoy your vacation to the fullest!
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