The Garden and The Farm at the Biltmore Estate... NO PHOTOS IN THE BILTMORE (yes, I snapped a few, but nothing spectacular)
The Biltmore Estate in Asheville North Carolina
Dean and Grant at the Biltmore
yes, Dean and Grant at the Biltmore... this is the side
the front shows a wider more expansive estate
the front shows a wider more expansive estate
here the boys are leaning back into the wind
somehow... the weekend weather was perfect for mountain biking and jumping in a lake
somehow... the weekend weather was perfect for mountain biking and jumping in a lake
yet somehow winter blew in
winter refused to leave
the east coast is suffering from an unseasonably cold
DC is effected Asheville has been affected as well
we do not have the gear
and there is not much need for our sun screen, bathing suits, and beach towels
so... we did the standard tourist stuff
The Biltmore Estate
amazing... but a bit of a tourist magnet
for the obvious reason
they run it smoothly
with a swipe of the credit card there is some much to do
we went for the minimum
no add ons
just the basic tour
the tour of the estate was not entirely what I expected
I am not sure what I expected
it was exactly what I should have expected
what else could it have been?
in short... the tour may not be on your average 10 or 12 year old's bucket list
but there is more to the basic package than just the estate
there is also the gardens on the property, a winery, and a farm
the tour is somewhat similar to other historic tours
maybe like a trip to Mount Vernon
only larger scale with more people
the Biltmore Estate sits on a large swath of earth
the gardens were far less crowded
the Biltmore Estate tour is a maze of velvet rope where people slowly shuffle their way through
the majority of the people were on a tour or a self guided audio tour
us?
we moved through a little more quickly
I must admit... I am not a fan of the cattle call
hate that feeling of being lead to slaughter
but... it was still interesting and cool
next time I think that it would make more sense and take a guided tour
maybe the architect's tour
something to get us away from the masses
in addition to the Biltmore Estate proper there is a farm and the gardens
these areas were less crowded and more enjoyable
I would love to attend a cocktail party at the Biltmore
but just shuffling through the maze?
not my thing
the rain and the cold gave us the garden tour pretty much to ourselves
even the petting zoo at the farm was sparse
we chanced on fitting our visit in between two large tour groups
the boys fought me on so much of this
they were ready to leave after the Estate proper
but I forced them to the garden... which they enjoyed along with Grant's requisite complaint
and they enjoyed the farm
which I had to take them against their will
the Rooster was a big attraction with the boys
each the boys wanted to hold a chicken
the hens ran away
and this guy puffed up and intimidated the boys
but petting the rooster was satisfying
keep your cock jokes to yourself
and holding the baby goat was also fun for the boys
all in all
it was a good day
