A Day at the Biltmore

We just got back from our 2+ week road trip and visiting the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC was definitely a highlight!

I didn’t realize before going how huge the estate was. It’s over 8,000 acres, the house is the largest house in America, and the location is just beautiful in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There is soo much to explore inside and outside. I always love gathering inspiration for design projects and the house tour did not disappoint! The gardens and views are stunning and were overall my favorite part to see. I can’t wait to go back, someday!

I had all 4 kids in tow on our visit – including my 10 month old which made it a little challenging (mostly for the house tour) but it was still worth going. My 2 older girls, who are 5 and 7, loved the audio tour from the family dog, Cedric. It was so fun to see them giggling throughout the tour 🙂

I’ll share our itinerary for the day, which was recommended by a friend that was a member of the Biltmore. This plan worked really well for us so we got to see a lot in just one day.

Here’s a recap and some favorite photos ~

Inside in the Biltmore House ~ The winter garden room

A Day at the Biltmore Estate ~ Itinerary

10:30am– Picked up tickets & a map at the welcome center, parked and took the trolley to the house tour. Tip: buy your tickets online in advance and schedule your tour. The estate is huge and we had heard to plan for at least 45 minutes just to get to the house. With the kids, stroller, etc. we gave ourselves a little more time which was perfect so we didn’t rush. We got to explore the outside of the house a bit and take a few photos 🙂 I would go even earlier next time to eat at the cafe and walk around more.

1:00pm – Tour of the Biltmore House – The main level and the basement were my favorite to see! The upstairs balcony was stunning as well. We sped through the house tour quickly since the little kids were getting fussy and it was self guided. The upstairs did get very crowded so if I were to go back (with kids again) then I would probably have skipped this part. If you do go, do not skip the basement! There was a pool, bowling alley and more which was also fun for the kids to see.

2:30pm (ish)- After the tour, we walked through the gardens and tried to go the conservatory which had a model train display. There were a lot of stairs so if you are going with a stroller, keep this in mind!

3:30pm – Got our car and drove to the Antler Hill Village area where there are restaurants, a winery, an ice cream place, a petting zoo and a playground for the kids. We ate an early dinner at the Village Social, shopped a bit and had ice cream at the Creamery. I bought a couple bottles of wine, and the Bilmore Hot Sauce for Eric (which he loved). Next time, I will stock up on the wine and try to squeeze in a tasting too.

6:30pm (ish) – We drove through the estate a bit before heading out. I do feel like there was so much more to explore but I loved what we got to see. I will for sure go back next time I am in the area!

As soon as I get a chance, I will share our road trip route too. It was Chicago to South Carolina with a lot of fun stops (including Lexington & Winston Salem which were 2 favorites!). There is also a video reel on our day at the Biltmore Estate if you head over to my instagram and want to see more~!