The Village Hotel | Antler Village | The Inn | The Biltmore House & Gardens
Visiting the Blue Ridge mountains of Asheville is a wellness destination for soul restoration. Serving as the backdrop, this mountain setting is the stunning location of the Biltmore Estate. With over 8,000 acres of natural beauty as well as the architectural marvel of the Biltmore House, this was a destination that I have been wanting to visit for over 15 years. I’ve seen photos of the world renowned gardens as well as the sprawling Vanderbilt home that encompasses 4 acres of land with its 250 rooms. I decided that this spring, I was going to make the trip.
As we neared the estate, the architecture transformed into a quaint village. Places like the BP and the McDonald’s took a drastic transformation to fit the desired historic effect. After entering the main gated area, the narrow windy road began, aptly named “Approach Road”. Flanking Approach Road were open fields, rolling hills, gentle streams, a wide variety of flowering trees, shrubs, greenery, and wildlife. It was difficult staying focused on the meandering road with such distracting sights. When this road was created by George Vanderbilt it was intended to wind on and on in hopes of creating anticipation by his guests.
The Village Hotel
When making accommodation reservations, I decided to stay on the grounds in order to truly immerse myself in the beauty of the estate for the entirety of our trip. I wanted nothing more than to not have to get back into the car for the duration of our stay. For the first leg of our Biltmore respite, we lodged at the Village Hotel as a result of my 11-year old daughter accompanying us for a few days. The Village Hotel accommodation was a bit more family and budget-friendly. Its location was convenient to most of the dining venues, petting farm, playground, and the other attractions of Antler Village.
After checking in, we made our way to our room. It was a decent size with a view of the charming courtyard and the old dairy which had since been converted to the winery. Behind the adjacent building stood a clock tower. When the tower was built in 1901 by the E. Howard Clock Co., it had three clock faces that faced the fields to allow for workers to keep an eye on the time and to set the pace for the day. The fourth face simply had a clock painted on it. This side faced the cows. I’m assuming they didn’t need to know the time. Later in the 1980’s when the clock tower was restored, they added an actual clock to the fourth side. Personally, I feel the quirkiness of the painted clock would have been better off remaining. What a great story and character it would have added if it had.
Dining at The Village Hotel
Being April and as the saying goes “April showers, bring May flowers”, we were left to dodge the rain drops adorned with our black umbrellas, and bundled in our winter coats and gloves to keep warm. Mind you, us Floridians aren’t used to frigid 40 degree temps. The close proximity to the main restaurant, The Village Social made dining very convenient, especially since we didn’t need to fend off Mother Nature’s chaos outside. Just a few steps out our door and we had breakfast and dinner at our disposal. The second floor that housed the restaurant had a warm, cozy fireplace with couches allowing one to comfortably snuggle near the fire. We had the pleasure of dining here a few times during our stay. For breakfast I ordered my usual yogurt with fruit and granola. As for dinner, I was pleasantly surprised to see the vegetarian and vegan menu options. They weren’t your typical run of the mill items, but had thought in their composure. I ordered a seasonal vegetable medley dish that was perfectly flavored. The estate prizes themselves on their farm to table process that can be found throughout all of their dining venues.
The neighboring building housed a second restaurant, The Bistro. This venue offered an open-kitchen concept and a more intimate dining experience. The menu contained some high ticket items such as their filet and ribeye, but other pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan dishes could also be found. I ordered the local mushroom pappardelle. The dish may not have been the most pleasing to the eye, but the flavors and the combination of the mushrooms and peas was delicious.
For a quick lunch or an ice cream snack, our go to spot was The Creamery in Antler Village. A short walk from the hotel, down a winding path and around the bubbling fountain, stood this quaint building – The Creamery. Upon entering, we were greeted with the amazingly sweet aroma of baked goods and friendly staff smiles. They offered sandwiches, wraps, as well as sweet treats. I ordered the vegetable wrap but given the cold weather felt I needed to carb up and replaced the wrap with their multi-grain bread. Now I’ve eaten plenty of salads in my time, but the lettuce and vegetables on the sandwich tasted like they had been picked that morning. They were simply heavenly. We learned a neat bit of background information on how the creamery was started. The Vanderbilt’s had many prize-winning Jersey cows that provided milk for the estate. They had such a surplus that they donated some to the nearby hospital. When people tasted the milk, they suggested they sell it and create ice cream from it. They did such that and became known for their ice cream countrywide.
For a different atmosphere in a pub-like setting, Cedric’s Tavern is a great place. We decided to have lunch there and I was pleasantly surprised to find some healthy vegetarian options among the fish n’ chips and burger items. I chose the Farro Risotto that was comprised of whole grain farro, cured tomatoes, green peas, diced Provolone, asparagus, with olive oil and lemon. They had a really interesting vegetarian option that almost won me over, the red cabbage “pastrami”. It was pastrami-sliced red cabbage, melted white cheddar, Russian dressing, marinated cucumbers, served on toasted pumpernickel with a side of whole grain and vegetable salad. I may to have to give this one a try on a return visit.
Activities in Antler Village
Antler Village is home to an assortment of activities that you can view, partake in, or schedule to enhance your Biltmore Estate stay.
The Legacy Museum
The Legacy Museum was the perfect way to pass a bit of time on our rainy day stay. The exhibits here offered insight into the Vanderbilt family’s life and origination. We learned about George Vanderbilt and his love of art, books, knowledge, and travel. We also learned about the growth of the Vanderbilt family when he met his wife, Edith, and later when they had their daughter Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt. There were loads of facts to learn, but the few that I retained were in regards to George’s obtaining of Napoleon’s chess board as well as their last-minute decision to head home a day early that saved them from the fate of the sinking of the Titanic. It was pretty astonishing to see their travels around the world in such a different time without the assistance and convenience of planes.
Bike Barn
If you’re looking to rent a conventional bike, tandem bike, or e-bike, this is your place. The friendly and helpful staff can outfit you with the perfect bike as well as provide trail maps and suggestions on various routes and destinations. They offer 2 or 4 hour rentals. I would recommend the 4 hour rental if you would like to take the Lagoon Trail/Deer Park Trail up to the Biltmore House. The 4-hour time allotment allows enough leeway to arrive at the house, have lunch, walk a round a bit and head back. The second section of the trail, the Deer Park portion, has a 350 ft elevation. You may have to walk your bike up this area if you aren’t used to biking up hills, like us.
If you need assistance with the hills or looking to try something new, I would highly recommend renting the e-bikes. They are a bit more expensive but you can really cover a large amount of ground in just a 2 hour period of time. We took the Arbor Trail to the right of the barn and rode down by the French Broad River, and up through the woods. Some of the areas were pretty technical and we had to walk our bikes a bit, but overall the trails were pretty easy to maneuver. When we realized that we still had more time on our rental, we headed over towards the Biltmore House. The same trail we struggled up a few days prior were a piece of cake with the additional assistance of the e-bikes. It really was a great way to spend a couple of hours. Biking the estate really affords you the time to take in your surroundings and see areas that are off limits to vehicles.
Petting Farm
Definitely one of my favorite areas – the Petting Farm. Given the season being spring, there were baby goats, chicks, and a brand new calf to fawn over. The goats were super friendly and affectionate. Surprisingly even the baby goats allowed us to pet them. It was fun to hear about all the animals’ different personalities from the farm staff members. In the event you would like to bring a piece of the petting farm home, you can purchase goat’s milk soap at the barn. It is made on-site by the various staff members. I chose the a lavender bar as well as a peppermint one. They also use the goat’s milk for cheese at the various restaurants on the estate. Grazing in a field enclosure nearby were two beautiful cows. They were busy munching the crisp spring grass but came over to the fence to allow for some rubs. All the animals on the estate seem very content and happy.
Playground
If your little ones need to burn off some energy and possibly offer you some downtime, the estate offers guests access to the Pisgah Playground. It’s a cute wooden play area adorned with swings, slide, playhouse, and other playground essentials. This is conveniently located next to the petting farm.
Winery and Tastings
As a result of changing times, the Biltmore Dairy could no longer compete with larger commercial operations and the need for door-to-door milk delivery became obsolete. In 1985 the Biltmore Dairy was sold to Pet, Inc. Before the dairy was sold, George Vanderbilt’s grandson and Biltmore owner, William A.V. Cecil felt what better crop for a French chateau other than vineyards and a winery. In the early 1970’s the first vines on the property were planted just below the Biltmore House. The Conservatory basement was the setting for the bottling of the first vintage. After tasting the final product Mr. Cecil decided he needed professional help and traveled to France where he employed the Biltmore’s first Winemaster, Philippe Jourdain. With his knowledge and consulting, they relocated the vineyards to the west side of the estate and established the Biltmore Estate Wine Company.
The dairy barn conversion into the state-of-the-art winery began in 1983. When opened to the public in 1985, Mr. Cecil stated this to be “the most historic event since my grandfather had opened his estate to his family on Christmas Day ninety years earlier.” The winery has since evolved even further and produces over 150,000 cases of wine a year to be served locally as well as around the country.
There are complimentary wine tastings available at the winery in Antler Hill. You need to make reservations in advance. I enjoyed a glass of Biltmore wine with each dinner. Since I prefer large California Cabernet Sauvignons, my personal preference was the “Hunt” red blend.
Outdoor Art Exhibit
On our visit, there was an outdoor art exhibit installed in Antler Hill Village. Appropriately named “Ciao”, it depicted the travels of the Vanderbilts thoughout various parts of Italy. Its whimsical take included an electric train tying all of the cities together. The high relief treatment of the pieces brought the exhibit to life and was engaging for all ages.
Outdoor Adventures Barn
Just a few steps past the Ciao exhibit, a quaint barn could be found, the Outdoor Adventures Barn. The logs used to construct this building were originally used in another structure on the estate some 100 years ago. If you are looking to book outdoor activities, this is your place. The knowledgeable staff can help you reserve archery, clay shooting, kayaking, croquet, naturalist talks, falconry experiences, geocaching gps units rentals, among a plethora of other activities even Land Rover off-roading driving lessons!
Archery Experience
We booked an archery experience. We were shuttled from the Outdoor Adventures Barn to a gated area on the west side of the estate. We learned that of the 8,000 acres that comprised the estate, 4,000 were behind this gate and were used for agriculture purposes as well as being preserved as natural forest land. Our archery guide was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot. The hour flew by, but we were able to squeeze in at least 5 rounds of target practice. The setting of the archery range was perfect. The targets were located in front of a man-made dam, which we learned was built to contain a 40-acre lake that was used to help control the temperatures for the surrounding vineyards. Behind our archery range was a small waterfall that was peaceful to listen to and made the experience that much more enjoyable.
Antler Hill Barn
Located between the petting farm and the bike barn is the Antler Hill Barn. This is another great activity if you find yourself visiting during a rainy day. There are various tradespeople demonstrating their craft as well as farm equipment on display that was used on the estate back in the day. They offer a covered area where various informational videos can be viewed educating visitors on the way of life on the Biltmore Estate 100 years ago.
Among those tradespeople was a woodworker who demonstrated how he would turn small bits of wood found on the estate into pens. He also showed us the cups that he made for the various gift shops. They were made of cherry and turned on a lathe. When completed the shape, he finished the pieces by rubbing walnut oil on them that resulted in a beautiful rich color. He informed us that he chose walnut oil due to the fact that it was safe for eating, which would be necessary for one to consume anything from them.
In the large heated indoor area, that once housed the massive horses that pulled the dairy wagons was where the broom maker was staged. I’ve visited Colonial Williamsburg, the Genessee Country Museum in NY, as well as other living museums, and I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing a broom maker at work. The tradesperson was a second generation broom maker. His father had been employed by NASA and worked relentlessly. When he decided to retire, he went into the mountains to a wood working shop and fell in love with the art of broom making. He passed the art and the passion onto his son, who in turn graced us with his presence in the old barn. He was working on a double broom which would be a wedding present upon completion. The twisty handle had a fork that ended with two branches. The broom maker was weaving a broom at the end of each branch and would eventually join them together. The symbol of two becoming one. The gift would most likely be a decorative wall piece but he stated that these brooms were very strong and functional and could be used if so desired.
Adjacent to the woodworker was where the black smith and the quilter could be found. The black smith was starting the fire for the day. In just 15 minutes and a few pieces of dry wood, the roaring coal fire would be ready to melt metal! The black smith that day was busy creating single leaves with rings at the end that would later be sold as key chains in the estate’s gift shops. Another item on display that he had made in the past was a rose hook. These were also sold in the shops but I spotted them used throughout the estate in the various public areas and restaurants.
To the left of the black smith was the quilter. A massive loom filled the workshop with a quilt that was in progress. Attached to the loom was a shuttle outfitted with yarn that would methodically make its way over and under to create the design of the piece.
There are other activities that can be booked that are not located in Antler Village such as morning yoga and meditation, located at the Inn at Biltmore, and horse back riding tours that can be reserved at participated in at the estate’s horse stables. If you plan on booking a horse trail ride, I would highly recommend doing that way in advance. It is a very popular activity at Biltmore and it fills up quickly. The day our ride was scheduled for it was rainy and in the 30’s. Needless to say it had to be cancelled due to the weather.
I had booked the Saturday morning yoga that was intended to be held in the forest. Unfortunately due to the inclement weather, the yoga session was held in one of the Inn’s conference rooms. Definitely not the same experience as being outside, but the instructor Ceiara made the practice worth while. If you’re in the area and would like a private session she can accommodate you at the estate. You can contact her at her website at ceceyogini.com.
The Inn at Biltmore Estate
The Sunday following our arrival, we checked out of the Hotel and moved up the hill to the Inn. It was like visiting another world. Upon arrival we were greeted by two smiling doormen. We asked one of the gentleman how many times he opened the door a day. His response, “At least 1000 times on a busy day.” The lobby had a complimentary champagne bar due to it being Easter, as well as a harp player. The roaring fire located in the Lounge area enticed us to warm up in the oversized couches which were placed in front of the two massive fireplaces. The atmosphere definitely had a more luxurious adult feel. Arriving at the door to our room, we were met by the bellman who had brought up our luggage cart. A service not provided by the Hotel we previously stayed at. Opening the room door, we were treated to an amazing view of the mountains with the Biltmore House nestled in the distance. I would highly recommend splurging on the “view” room type if you have any plans on being in your room for a period of time during your stay. I particularly enjoyed waking up with the sunrise and having coffee overlooking the estate.
Dining at the Inn
Unlike the Village Hotel, options for dining are limited to the Library Lounge and the Dining Room. The Library Lounge offered small bites and beverages for breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts. I am not one to utilize hotel common areas, but this was an exception. Having a glass of wine or tea at the end of the day or indulging in a dessert by the fire was something we chose to partake in daily. Each evening they would have a different type of musician playing. If you are into board games, the concierge near the Lounge had some readily available. I particularly liked the beautiful Clue game they offered. It was unlike any I had seen before. There were little rooms (Library, Kitchen, Lounge, etc) built in 3-D under a piece of plexiglass so that when you played the game you were moving your pieces above the miniature rooms.
The Dining Room
We made reservations one evening during our stay for The Dining Room. This is a four-star experience with linen tablecloths, fine china, and crystal glasses with sweeping views of the estate. The Dining Room was awarded Four Stars from Forbes Travel Guide every year since it opened – 22 consecutive years. It was also named one of the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America among other awards. We were seated near a window with views of the dining room as well as the mountains. The staff was extremely pleasant and helpful. We were promptly brought bread service as well as a complimentary amuse-bouche of potato and leek bisque. Both were very delicious! We indulged in two appetizers that evening, the crab cake and the scallops. The server prided himself on their crab cake. I explained that I was pretty picky when it came to crab cakes. He assured me I wouldn’t be disappointed. The crab cake had a little more breading than I typically prefer but it was nicely balanced with jumbo lump crab on a bed of creamed spinach. The scallop dish was comprised of two large diver scallops cooked perfectly placed upon a saffron carrot puree topped with small bits of pineapple and plated with huckleberry potatoes. The flavors all complimented each other well. For my entree I ordered the salmon. The dish was well composed and had great flavor but as for the salmon itself, I was quickly reminded we were in the mountains and it wasn’t the freshest. Overall we enjoyed our experience and our server Mario did a fantastic job.
The Biltmore House & Gardens
Reservations are required in order to tour the house. I would recommend making them as soon as you can, so that you can choose from a wider availability. Our tour was at 2:45 in the afternoon. It was the perfect time of day. We were able to browse the gardens, the Conservatory, as well as have lunch at the Stable Cafe before our tour began.
The Gardens
The Biltmore is known for its beautiful sprawling gardens, one of the main reasons I always wanted to visit. The fact that it was early spring, the gardens provided us with tulips, daffodils, azaleas, and blossoming cherry trees. It would be easy to spend hours roaming the walled garden as well as the azalea gardens. There was a trail that led to the Bass Pond that ended in a waterfall. Unfortunately, we were unable to make it to the waterfall due to time constraints for the day
The Biltmore House
We chose to purchase the audio tour and requested Cedric’s tour for my 11-year-old daughter. The tour of the house was self-guided and moved at an easy pace. The audio tour is a must if you really want to understand and learn more about what you are viewing. The home contained 250 rooms but the tour allowed only a fraction of them to be seen. The history of the house, the rooms, and the way of life on the estate was very interesting. The home was beautiful and the attention to detail was astonishing. The amount of time and effort needed to design and build the home was extensive. It was overwhelming for me to imagine this being constructed in today’s time, but especially during the early 1900s.
Renaissance Live
During our stay at the Biltmore, the Renaissance Live art exhibit was being shown. The experience allowed you to sit or walk around while multiple massive screens projected works of art of masters during the Renaissance period. It took a bit for me to understand the exhibit. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. Do I keep still? Walk around? Am I in someone’s view? After about 15 minutes I just decided to stand in the middle of the room and take in everything around me.
When entering the room, I read about how the creators incorporated fragrance and scent into the exhibit. They stated that triggering the sense of smell stimulates the brain, creates new connections, stirs emotions, and makes the experience even more memorable. It was intriguing and tried to take notice during the display.
This was placed on a stand by the door: “This scent embodies warmth and the combination of exotic Oudh, dry Cedar, Amber, and warm Musk.
The fragrance diffused through the Italian Renaissance Alive immersive gallery is composed of top, middle, and base notes, occurring at different rates. The top notes bloom first and dissipate fastest, the middle notes, also known as the heart, are mellow and well-rounded, and the base notes linger longest, bringing depth and creating a lasting impression.
Together, they create the overall fragrance impression, adding another dimension to the multi-sensory journey into the Renaissance world.”
What I Took Away from this Experience
I really enjoyed our visit to Asheville and the Biltmore Estate. The hotels, restaurants, activities, and estate grounds allowed me to achieve my goal of a well-rounded wellness vacation. Although Mother Nature wasn’t on our side for part of the trip, we were still able to experience a full week’s worth of activities and relaxation. I felt as though I was worlds away from civilization in the peace and tranquility of the estate, yet only 15 minutes from downtown Asheville. The estate is a very special place and would encourage anyone who would like to expand their knowledge of the Vanderbilts, take in the sights and sounds of Mother Nature, splurge with downtime for meditation, yoga, reading, and writing, and to nourish their bodies with movement.
