Ideally, you need two days to enjoy the estate at a nice pace and enjoy some outdoor activities. Ask for a next day upgrade to expand your visit to two full days for $10 more. In addition to the main reception and ticket center, the one day admission ticket can be upgraded to a two-day pass or a season pass at the following estate locations: the front desk in Biltmore House, in the stable complex hallway adjacent to the house, and at the winery. If you live within a half day drive to Biltmore, the season pass is actually cheaper than two full price one day admission tickets.
Alternatively, you can get free admission for the following day, if you arrive at the Reception and Ticket Center after 3pm. Tickets must be validated at a ticket center for the next day. Though it may be hard to resist, the house tour is best done on day two with arrivals after 3pm. The house begins closing procedures at 5:30pm and you are still miles away from the front door. The winery however, remains open until 7pm and 8pm on the weekends. Late afternoon hours are perfect for exterior photos of the house, a short evening walk through the gardens, and a visit to the winery. Open until 9pm, consider having a nice dinner at The Bistro adjacent to the winery.
Approach Road
Evidence of Frederick Law Olmstead’s natural landscaping begins as you enter the Lodge Gate off US 25 in Biltmore Village. Successfully exaggerating a sense of distance and mystery, this is the original carriage route to the house from Biltmore Village offers an ever changing display of spring flowers and fall color. Both deer and wild turkeys are commonly seen along the particularly beautiful section beyond the ticket center. Though not obvious, the Approach Road is an entirely planned environment. Much of the estate was severely overgrazed farm land when George Vanderbilt bought the property. Go slow and enjoy.
Reception and Ticket Center
At the relatively new reception and ticket center, enjoy a quick introductory welcome film from the current CEO and eldest son of the owner, William A.V. Cecil Jr. and the enormous diorama in the lobby. Both give perspective to the size and scope of the entire estate. The diorama reflects the current 8,000 acres of what was once a 125,000 acre estate. Asheville seems miles away, but you are actually surrounded by the city.
Though generally very steep, the ticket prices are now variable costing much more during the peak times than in the off season. Remember, it is a full day of sightseeing. Timed entry to the house is required during the busiest periods, insuring that guest will never be terribly overcrowded within the house itself even on the busiest days. Never underestimate the crowds on weekends from mid November to December.
The Self Guided Main House Tour Offers The Best of Biltmore House
Do not leave your tickets in the car when you park. Even though tickets must be shown at the guard gate outside the RTC, you are expected to show them again to the host as you enter the house. If you want that perfect picture of the Biltmore House, with the mountains looming up behind her, ascend the ramp and climb up to the gazebo and the statue of Diana the Huntress on the hill.
The major rooms of importance and many others are included on the Self -Guided Main House Tour. The free pamphlet guide given to you as you enter the house provides a respectable overview. Tour length entirely depends on your level of interest and pace, but plan to spend no less than two hours. The main house tour is quite a workout. It involves many flights of stairs in many different areas of the house, and covers five floors. With the much welcomed expansion of the main tour to include servants rooms and some guest areas on the fourth floor, many rooms which were formerly included on the “Behind the Scenes Tour” are now on the main tour. Upon completing this tour, almost no one argues Biltmore’s title of “The Largest Private Home in America”.
Allow the Guest Relations Staff to be your Host
The extremely knowledgeable guest relations host are stationed strategically throughout the house and rotate through the house all day. There will be no canned speeches in every room. The guest relations staff simply stand post, direct traffic, and entertain and enjoy questions of all kinds. In their own understated way, the host will always know more than the audio tour, or even the frequent guest who may be hosting your visit. You will only get the benifit of their knowledge if you ask questions.
The guest relations staff are very cordial and good at what they do, but the house does have a few rules. Never cross or jump the ropes without assistance or let your children do it, and resist using that camera or cell phone to take interior pictures. These two rules are enforced with consistency. Also, turn your cell phone off as you enter the house. Every item in the house has to be accounted for at the beginning and the end of each day by the guest relations staff. Remember that this is also one of the world’s largest museums.
Important Note to Physically Challenged Guest
Physically challenged visitors can tour only the two main floors of the house utilizing an original Otis elevator from 1895. A host will help you bypass to the remaining bedrooms on the second floor as you exit Mrs. Vanderbilt’s bedroom. The elevator does go to all five floors, but it is reserved for emergency purposes only on the other floors. This is unfortunately very necessary for two reasons: the main section of the house is a half floor lower than the north and south wings on the upper floors, and it is also impossible to maintain traffic flow patterns of the tour on other floors utilizing the elevator. If it is any consolation, by far the grandest rooms in the house are on the two main floors, and it is still more than you would have seen on earlier tours. You can get a discounted ticket for this partial tour, but you must ask.
Guided Specialty Tours and Audio Tours
Though they involve an additional fee, the guided specialty tours are definitely worthwhile and are the highlight for many returning visitors. Also, consider renting the headsets for the Guided Audio Tour which covers the main tour route. Either is are easily purchased at the reception counter inside the house. Neither the specialty tours or the guided audio tour are really essential. It is helpful but not essential to complete the upper floors of the self guided main house tour prior to taking either the Behind the Scenes Tour or the Rooftop Tour since this provides a general orientation to the lay of the house before getting into more remote parts of the house. Even if you have taken one of these tours in the past, you will find that have been reconfigured in 2005.
The Guided Audio Tour adds much more detail to the tour in a seamless manner that you can adjust to your own pace. Even if you rent the head sets, pause them occasionally and ask a host a question or two. This tactic offers the best of both worlds. If you do take the Guided Audio Tour, avoid booking the optional Guided House Tour which may be offered a couple times a day. This host guided tour covers the main tour route and the information will be largely redundant.
The Behind the Scenes Tour covers mostly the north wing of the house including , the sub-basement - demonstrating impressive 1895 technology on a massive scale, the two-storied Butler’s Pantry - essentially the nerve center of the house, and the organ loft - providing a spectacular overlook of Banquet Hall, Mrs. Vanderbilt’s dressing room and sewing room, and the Bachelors Wing - elusive and off limits to guest until 2005. Weather permitting, there are two opportunities for photography on this tour: one is on the second floor exterior balcony next to the banquet Hall, and the other is on the balcony surrounding the Winter Garden.
The Rooftop Tour focuses more on the unrestored areas in the Library Wing of the house including a very fine suite of guest rooms including the lovely balconied Louis XV room where Cornelia Vanderbilt, George HV Cecil, and William AV Cecil were all thought to be born. See the secret stairway that descends into the library behind the fireplace. The later part of the tour ascends the balconies and turrets on the exterior of the house where photography is allowed. You will even get a chance for a peek into to the attic and peer off the big dome above the grand staircase. This is the best tour for photographing both gargoyles and grounds.
The Legacy of the Land Tour leaves from near the front door of the house where you board a small motor coach and tour some off the beaten path areas of the estate that you won’t see on a normal tour of Biltmore. This tour includes a stop at the reservoir up on Busbee Mountain and several other areas exploring heritage sites of earlier inhabitants of Biltmore. Best of all, this tour celebrates the often overshadowed work of Frederick Law Olmstead - one of the best landscape architects the world has ever known. This tour is longer and than the other three tours within the house.
The Carriage House Stable Complex
This gorgeous complex of buildings is just to the left as you exit the house through the port cochere. They are very much a part of the original estate and worth seeing, even if you do not plan to shop or eat here. The large wing on the left is the original Carriage House. George Vanderbilt despised automobiles, but spare no expense on his horses. The Carriage House now houses the largest gift shop on the estate. One of few really good buys on the estate is the trade paperback quality Biltmore Guide which includes gorgeous interior photos. This shop also has a wine tasting counter. The large wing on the right was the Stable. Out of sheer logistics of a day at Biltmore The Stable Café is the most popular restaurant on the estate. Tasty and plentiful meals are served at booths that are former horse stalls. Connecting the two wings are several smaller rooms that were former tack rooms and farm offices. Now these rooms house a Christmas shop, toy shop, candy store, and a book store. On the courtyard the pastry shop sells excellent coffee and the ice cream shop will sell a picnic lunch to go. Notice the ruts in the large round brick courtyard. The family would typically approached the house by carriage on a private road that passed through the stable hallway to the port cochere. These ruts were likely made by George Vanderbilt’s carriages.
The Biltmore Gardens
You could spend a half hour or a half day touring Olmstead’s masterpiece which is the gardens at Biltmore. They flow in a tiered fashion down the slopes of the hillside from the house. Start with enormous South Terrace for expansive western views and the perfect picture of Mt. Pisgah framed in the Chinese tea house and descend into the uppermost section, the Italian Water Gardens, followed by the shrub garden, the formal walled garden, the rose garden, an enormous conservatory and greenhouse complex, the azalea garden, the spring garden, and finally the bass pond. If you time a spring visit just right, the lower gardens are the absolute show stopper. This is one of the largest collections of azaleas and a rhododendrons in the world thanks to former gardener and estate superintendent, Chauncey Beddle.
If your short on time or energy focus on the upper sections. The walled garden is planted with annuals that are changed out frequently. Many are simply too exhausted to do the whole garden walk after the house tour. You don’t really have to in order to get a feel for it. The estate has recently added a garden shuttle that leaves from the wall to the left of the house as you face it and goes to the conservatory. This is especially useful if you don't have the energy to climb the hill back to the house. You will be driving through the lower sections as you exit the house area and head toward the winery.
The Deerpark
The Deerpark Restaurant is the original restaurant on the estate. This very large Richard Howland Hunt designed building was originally designed as the calving barns for the dairy. Today it is a gorgeous restaurant centered around a central courtyard. This restaurant is often the sentimental favorite among locals and passholders. The quality of the gourmet style all you can eat buffet is worth driving two miles out of the way. It is a beautiful part of the estate that otherwise unseen by guest. There is a very useful shortcut back to the front gate from here if you want to skip the winery, the inn, and historic farm complex. Simply turn left as you exit the restaurant and turn left at the next stop sign. Turn left at the guard house near the RTC and you on the way out of the estate.
The Biltmore Winery
The Cecils did a spectacular job of transforming the old dairy complex into a modern winery. Many find it hard to believe that this was not built as a winery. The interconnected old world styled buildings were of Richard Howland Hunt very early in the estates history. Pay particular attention to the tasting room. This was once the milking room for the dairy. Despite the popular local sentiment of some that Biltmore Wines are commercial pablum, they have certainly racked up the awards over the years. You can often find the cheaper mainstream wines off the estate for a much more economical price, but most of the best wines are only available on the estate. This is wine in a French tradition and many are quite dry. A premium tasting is worthwhile. For a nominal expense, the best wines are beyond the tasting room at the premium tasting counter. Though Cabernet Franc may unfashionable outside of blends, Biltmore has one of the best with its Château Reserve. As you might guess there is an enormous wine store and a gift shop with a culinary focus just outside the tasting room. Many nationally known chefs will do cooking shows here periodically.
The Outdoor Center
Even in George Vanderbilt’s time, guest to Biltmore would have spent at least part of each day spent on the estate pursuing a wide variety of outdoor activities. With the opening of the Inn at Biltmore Estate, Biltmore also opened The Outdoor Center in the old farm cottage behind the winery. Now it possible to enjoy horseback riding, biking trails, carriage rides, guided hikes, float trips down the French Broad, a fly fishing school , and even a Land Rover Experience driving school. All of these activities are offered at additional cost to estate entrance. These activities are an excellent way to take advantage of a second day or season pass and explore parts of this beautiful estate that are generally missed by one day visitors.
Historic Farm Village
The Historic Farm Village was the center of life for estate workers in the earlier history of the estate. Now it is fully accessible to Biltmore visitors and offers a much welcomed additional family attraction at no additional cost. Blacksmiths woodworkers and other craftsmen demonstrate their skills. There is an old general store where you can still buy stick candy and American Made crafts. Children love the corn bale maze and petting zoo where they can get an up close look at the farm animals. There is a huge display of old farm equipment. There is even a creamery where you can sample frozen treats much like the ones that were made at Biltmore for so many years. On Wednesday and Thursday there is old time and bluegrass music shows in the historic Horse Barn. At an additional cost the family can even enjoy an old fashioned hay ride.
