***Please note that this guide on The Biltmore has been updated and re-circulated to include more up-to-date information. This guide has most recently been updated in June 2025.***

A few years ago on a whim, my best friend Alanna and I decided to spend an afternoon at The Biltmore while we were on a long weekend trip to Asheville, North Carolina for our best friend Kearra’s Birthday Weekend and *JUST* happened to find that we had an afternoon free while the rest of our crew went horseback riding. Flash forward to April 2025 when I was visiting my best friend Hannah in Charlotte (see my full guide on Charlotte here!), I decided to take a solo Spring day trip to Asheville to see The Biltmore, as I hadn’t seen the interiors of it my first time there. The Biltmore is approximately 2 hours from Charlotte, making it an easy day trip to do. SO, above all else, when in doubt, take a day trip to The Biltmore!!!

*Disclaimer: Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through one of my links, then I will receive a small commission. This commission is at no extra cost to you. Additionally, this post is not sponsored, and all opinions are my own.*

The Biltmore Travel Guide

About The Biltmore:

So, The Biltmore Estate is the largest mansion built by the Vanderbilt’s on at least the East Coast and is located in the heart of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge mountains in Asheville. It is a Chateau-style mansion that was designed by George Washington Vanderbilt between 1889-1895. An interesting thing about The Biltmore was that Vanderbilt designed and constructed it when he was a bachelor. A few years later, George Vanderbilt married Edith Dresser in 1898 where he brought her to Biltmore to live and raise their only child a daughter: Cornelia Vanderbilt. George Vanderbilt was an intellectual and the interiors of Biltmore truly showcase that via vast collections of artworks and things from his travels and his massive library filled with books. After George Vanderbilt’s passing in 1914, Edith Vanderbilt continued to live at The Biltmore with Cornelia and eventually Cornelia’s husband John Cecil until the 1930s when her daughter divorced John and moved to Europe. John on the other hand resided at The Biltmore and continued to do so and he and Cornelia’s sons joined him throughout the years that followed. The Biltmore did though remain a residence for the descendants of George Washington Vanderbilt until the 1950s when it became a historic mansion. The Biltmore is proudly kept alive thanks to the several visitors that come to see and appreciate it as well as the legacy that George Washington Vanderbilt and his descendants built during their time there.

I recently read The Wedding Veil by Kristie Woodson Harvey and found it to be a great read about the women (most specifically Edith Dresser Vanderbilt and Cornelia Vanderbilt) of The Biltmore and their stories. Truly, this incredible historical fiction read dives into the thoughts and feelings of these women as they navigate the 1900s at Biltmore in the world’s ever changing landscape. I highly recommend this read before/after you plan to take a day trip to The Biltmore.

Alongside The Biltmore mansion, The Biltmore estate also has adjacent gardens and grounds (including a ticket just to explore that), special exhibitions, hiking trails, multiple onsite restaurants and cafes, several adorable shops that are all-things Biltmore-themed, and the Biltmore Winery which has its wine produced on several acres of the Biltmore’s property.

Getting There & Admission:

The Biltmore Estate is located just outside of Asheville, North Carolina in the Western part of the state. It is situated with easy access to I-40. Within North Carolina, the Biltmore (and Asheville) are located about 4 hours from Raleigh and two hours from Charlotte. That being said, a day trip to The Biltmore is easily doable from Charlotte and makes a great stop on a weekend trip to Western North Carolina from Raleigh!

It is also worth noting that on a day trip to The Biltmore that it is easiest to have a car while there (there are several rental car options). Different parts of The Biltmore, such as the grounds and gardens, the Antler Hill Village & Biltmore Winery, and special exhibitions are all on different parts of the estate’s property. There are also gorgeous hiking trails. Parking is included within all admission tickets to The Biltmore.

In 2022 on my girls trip to Asheville, there were 6 of us girls. And, since between the 6 of us for the weekend we had only 2 cars and carpooled everywhere, our friends dropped us off at The Biltmore Visitor Center. Upon dropping us off at Biltmore’s drop off only location, Alanna and I learned with the help of SUPER sweet customer service representatives there that we would have to purchase tickets for the Biltmore Express – a $15 flat fee/day shuttle service that comes on the hour to varying parts of The Biltmore Estate. I will say, though, when I went back to The Biltmore, I definitely took my car with me, as it was much easier and more convenient to get around. See more on all-things getting there here.

For my first day trip to The Biltmore, Alanna and I ended up booking our tickets to The Biltmore the night before going. Upon booking a ticket there, we had a few options of what ticket(s) to get: including a ticket just to the Gardens & Grounds, a House tour, and a guided House tour. There are also additional ticketing add-on’s, including special exhibits and carriage rides. All tickets include a complimentary wine tasting, too! Alanna and I just went with the Gardens & Grounds ticket, as we only had an afternoon to spend there and it was the cheapest option. It’s important to note that prices to visit vary per day of the week, month, and season (Christmas is definitely more expensive than all of the other times of the year). See all of the ticket options here.

What To Do on a Day Trip to The Biltmore:

There’s several things to do on a day trip to The Biltmore, alongside *of course* checking out the beautiful gardens and grounds and admiring the mansion. Check out all the things to do at The Biltmore below:

• Events & special exhibitions
• Activities – outdoors, kid-friendly, spa, and tours
• Winery
• Dining
• Shopping, including online

For more things to do in and around Asheville, North Carolina in addition to your Biltmore day trip, don’t fear! There are plenty of activities and tours in Asheville to choose from.

My Experience

From my first day trip to The Biltmore – gardens and grounds only:

Well, we took the Biltmore Express to the Biltmore Mansion where my jaw had absolutely literally DROPPED TO THE FLOOR! Our driver to the mansion was super friendly and made it all that more special upon arrival there. The mansion is STUNNING and even more so than in ALLL the pictures that I have seen of it. Alanna and I took photos at the front of the mansion and along the gardens and on the sides of the mansion. You can take in SOOO many views of the North Carolina mountains, too. Every part of it was jaw-droppingly beautiful. Alanna and I enjoyed strolling through the gift shops (where the Spartina 449 custom Biltmore totes were VERRRYYY tempting!), sipping the wine via our complimentary tasting (you get to choose four of their wines to taste!) which was also extremely tempting to take home some bottles of wine, and lunch at one of their cafes whose name I forget – haha! Through it all, I was in awe every second!

After about 90 minutes at the Biltmore mansion, Alanna and I headed for the Antler Hill Village and Winery where we ended our lovely afternoon there. Antler Hill Village and Winery plays homage to the Biltmore Winery, several gorgeous high-end gift shops (including some that sold Kendra Scott jewelry!!), and restaurants/cafes. The Biltmore Estate’s very own hotel is there, too. There was a gorgeous garden as well representing the Seven Wonders of the World. Not to mention, musicians were playing such relaxing, upbeat music making that the cherry on top of the ice cream cone filled to the rim with ice cream and whipped cream!! While there, Alanna and I went to the Biltmore Winery – which by the way had the most whimsical lit up entrance!!! – and enjoyed some glasses of wine while sitting at their GORGEOUS BAR! Afterwards, we browsed through some of the sweet little shops at Antler Hill Village and Winery, enjoyed some music, called our families to tell them where we were, and then head back to our AirBnB with our Kearra’s Birthday Weekend crew.

Personally, getting there between 1-2pm, I was very worried that we were going to arrive too late. I know that The Biltmore Estate gets crowded and crowded pretty fast, too. BUT, to my surprise, it wasn’t nearly as crowded as I had expected. In the future, I hope to go tour the inside of the mansion with an audio guide or via a Candlelight tour at Christmas time and bring my car with me to get around better. I know that you need to book a specific time to tour the mansion, so it definitely would’ve been more challenging to do this time around. BUT, overall, I am really happy and blessed that I was able to even see The Biltmore Estate with my very own eyes, since it had been HIGH on my bucket list for some time.

From my second day trip to The Biltmore – going inside the mansion in addition to the gardens and grounds:

After my first day trip to The Biltmore, I decided to take my car with me from Charlotte. I ended up booking a 11am tour of the interior of the mansion, as that was my biggest priority for my next time there alongside *of course* Ooooo-ing and ahhhh-ing at all of the gorgeousness in the gardens, and got to the grounds around 9am. Once my complimentary parking was secured, I checked out the gift shops (all outlined earlier in this post!) and admired the gorgeous mansion’s grounds before heading inside. One of the biggest things I’ve noticed on both of my day trips to The Biltmore is how kind and wonderful the people that work there are. They truly make a day trip to The Biltmore one for the books! 

Upon entering The Biltmore mansion, I was immediately in awe by how immaculate it was and to learn more about the history of George Washington Vanderbilt and Edith Vanderbilt, especially when it came to their service to the Asheville community and beyond. I learned that Edith served as the first woman ever to be elected as president of the North Carolina Agricultural Society, which organizes the North Carolina State Fair, greater known in the state as the “NC State Fair,” a role she took on for many years after her late husband’s passing. In North Carolina, the NC State Fair is a BIG deal – something that I learned during my college years in Raleigh. I also learned that George collected many of the items on display to this day at Biltmore throughout his travels. I imagined their daughter Cornelia Vanderbilt as a little girl running through the halls of Biltmore and how magical a sight that must’ve been to see! I envisioned myself as a guest at Biltmore, through seeing how guests enjoyed their stays there. And, I saw the inner workings of Biltmore, from the kitchen to laundry and everything in between and learned about key staff members throughout the years. Above all else, the complimentary audio guide tour of The Biltmore truly immerses you in all aspects of this magical home, from the lives of the Vanderbilts who lived there to the faces and stories of the incredible staff that made day-to-day life at Biltmore happen. Personally, I felt that the audio guide did an excellent job of showcasing all aspects of Biltmore, from the stories of those who lived and worked there to its incredible legacy that attracts thousands of visitors annually to this very day.

After my amazing audio guided tour all around The Biltmore mansion, I stopped for an early lunch at the spot I stopped at last time: The Stable Cafe. I tried a delicious pulled pork sandwich and Blue Ridge Mountain blueberry-infused cocktail. Because, when at The Biltmore?!? My waitress was extremely kind as much of the staff were!! I, then, admired the gift shops again where I had a mini version of the complimentary wine tasting as I was driving 2 hours later that afternoon where I grabbed some wine, a magnet, and a match box to enjoy at home. Next up: the incredible gardens which BLEW ME AWAY!!!! The gardens at Biltmore, situated adjacent to the mansion are truly out of a magazine. I had so much fun snapping several photos of the beautiful gardens with several mansion and mountain skyline views in between. Alllll before making my way back to Charlotte.

Wrap-Up

Ever sine my college years, I have dreamed of getting to visit The Biltmore. Several of my North Carolina-based college classmates went throughout the years, given that it is a North Carolina staple, especially during our holiday breaks. I remember hoping to go someday, too, despite it being challenging to reach from the Washington, DC area when I didn’t have a car or much room in my budget. Now, I am extremely thankful to say that I have been to The Biltmore not once but TWICE. Here’s to my next day trip to The Biltmore!

XOXO – Katie <3