The Carolina’s both North and South don’t get enough credit I feel, they are both lovely states with beautiful scenery encompassing hills and beaches.
A quick Memorial Day weekend trip to Asheville, North Carolina turned out to be a lovely short respite from the monotony of the daily routine. While Biltmore Estate was the main reason for our visit, in addition we were blessed with fantastic weather end of May, enjoyable hikes that led to lush, beautiful waterfalls as a wonderful bonus.
We flew from Houston IAH to Charlotte, NC and then drove 2 hours in a rental car to Asheville. In Asheville we booked a very charming historic cottage in West Asheville within easy driving distance of Biltmore and downtown Asheville. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in this cottage originally built in the 1870s and on the National Register of Historic Places. The home was spacious and bright with beautiful antique furniture that looked like it had been there forever while at the same time offering all modern conveniences.
The day we reached, in the evening we strolled through downtown Asheville and saw the Basilica of Saint Lawrence from the outside, as it was outside of visiting hours. Dinner at Plant, a vegan restaurant was outstanding and by far the best vegetarian place I have had a chance to visit. Make reservations ahead of time at most eating places in Asheville, and some are closed on Sundays.
We almost did not get to see Biltmore. We booked the flight tickets ahead of time but waited till close to the weekend to book Biltmore tickets realizing to our dismay that the tickets were sold out. Fortunately, much to our relief, my husband found that higher priced tickets with the Monet & Friends Immersive exhibit was available. Should you want to go, please do book Biltmore tickets as early as possible especially if it is a weekend or holiday time. In fact, a 2-day ticket is probably a better option since we did feel rushed trying to cover whatever we could in a day.
Biltmore Estate is much more than the mansion itself. The estate includes the expansive gardens, Antler Hill Village with a winery, shops and restaurants, Amherst at Deerpark, Biltmore’s event center as well as an onsite Inn and hotel should you want to stay on the property. The Antler Hill Village is also home to a Farmyard, Playground, Botanical model train, exhibits such as the Biltmore Legacy and exhibitions currently “The Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad”. A car is necessary is to move from one area to the other.
Our tickets included a house admission time for 12.15 pm, so we reached the estate shortly after opening time at 9 am so that we could tour the gardens earlier. You do have to pass through security checks and only small bags and clear water bottles are allowed inside the property. Weather was perfect, cool high 60s and it was a delightful experience wandering around the grounds of Biltmore.
The gardens are beautiful and are among the very last works of Frederick Law Olmsted, one of America’s leading landscape architects of all time. The Biltmore gardens and surrounding forests are a living legacy of Olmstead’s landscape design. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Frederick Law Olmsted’s birth. We enjoyed strolling through the Walled Garden, Spring Azalea Garden, the Rose Garden, which was in full bloom when we visited, the Conservatory with gorgeous orchids and exotic plants. We did not have time to find our way to the Bass Pond waterfall.
Biltmore Estate is the beautiful result of a fantastic collaborative effort between George Vanderbilt, architect Richard Morris Hunt, and Frederick Law Olmsted. Biltmore was among Richard Hunt’s last masterpiece works as well.
Biltmore house is beautiful with historic furnishings and original artwork. The tour includes a self-guided audio tour and takes you through 3 floors. We took little more than 2 hours to complete the tour. It was crowded and at times stairs and entryways are narrow, so you must be patient in moving along with the crowds. Biltmore House is as beautiful as any historic European mansion with much of the furnishings and artwork imported from across the world.
We could not get a reservation to dine at the lovely Stable Café next to the house, neither did we have the time. Instead, we grabbed some sandwiches and salad in the courtyard next to the house. In the afternoon we first viewed the Monet & Friends immersive exhibit which was enjoyable. We then drove to the Antler Hill Village where we enjoyed ice-cream at the creamery. We also walked around the landscaped miniature train area and took in the Vanderbilts abroad exhibit. The day at Biltmore Estate passed by pleasantly and quickly. It was well worth the hassle of travel.
Apart from Biltmore, we spent another day enjoying nature in the area with a visit to Pisgah National Forest. Looking Glass Waterfalls which was our first stop is easily accessible right off the road, although parking can be challenging during weekends. A series of stairs brings you closer to the falls and we enjoyed some time there. We stopped at the Welcome center and then decided to break for lunch at Pisgah Fish Camp, a humble looking restaurant nearby with good food.
Pisgah National Forest includes 86,700 acres that had been part of the Biltmore Estate, but were sold to the federal government in 1914 by Edith Vanderbilt. American forestry has its roots here and the Biltmore Forest School was the site of the first school of forestry in the United States. The school was opened at the direction of George Vanderbilt, builder of the Biltmore Estate.
We then drove to the Triple Falls area in the DuPont State Forest where we did some hiking. This area includes 3 waterfalls and includes significant walking on trails through the forest. We got lucky with parking as a family was just leaving as we reached in the afternoon but if not, we would have had to park a mile or more away on the street as we saw some visitors having to do. These falls have been used as location in some movies like the Hunger Games apparently. Towards the middle there is a set of falls where a flight of stairs takes you to the base of the falls for a closer look. Weather was perfect and we enjoyed our day taking in North Carolina’s natural beauty and its forests.
The final day before leaving we had time for a quick visit to the North Carolina Arboretum with a quilt and bonsai gardens among other areas and enjoyed lunch at the Laughing Seed Café, before heading back to the airport.
Our mini vacation to the Asheville area turned out to be quite memorable.
Restaurants
For a small city, Asheville had some great restaurants including excellent vegan options. A few that we tried are listed below: –
Plant: Best vegetarian fusion restaurant I have ever visited, loved the twist on the Uttapam, Ravioli, Tempeh, and the delicious Crème Brulee
Laughing Seed Café: Gluten Free Bread and vegetarian seed burger was good
Nine Mile Caribbean in West Asheville
Early Girl Eatery in West Asheville for breakfast
Courtyard Market at Biltmore: Recommend the Spinach and Berry Salad, Grilled Chicken and BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches available
Outside of Asheville
Pisgah Fish Camp: Near the Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah National Forest
Flower Child: Near the airport in Charlotte with tasty healthy eating options