Biltmore

Biltmore is a beautiful piece of architectural history that does not disappoint inside or out. If you love to see craftsmanship, artistry and landscape, this place is a feast for your eyes. We enjoyed the narration of the headset tour and felt it was worth the extra expense ($12 USD), as well as, the walking paths to the gardens. The coffee/bake shop that is right at the entrance of the house is a perfect place to enjoy a beverage and snack under a tent, but seriously in need of patio space heaters for chilly days. If you haven't seen it, or have only seen it in one season, I would highly recommend this as a day trip or entire weekend get away to another place in time.

We visited Biltmore in August. We were staying on the estate, and a little disappointed that we had to purchase tickets to see the Downton Abbey portion of the exhibit. However, because we had to do that we were more inclined to also tour the house. We booked a small group tour of the back stairs. My friend and I were the only two people in the group and the tour was fascinating. We very much enjoyed being able to see parts of the house that are not on the regular tour. Our guide was quite knowledgeable and clearly very interested in her job. She had tons of information and shared some great stories. After we did the back stairs tour, we went and toured the front of the house. I was very glad that we bought the audio tickets because there is no signage in the house. Even with Covid, the groups were well paced and you could take your time going through the house. The house is beautiful if not incredibly ostentatious. The artwork alone is worth the trip. We also did the Downton Abbey exhibit. There was not time to do the gardens on the same day. I highly recommend that you plan your time accordingly because the estate is quite large and getting around can take time out of your day that you weren’t planning on. Luckily, because we were staying on the estate we were able to come back and do the gardens on another day.

We wanted to go for the Christmas lights at 5:30pm-10:30pm but tickets were more expensive and sold out. We went at 3:30 and called to get a military price for $99 plus tax per person. It ended up being fine because the rooms were still decorated and lights were on the trees, we just missed the outside lights. In my opinion the price was way too high, especially after living abroad and seeing castles and such for less than $30 a person. It takes 30 minutes to drive through the property, find parking and get to the estate. 2 lots up close are a 10 minute walk, the other 2 are trolley only. (Wheelchair accessible) It was beautiful inside. You can walk through on your own which takes about 1 hours or you can get an audio guide which takes about 2 hours. There are NO restrooms inside so make sure to go before. For $120 plus per person I am sure they can figure out how to get a working restoom in the estate!! We were coming through as a pregnant lady and a potty training toddler, this was not ideal. The grounds are extensive and would take several hours. It was boring since it was winter and everything was dead. The conservatory had a bunch of flowers inside and was pretty but it was so humid and you had to wear a mask and people were crammed in there so it was hard to breathe. The website said that tickets were good for the next day to see the grounds but turns out that is only for the night time tours. We didn't even get to see the winery or Antler village because everything is so spread out. You really need an ENTIRE day to see everything. I would only recommend this if you have never seen an estate. Also, you are allowed to bring strollers but there were a lot of stairs and it would be a pain in some areas. I saw one tiny elevator.

We had a great Girls Trip to the Biltmore Estate during their Christmas season. Everyone should go at least once when the Biltmore is decorated for Christmas..it is something extra special. All safety measures were in place, social distancing, mandatory masks inside, etc. The estate was almost completely open and absolutely beautifully decorated for Christmas so we didn't feel like we missed out on anything. Eating was a challenge during COVID restrictions since reservations were almost all taken online when we started shopping and the check-in in person only gave us reservations at off times for meals. Buying tickets online and getting an entry time made that process smooth. The social distancing in the house did make it feel like you needed to move with the flow but you certainly weren't pushed to go faster than you wanted to explore. The Atrium greenhouse was superb, as was the night time wine tasting at the Winery. The reservation for the wine tasting was the only complaint. You could not reserve online and had to go to the Winery in Antler Village to make a reservation in person after 11 a.m. If you're like us and have a morning start time to tour the Estate, you probably aren't going to make it to Antler Village until the afternoonand most of the times you'd prefer for the wine tasting will be gone. We took an intermission and came back for the wine tasting after dark and it was magical with the lights on! We did not have to pay a separate admission, only had to show our reservation for the Winery at the gate. It was a fantastic trip!

This was worth every penny. I can't believe some of the complaints on here. A veritable architectural, design and grounds masterpiece. I enjoyed every minute and had I had more energy I would have spent even more time there beyond the 4 hours I did. Enjoyed a relaxing beer in the stable yard. Several walks in the gardens. You could easily spend the entire day here. But the showstopper is the house both inside and out. The audio tour is very well done. Kudos to the staff for COVID precautions. They were no-nonsense and did an excellent job of setting and keeping the standard. I had questions for several docents and they were all very passionate and knowledgeable. This was on par with the French Chateaux I have seen. That someone complains it's not decorated for Fall? Really? When there is a massive garden planted for fall? Were they expecting pumpkins and skeletons? It's a true masterpiece on its own. I got there as the gates opened at nine and drove through trees with morning sun beaming through. Magical. It gets busier as the day goes on so I highly recommend going early and enjoying it when it's getting started. BTW - only two rooms were closed due to COVID from what I was told. I spent approx 90 minutes on my tour and you go at your own pace which is fantastic if you want to look longer. Really well done. Plan ahead and get a reservation if you want to eat in a restaurant. I dropped the ball on that but the stable courtyard had beer and other food you can get for something simple.

The Biltmore Mansion is open despite the Trip Advisor page.
The audio tour is well worth the extra money as there is so much to see and learn during the 1 hour walk thru tour.

Be prepared. Plan and purchase your tickets early as attendance is reduced due to the current pandemic. The staff does s fantastic job of keeping groups of people spread apart and a mask is required inside the mansion.

i am planning on a return visit when the holiday decorations are up.

You have to pay the admission fee even if you just want to stroll in the gardens. Nothing is free at Biltmore. Being aware of that it might be wise to choose your timing of Biltmore visit in connection with nice season of the year, blooming trees, peek of colorful flowers, fragrant bushes. It actually matters because most visitors have to wait for hours from the time they buy the tickets till the actual scheduled self-guided tour time. Early March cannot compete with more spectacular times of the year.

We have visited the Biltmore a few times and always enjoy the home and grounds. We’d recommend visiting because it is a unique experience. However, I’d recommend waiting until after the pandemic. In our recent visit, we were disappointed to find that the audio tour has been cut short due to Covid-19. There were less rooms and areas to see. Also, the audio portion has been cut down significantly. They cut out audio to reduce congestion. We didn’t get to spend as much time outside the house as we would have liked because we got there in the afternoon. The grounds are beautiful, but the conservatory was not as enjoyable. You have to follow the queues throughout the whole conservatory, instead of being able to wander as you enjoyed at your own pace. It took quite a bit longer and was hot/stuffy with the masks. The area is still beautiful but not as enjoyable with the slow meandering. Also, the winery now requires reservations for the tasting. This isn’t clearly explained or advertised anywhere until you get to the winery. We were fortunate there was one last spot for us to do the tasting. For anyone else, make sure you reserve in advance (up to 3 days) if you’d like to do the tasting. Overall, the Biltmore and grounds are a wonderful place to visit but I’d recommend waiting after pandemic restrictions are lifted.

This is a must visit if you are in this area. Beautiful and well-operated place. Would have to dedicate 1/2 a day at least or preferably a full day to take in the information, snap pictures, and tour at a leisurely pace. With that said, the place offers a few options of eateries - sandwiches/salads/soups/quick snacks as well as a full-dining restaurant AND a buffet at a reasonable rate. There are also very nice/fancy gift shops, confectionaries and stores for souvenir (not your average gift shops at many other touristy places).

When we went in Jan 2020, the regular/adult rate was $69 at the gate. The Asheville visitor information center in Downtown Asheville (which is about 10 min away) offers $10 off for the regular/adult rates for same day purchases. The students could get the entrance fees for $39 at the visitor center with the student IDs presented at the time of purchase. We enjoyed the tour of the main house as well as Deer Park, where the Downtown Abbey exhibit is. Audio guide is highly recommended as there are little signages or commentary throughout the building.

We did the house walking tour as well as the roof top tour and it was wonderful. It’s not a cheap excursion but it certainly filled the day and we would go again because we didn’t see a lot of exhibits. If you’re going to do the house tour, I recommend audio because you learn so much fascinating insight. The roof tour was intimate and provided amazing views as well as additional insight as to the building of the estate. We topped it off by visiting the winery. We skipped the complementary tastings and enjoyed a nice glass within the wine bar.