EXPLORING BILTMORE HOUSE: LARGEST HOME ESTATE AND FAMOUS FILMING LOCATION
Last Autumn 2021, my first autumn experience, we decided to explore the beauty of North Carolina. Upon research, we learned that driving along the Blue Ridge Mountains is best done during autumn because you will be able to appreciate it with the colored trees. Anyway, since we are already exploring and made a lot of stops along the way, one of the most memorable experiences from those stops is when we visited the Biltmore House. (I will post a separate post for what places we visited during this trip - I had a lot to share about Biltmore House that I decided to post a separate one for this place.)
Biltmore House is located in Asheville, North Carolina and known to be America's largest home about 175,000 square feet, 250 French Renaissance rooms, 40+ bathrooms, and more! Although as big as it sounds, you will not be able to really explore the interior grounds of the castle - there are just certain parts that are included in the tour. The whole property is huge though that you will need car just to get to one part to the other.
Biltmore House was started for construction in 1889 by George Vanderbilt and lived in the estate later on with his wife Edith Stuyvesant and daughter, Cornelia. There is a lot of history included in the tour at this house and things preserved that you will be able to learn. Like how the family helped in preserving arts during World War II as they hid priceless works of arts inside their home. The house itself has a lot of preserved furnitures, paintings, even books, clothes, kitchen tools and so much more that I begin to imagine how it feels like to live during the 1800-1900s.
How to start exploring Biltmore Estate?
First thing to do when you enter the premises is to buy your ticket. Tickets vary on what you wanted to do inside the Biltmore estate. You can get cheaper price when you buy tickets online and ahead of time.
When you purchase your ticket and opted to include the tour inside the house, choose your schedule of tour and plan your activities well. You can explore the premises while waiting for your scheduled tour inside the house which takes about 1 hour. While waiting for your schedule, you can visit the Gardens and Grounds, Antler Hill Village, and Biltmore Winery. Tickets range from $86 to $300+ per head depending on the package that you will choose.
During our visit, we just chose the audio-guided house tour and access to the other premises without activities added. There are activities that you can do like horse-back riding, wine tasting, ride a bike around and so much more but we only have like a day so we focused on the house.
Do you plan to stay overnight?
For us, we were able to do a lot in just one day because the house tour is just one hour. But if you plan to stay longer, Biltmore House also have Village Hotel, The Inns, and Cottages in the premises that you can book.
What to explore?
Make sure to get a copy of the map when you buy your tickets. It is free, just grab one from the counter. You will need it if you do not want to miss anything.
While waiting for our tour, we first visited the Antler Hill Village. There are many shops and dining options in the Antler Hill Village. If you love taking photos, there are a lot of Instagrammable places here! Just in case you collect refrigerator magnets (like me!) of the places you go, do not forget to buy one in this village.
Although there are small gift shops inside the Biltmore House but choices in Antler Hill village is broader. The Winery is also located beside the Antler Hill Village.
Last, there is a small museum in the Antler Hill Village that you can enter to see some of the treasures of the family that they show case and the story behind it. Like how were they supposed to be in Titanic but thankfully did not. In this museum, you will see old wheelchair, porcelain plates, vintage clothes, and authentic samurai suit. I managed to see an old luggage of Louis Vuitton as well!
Of course, also sharing with you the best spots to get photos taken, just explore it around the Antler Hill Village. :)
Next place to explore is the Garden and Grounds! More instagrammable spots here! Specially if you will explore the garden.
Were you able to watch Richie Rich movie? The mansion in the story was actually filmed in Biltmore House. The baseball game happened in front of Biltmore House and you will be able to see the house and the fountain on that scene. Besides Richie Rich, The Swan movie also used a part of Biltmore Estate, as well as movies The Last of the Mohicans, Hannibal, and Forrest Gump.
On one side of the house, there is a cafe or snacks store if you are hungry but the queue is quite long. If you love sweets, they have their own baked goods. I actually wanted to try the chocolates or truffles but I am on a tight budget that time so I reluctantly turned away! Haha! (Power of self-control! Lol!)
Last but not the least, visiting Biltmore Estate without the tour will not be complete. With the audio-guided tour, every room will be explained of its importance in the history. Honestly, it feels creepy exploring inside the Biltmore House and I do not think I will be able to explore it alone nor do it at night. LOL. The narrow halls, dark lighting, and cold feeling does not sit well with me. LOL.
Inside the house, you will be greeted with a nice indoor garden that is the center of the house.
There is a direction to follow in coordination with the audio-guide on how you will explore the house. You have to be quick in taking photos! Observe the intricate details on ceilings, walls, furnitures and you will be able to feel the vibe of natural arts in it.
One of the weirdest feeling for me is when I saw the rooms of George and Edith Vanderbilt...I feel like I do not want to stay long inside it like I am invading. Don't get me wrong, others do not feel creeped out. I am just a scaredy-cat. Most of the times! LOL.
Taking this photo on their patio makes me think that the view is fake but it is real!
Another Richie Rich scene is this staircase, where Richie's dad is standing in one of the scenes. The stairs is a very nice Instagram spot but it is hard to take photo alone because there are many people passing by.
These are just some of the best photos that I was able to capture. The rest, I will leave to your imagination and let you see it on your own when you visit Biltmore!
What to take note?
As far as I remember, food and drinks are not allowed. They also have a bag size limit inside the house tour so make sure not to bring a backpack or a big bag. Professional cameras are also not allowed, just use your cellular phone. Wear comfortable clothing specially for shoes as exploring the huge estate will make your feet and legs sore! Believe me, I am suffering from my boots! LOL.
Most of the tour includes a lot of stairs, they have service elevator but it is small and it cannot access all of the house parts.
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My post is done and that is my share of thoughts for this place! I am not thinking of coming back as of now, just one experience in it is enough for me. :) Thank you so much for visiting my blog and reading this post, I hope you find it informative and interesting! :)
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