We planned our own "It was this weekend" picture and here's how it turned out:
There were a few other good picture choices, such as these:
Our weekend really was all that Biltmore commercials make it out to be - not that we stayed there the entire time. We drove up Saturday morning (after a late and very intense baseball game Friday night). We checked in with our hotel, The Princess Anne and received directions to a restaurant we were excited to try - The Laughing Seed. It was about a mile to walk there and after a long car ride we were ready for the trek.
We walked back to our hotel taking in the Asheville scene, lots of dogs, tattoos, and street performers. I also didn't realize what a tourist town Asheville is. Gift shops lined the streets.
Driving to the Biltmore is an experience in itself. You pass the entrance gates and wind around beautiful hillsides through forests, over stone bridges. It is a perfect ride for changing your mindset from the present to the past.
We parked, hopped on the coach to the house, and were dropped off right in front of the 178,926 square foot house. Photography is not allowed inside the house which explains my lack of pictures. The tour winds through different areas of downstairs, upstairs, the third floor and the basement. Different costumes from Downton Abbey were placed in each room with explanations of how the costume represented the society of the time. It was a really well done exhibit.
It rained the entire time we toured the house (which was about two hours). We felt pretty fortunate our lunch and tour plans worked out so well. Leaving the house, we explored the Italian garden where there was to be a wedding later that evening. We quickly decided our feet were too tired to move on and headed back to our hotel for happy hour.
We drove back to the Biltmore grounds for dinner by the winery. We checked in with the restaurants and decided it was a little too long of a wait. After a little exploring we headed to another vegetarian restaurant we were hoping to try while in Asheville called Plant. I read about this farm (or forest) to table restaurant in Our State magazine. It was truly an experience. As a vegetarian most of the time dining at a fine restaurant means pasta or "sides" but here veggies made the main course. Appetizers, main course, desserts, and a very silly tired baby made for a fun dinner.
Our hotel offered a delicious breakfast before we headed out to explore the Estate once more. KC enjoyed every bit of it, the yogurt, fruit, waffles, fresh whipped cream, eggs, and toast.
We were so sad to check out of The Princess Anne. It was built in 1924 and was full of beauty and charm. We loved our suite, the helpful staff, the food, just the entire experience.
We walked through the Biltmore one more time, then explored some of the gardens (in the rain). Biltmore is over 8,000 acres (it started out as 125,000 acres, which most are now the Pisgah National Forest).
We departed for home around 5pm with special treats for those waiting for us (only I don't think they were actually waiting for us, they were having way too much fun being spoiled by grandma and grandpa).
It was such a wonderful weekend away. Of course the jokes about "It was this weekend, at Biltmore" have been flowing since our return.
