June 18 and 19, 2024
Pleasant drive to Asheville after stopping for Ben’s regular
travel breakfast – Pal’s Ham Biscuit and Cheddar Rounds. His special accommodation to me was not
adding extra salt to the cheddar rounds!
We arrived right on time – in fact a few minutes early. Parking in lot C very near the trolley pick-up
shelter. They have a new trolley system
since our last visit that runs between all the parking lots and Biltmore House;
dropping us off right at the front door.
The house tour was great with a handheld recorded narration to start at points throughout the tour. Funny how few of the areas I remembered from previous visits. These photos will showcase a few highlights. We toured the main floor including two room that had been decorated in recent years. One being the room that held national treasure paintings during WW2 when there was concern for them at the large national museums. One area we did not see during our Christmas time visit years ago was the outside loggia. The views of the mountains was spectacular.
We then went up the grand staircase to tour the second-floor bedrooms and sitting rooms, then another set of stairs to one of the servant bedroom floors. We came back down to the 2nd floor and were able to catch a ride on the elevator – original to the house.
Then we went downstairs for the tour of bowling alley, pool, and the working areas of the house – kitchens, servant dining area, and many storage areas. In all my fit-bit told me I had done 4 flights of stairs. I would have thought double that but I guess it was the 2-3 sections of stairs in each flight! Overall, it was a great tour and we enjoyed it all. There were always people with us but never what I would consider crowds….very pleasant. Just about 2 hours in the house as we entered at 9:45 and came out right on time for our 11:45 lunch reservation in the Stable Café.
The Stable Café was located to the right of the front
entrance where we exited the house. I
was not sure where it would be when I made the reservation; but, it was a perfect
location as we were really ready to sit down!
For lunch Jane had a Chicken
Salad Sandwich and Ben had Brunswick Stew and Hushpuppies. All were good but Ben felt for a NC facility
they needed to change their recipes to better reflect the actual contents of
Brunswick stew. He felt he had a bowl
of very good beef stew!
After lunch we looked around the shops a bit and then walked over to the other side of the house to catch the trolley back to our van. Interesting they have built a covered facility where we attended a Beach Boys Concert some years back. Imagine this allows them to have a longer season and avoid issues with rain. We waited only a few minutes for the trolley and were taken back to lot C.
Our tickets for the Chihuly Exhibit were at 2:00 so we drove that way not knowing exactly how long it would take us to get to the DeerPark area. We were there in about 15 minutes and enjoyed a few minutes in an outside area where they served drinks – but few people were there and no one ordering drinks. The bartender was bored to be sure! There are 3 large buildings in this area and the Carriage Ride and Trail Ride headquarters. I believe these buildings are all exhibit halls. When the Chihuly exhibit was done some years ago at Biltmore it was outside. He wanted to come back and provide a bigger exhibit when they had this indoor facility available. One of the current exhibits was designed especially for Biltmore – the various colored items were above a glass ceiling with beautiful reflections on the walls. Very unusual. I will include photos of several of the glass exhibits. Fantastic shapes and colors. There was also a 10-15 minute film about how Chihuly designs and makes his art. Not a large exhibit - 5 or 6 rooms but it was well worth the visit. Tried a video which turned out pretty good.
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| The Indian Blanket collection was amazing. |
After this viewing we found our way out of the Biltmore complex and found our hotel. After a bit of a rest. Ben called and made reservations for our dinner. Last year for Christmas Jeff and Robin gave us a gift certificate for Zambra – a tapas restaurant in downtown Asheville. Not a fan of downtown driving we considered an uber, but Ben located an on street parking lot only a block away. With the high clearance van parking garages which abound don’t work for us! We only had a block to walk - straight uphill! The food was definitely interesting – maybe Spanish- middle eastern – African leanings. I am not sure I can note everything we ate – a roasted red pepper and walnut spread with pomegranate molasses served with pita – very good. Seared Hokkaido Scallops with corn risotto – very good. House gnocchi with basil and sweet potatoes – also very good. PEI (Prince Edward Island) Mussels in some sort of broth – well Ben loved and Jane thought OK glad she had but would not order again! Also enjoyed some summer sangria! Oh, and Ben had some sort of fancy Chocolate Torte “to go” and enjoyed it after we got back to the hotel.
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| Pita with Pepper, Pomegranate Sauce |
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| House Gnocchi |
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| PEI Mussels Before |
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| PEI Mussels After |
Needless to say, the bed felt very good after all the walking – stairs – and uphill climb. Jane’s back was really ready for a rest. Some reading and a good night’s sleep.
A fair breakfast at this Sleep Inn. We usually stay at Choice Hotel chain hotels
where Ben maintains Gold or Platinum status with all his work stays. One of the hotels in West VA he stayed at was
a Sleep Inn and it had a great breakfast.
This one not so great but it was OK and we were off back to Biltmore for
the rest of the story. Our ticket gave
us entry to the grounds, winery, village etc. the next day. We drove past the house for Jane to get a
better photo and down through the gardens.
We had thought we might walk around but we were able to drive right
around the main garden area and nothing really sparked our interest for a more
intense viewing. The drive was beautiful
– about 5 miles to the Antler Hill Village and Winery area. There are 2 major
hotels, the winery, village, and a working farm to view in this area. It could easily take an entire day to see it
all. Lots of walking and biking trails in
this area which is near the French Broad River.
We found out the attractions did not open until 11 so we had
20 minutes to wait. We walked through
the Legacy history of the Vanderbilt family and watched the movie. Then chose
to opt out of the winery – ate lunch at the Creamery and hit the road for
home. Ben had found out he needed to
make a last inspection visit to West VA so wanted to get home to rest before he
left early tomorrow for West VA. Drive
home was pleasant – weather was perfect with sunshine and clear sky.
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| Biltmore House |
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| The son and daughter in the photo manage the Biltmore Estate now. |
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| Another Chihuly from a distance |
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