LaToya M. Sutton

I have always wanted to go to Biltmore Estate, so when my husband Wayne, along with a few other bloggers, was invited to spend a few days there, I knew there was no way I would miss that trip.

There is a lot I could say about Biltmore because I really enjoyed my time there, but I’ll give a quick summary.

The Inn on Biltmore Estate: This was the hotel where Wayne and I stayed during our time at Biltmore. We had a beautiful view of the mountains from our room. The hotel does a great job of carrying on with the feel of Biltmore. You feel more like a guest in the house than at a hotel. The great thing about staying in the Inn was being able to catch the shuttle to all the attractions on site. And the breakfast buffet was awesome!

Biltmore: The Biltmore house is the main attraction, of course. Wayne and I did the audio tour, which in my opinion is the best way to tour the house. We walked into each room, pressed the corresponding number and listened to information on our headsets. I’m sure you would miss a lot of interesting details if you skip the audio tour. It took us about two hours to go through the house doing the audio tour.

Outside of the house, there are several gardens and water features to visit.

After touring the house, I was impressed with George and Edith Biltmore’s love for their family, friends and community. George built a large home, not to show off, but so he could welcome his loved ones to come and enjoy his mountain retreat. I was also impressed with the Biltmore’s faith. They seemed like very laid back, down to earth people.

Antler Hill Village: Antler Hill is a newer section of Biltmore. It opened in May. The village includes restaurants, shops, and more. I ate there twice while I was at Biltmore. Cedric’s Tavern has the best burgers I’ve ever tasted. Maybe it’s because everything is fresh and local. (I’ll say more about that later). Wayne and I visited the winery, but since we don’t drink, it was a really short visit!

Land Rover Experience Driving School: This was a ton of fun, and the men in the family will definitely love this. All I’ll say is get ready for a car ride like you’ve never experienced before. Wayne aced the challenge, but I was too afraid to drive. I wanted us to make it back to Raleigh in one piece.

There was so much more that we didn’t get a chance to see or do. But we did get a chance to have lunch at the Corner Kitchen in Asheville and learn more about the food scene there. One thing I really loved about Asheville was the emphasis on fresh, local food — farm to table. I’m sure that’s why all the food we had while we were there was so tasty. Also at the Corner Kitchen lunch, we learned that Asheville has a pretty large beer scene with lots of local breweries. There’s even a beer cruise that takes guests on tours of local breweries.

I’m really looking forward to going back to Asheville. It’s a great town for a North Carolina vacation, and it’s always great to explore your own state. President Obama recently chose Asheville for vacation so it must be pretty good, right?

Here are some of our photos from our trip. Enjoy!

This photo slideshow made with Smilebox