Feb. 27th, 28th and March 2nd

Kelley and Casey recommended that I tour the Biltmore Estate, so I got a two day pass and on Tuesday I explored the grounds – walked all around the outside of the “castle”, explored the gardens (not much blooming outside, but inside the Conservatory there were lots of tropical plants blooming), then drove to the other end of the HUGE property to the winery, had lunch, then drove around some more. Incredible landscaping, lots of trails. Kelley and Casey buy annual passes because it’s a great place to walk and run.

On Wednesday, Kelley and Vicki joined me and we took the home tour: 3 flights of stairs, many rooms, lots of artwork, even an indoor swimming pool! We each had an audio player, lots of interesting details. It was pouring rain when we finished our tour, so we took the shuttle bus back to where our car was parked and drove to the end of the property near the winery and had lunch at the Tavern.

A few days later Casey joined us and we went back to see the sunset. The location of the mansion was picked because it has a 360 degree view. They allow anyone with a pass (two-day or annual) to come into the grounds after 6pm to watch the sunset! We were hoping to see the woodcock males do their mating dance, but by the time we got to the lagoon, they were no longer out. They perform only at dawn and dusk!

The original building was begun in the 1890’s by George Vanderbilt. Now there are lots of areas in Asheville around the main property named Biltmore. It has had a huge influence on Asheville.

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