Biltmore Estate
add photosBe inspired by the relaxed elegance of George and Edith Vanderbilt's 250-room family home and country retreat in Asheville, NC. Discover original art from masters such as Renoir, magnificent 16th-century tapestries, Napoleon's chess set, a library with 10,000 volumes, a Banquet Hall with a 70-foot ceiling, 65 fireplaces, an indoor pool, bowling alley, and priceless antiques.
$5 discount available by purchasing tickets online.
27 Reviews for Biltmore Estate
27
00 families found this helpful
"Great for the parents"
The Biltmore Estate is amazing to check out and feels unreal even while you're walking through it. We went around Christmas time and had the added treat of having the house decorated for the holidays. One word of warning, the gardens and ornate rooms may be more exciting for parents than children, so you may need to take a break and go get ice cream in the food area.
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1 family found this helpful
"So big it will blow your mind..."
this giganormous structure was, yes, actually a family's home and now serves as a museum to the opulence of the golden era of the south. Boasting endless amounts of rooms, still in the original condition, and an on site restaurant, the Biltmore estate really should be on everyone's bucket list. I would recommend bringing your children here, but probably warn against toddlers that can run away (fast:) as many of the rooms are roped off and contain precious antiques. Apart from that, it is a great educational trip for the older children, and gives them a peak into this country's rich heritage.
0 families found this helpful
"Huge Mansion!"
The Biltmore Estate in Asheville is an absolutely huge and beautiful house! This trip may not be appreciated by younger children because there's not much to actually do. There are tours to take throughout the many rooms and floors of the estate. There are also gorgeous gardens surrounding the building.
0 families found this helpful
"Great for adults, not kids"
If this site was for adult destinations, Biltmore would get 5 stars. However, the trip is long, and to most kids, boring. The best part of the trip for the kids was the farmyard. There was a great amount of farm animals for the kids to see and chickens to play with. It might be good to pack additional activities for the kids on this trip.
0 families found this helpful
"Beautiful Biltmore"
Talk about a great trip! I visited the Biltmore Estate with three of my female relatives and we had the most wonderful time! As seen in the film Richie Rich, the Biltmore is so enchanting! You can also have a wine tasting and purchase their collection on site! The flower gardens are gorgeous and the views are remarkable! Would make an awesome idea for a ladies' weekend retreat!
0 families found this helpful
"Great for adults!!"
This is a wonderful place for adults (and older kids that are "into" history/gardens, etc.). The house is amazing - just with all the antiques, not a place for small children. It's especially beautiful decorated for Christmas. And the gardens are gorgeous in the spring with the tulips blooming!
0 families found this helpful
"One time must watch!"
I feel its definitely one time watch! Its totally worth it. The palace is huge, huge meaning reallyyyyyyyyyy huge! And it was very convinient, when we got in there we got headphone tour ride, which at every point inside palace would explain the history of that particular room of that palace. Also i feel people should definitely take a headphone tour, atleast people who would love to know how things worked years ago, it was very very interesting also after knowing things with the help of headphones we could relate to the place better! We had been during christmas, so the whole palace was lite with beautiful christmas trees i guess almost around 40 around the palace with amazing ornaments! There were carols performed with old traditional dances. It was amazing. Also there is so much more around, the wineyard where anyone can taste and enjoy wines! The village nearby with some really great restaurants! Also there are some train rides, lots of other things which we dint really get time to do as we had gone one 1 day trip. But its nearby and lots of things for entertainment so we even bought 1 year passes to this place, will be going back soon. :)
'11
0 families found this helpful
"Two times not to miss Biltmore: Christmas and Spring"
If you have the flexibility, there are two times of the year to visit Biltmore - spring during the festival of flowers and winter during the Biltmore Christmas (Candlelight Christmas). In some cases, you will pay more for admission to certain gardens or at a certain time of day, but Biltmore's staff is second-to-none in preparing an unforgettable experience for your family. It is extremely expensive to visit Biltmore, so arrive early and spend every last minute there if you can!
0 families found this helpful
"Beautiful Mansion"
Great tour; a little pricey. Small kids might get bored though. We got followed by security b/c my 4 yr old kept wandering off. Good ice cream in the common yard and YUMMY wine tasting that is kid friendly too. Long drive from Washington, DC ... about 8 hours.
0 families found this helpful
"Great place for older kids"
This is a great historical stop and really should be visited but maybe not with younger kids. If you take younger ones, be prepared to take lots of breaks and be there all day because there is a lot of ground to cover and can be overwhelming. Lots to see and great food on the grounds!
1 family found this helpful
"Great for adults, not for young kids"
Biltmore Estates is a beautiful place! There are many great activities for adults and teenagers. Middle schoolers might like it for the history (headphones narrating the mansion are great). I took my young babies along on this but it was hard to keep them satisfied as this is an all-day activity. I would not recommend this as something that is fun for younger children.
0 families found this helpful
"Long day"
This is definitely a all day adventure. Would not recommend for small children. If you and your kids love hitorcal trips you will love the house tour. The house tour is long and not that exciting for small children but school age kids will enjoy it. Their is gorgeous scenery and lots of activities besides the house tour. They offer bike riding, horseback riding, canoeing and much more. Most everything is a little pricy but worth the visit. It is hard to fit everything in one day so get there early.
0 families found this helpful
"Wow"
I recently went to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC for the first time. We went during the Christmas season and all the rooms and exterior were decorated with trees and lights. It was absolutely stunning. The Estate is really too much to totally absorb in one visit. It is massive. You are assigned a time to tour the house and you just wander through at your own pace. There is soooo much to see and a lot of walking and stairs. It is an educational experience for children for sure. What a way for them to see how life was at the turn of the century. Small children may have a difficult time paying attention the entire tour though and a LOT of walking. It took us about an hour just to walk through the house. There are many other sites to visit on the grounds as well including gardens, stables, and a winery. I highly recommend the Biltmore estate for older children who can handle walking a lot.
0 families found this helpful
"Uniquely American history...."
Fans of American history and nostalgia will love the Biltmore. It's like a Victorian picture post card come to life. The meticulous gardens and the grand mansion are breathtaking.
Perfect for older kids who are drawn towards history and storytelling. The setting in Asheville is ideal and one of the best parts of the country to visit.
I haven't been to the Biltmore in a few years, but I see it in my dreams, that should tell you the type of impact it can make on a person.
Memorable and miraculous! Highly recommend but not for young kids as it takes time to see it all.
1 family found this helpful
"Biltmore Estate"
LOOVEEE the Biltmore!! We've been there twice, once during the summer, and once during the Thanksgiving holidays. Both times were equally amazing. The grounds are beeee-yoo-ti-ful during summer, but the lights around Christmas time can't be beat. Be prepared to walk, but there's something amazing in every nook and cranny of the house! The rooftop tour was awesome, but it's very stairs-y, not recommended for small kiddos.
0 families found this helpful
"nice!"
Biltmore is a great place for a vacation. I took my son there and we both really had a nice time. They have so many activities for kids over at their farm area. The gardens were a great place to let him run and explore. He was just over a year old at the time so it was a little difficult taking him in the house. He did go with me but I didn't get to pay as much attention as I would have liked but there are plenty of things to do there. We got a breakfast picnic basket from the little cafe there that was delicious. Lunch at the winery was also very good. And overall great place.
1 family found this helpful
"Out of this world!"
A trip to North Carolina’s mountains, or anywhere nearby, wouldn’t be complete without seeing the Biltmore Estate, the 255-room French Renaissance mansion that, although no longer occupied by the Vanderbilt family, is the largest private residence in the country.
You’ll be dazzled as you approach this 8,000-acre estate, located on U.S. Highway 25 just off I-40, that was built by George Vanderbilt in 1895.
Vanderbilt, the grandson of a railroad tycoon, originally bought more than 125,000 acres of land in this area, including what is now Pisgah National Forest. He is best known for having led an effort to manage forestry, instead of simply cutting down trees anytime the logging companies needed them.
The home includes more than 50,000 works of art, furnishings, and antiques, which Vanderbilt spent years collecting in Europe and the Orient. Among the works you’ll see at the home are pieces by Renoir and Whistler, in addition to a chess table once owned by Napoleon Bonaparte.
The home was constructed over a five-year period and took a total of one million hours of labor, much of it from European designers whom Vanderbilt brought here. In addition to the twenty-two rooms in which the Vanderbilt family lived, the home also includes an indoor swimming pool and bowling alley.
The home is especially beautiful during the evening candlelight tours during the Christmas holidays. Your trip to the estate won’t be complete without a visit to the winery, where sparkling, red, white, and rosé wines are produced. Finally, take a stroll around the lovely forty-acre gardens and pools.
1 family found this helpful
"Can be great if..."
The Biltmore Estate is a really amazing place. For kids, it can be a little overwhelming (since there is so much to see), yet underwhelming at the same time (read: boring!). We visited with our 6 year old girl and 3 year old boy (and I was about 6 months pregnant). We started with a self-guided tour of the house. With kids that small, we weren't even going to attempt the headsets! We asked for a scavenger hunt, but none were available at the time. We walked room to room. The kids enjoyed counting all the steps we went up and down. The guards and docents are eager to answer questions (like the # of fireplaces, bathrooms, etc.) After the tour, we drove through the grounds a bit, and ate a picnic lunch we'd brought along. Then we hit the winery for a short video and walking tour. The kids were ok with it. My husband was able to participate in the wine tasting. The kids and I had a "grape juice tasting", which I thought was a nice touch so we wouldn't feel left out. In the tasting room, there was also a small table with coloring pages and crayons for kids. The last (and best) part of the day was spent at the final section of the Estate - sort of a farmyard area. There were some animals to pet, etc. But the best part was that since we were visiting in October, there was a Fall Festival going on. There were games available (that were like games kids would have played at the turn of the century), various shows/demonstrations (storytellers, making butter, dancing kids), and even a corn maze. Without the festival, the kids would have been a little more bored by the entire experience, but the festival made the whole day fun for everyone. If you go with kids, definitely try to visit at a time when a festival like this is going on! It really made the visit special.
0 families found this helpful
"Adults will be more excited than kids"
It americas largest home - a estate of gigantic proportions build by the Vanderbilts in the days of excess and glory. Everything is grand, huge, majestic... well there just aren't enough words to do it justice. The grown ups are going to ooh and aah. The kids are going to yawn and say can we go now, can we go now.. The tour is self guided but will still take a LONG time - its americas largest home after all. There is little of interest to young children in the house and the grounds don't have all that much either. You can head down to the farm animal area but it is underwhelming after you have done the house tour. Leave this one for your empty nesting travel days.
1 family found this helpful
"pretty"
we went to see the gardens this past spring..great site to see! a just driving on the grounds is a-mazing!! My son whos 2 loved it he was difficult when we were inside the house...he kept wanting to swing on the ropes(lots of roped off areas!beaware) They have lots to do bowling,game house, horseback riding etc. I think for someone not from the asheville area would enjoy seeing this regardless!
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