—Concluding a series of articles about summer getaways in the Mid-Atlantic region, we review a brief stay at the Biltmore Estates resort in Asheville NC. This quick jaunt into the Appalachian Mountains usually, but not always we found, escapes the hot and muggy climate of Florida and the Georgia, Carolinas, and Virginia coasts. Having moved from the cities and suburbs of the East Coast and the Midwest to hot and muggy areas on the Coasts, ex-snowbirds are now renting or buying summer residences in the mountains. So now we have summer beach-birds in the Appalachians.
—Asheville has developed a reputation as a welcoming place for East Coast summer tourists and residents. Its arts and antiques scene has expanded into music, chic bars and restaurants, and community events. For families and touring seniors, the Biltmore Estates has become central to Asheville. This sprawling resort and Gilded Age theme park occupy 8,000 acres in an area very close to the center of Asheville. It does not have rides or waterslides or cartoon characters. Instead, it has French chateau architecture, interiors, and lush and manicured gardens reminiscent of Versailles, vineyards, a winery, a creamery, sheepherding, stables and more to see. Touring the winding roads and exploring wooded trails helps us appreciate the expanse of the Estate. The stone buildings and walls endure as monuments to the Vanderbilt dynasty during the late 19th Century. The stone structures remain; the dynasty has crumbled.
—The driving force behind the Biltmore Estate, George Washington Vanderbilt II, the youngest grandson of the tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt, had a vision of a vast farming and forestry estate. He acquired using agents some 125,000 acres of land and managed his holdings to create sustainable crops and lumber production. After his death, his widow sold 86,000 acres to the federal government for the Pisgah National Forest. The Estate in Asheville dwindled to the current 8,000 acre tract. Around it has grown a village and a large community of residents with showplace homes and gardens.
—At the Biltmore Estate, the schedule of events and activities includes much more than time allows during a day or two visit. It seems to work best to stay at least one night in an Estate lodging and buy the tour packages that give you access to what you want to see during the evening before and morning after your stay. Reservations in the main house have a minimum stay of two nights. A typical package includes the Luminere light show and access to the Main House and Village. The Luminere package also includes informal wine tastings at the Antler Village Winery and in the lobby of the Village Hotel. In the lobby, the staff poured only one of the Biltmore Estate wines, an odd blend of grapes. They did not have the best of the Biltmore wines, a Gewürztraminer. The Estate grows this grape in a relatively small plot and may have sold out of the current vintage. Music played at the lobby tasting delighted us. Local banjo and guitar player Kevin Scanlon, with his son Kayden on violin, performed a series of oldtime Appalachian Highland and newer Bluegrass tunes. This distinctive style of music has evolved over many generations in the small villages that dot the winding roads through mountain passes and along creek beds in the Highlands west and north of Asheville. Kayden played the violin in the plain oldtime style. When his father took a break, he switched to a classical style with vibrato and a more delicate touch of the bow. We asked what college he attended. He told us he was fourteen and in high school.
—Dinner in the Main House gave us a chance to take a quick look at the grand halls and curated sitting and meeting rooms. The main dining room featured an extensive wine list and a thoughtful though limited menu.
—A precautionary note:
—We expected daytime temperatures to be less than 80F during our visit in August. Temperatures actually reached the low 90’s. Fortunately we had packed hot weather clothes for our return to the coast.
