![]() Yes, the views are great, and the stories about how the slate roof tiles are affixed is interesting. But the opportunity to literally go on the roof is just amazing. This lets you see several unrestored rooms-always a treat-and hallways that aren't on the regular tour. I won't get into the history of the house, but I have to strongly recommend paying $15 for the Rooftop Tour. Now in my, um, early 40s, it still thrills me. I've been coming to the Biltmore Estate since I was a little kid. To maximize your dollar, enter after 2pm and they'll let you in free the next day. You can save a few dollars by buying the ticket online (if no printer, there's a will call). Ultimately, it's amazing how little you get for $50, and yet there's enough demand to create a massive line at the entrance and numerous rows of parking at each location. They have some beautiful horses and goats. Out of everything, we probably enjoyed the farm the most. The staff is extremely friendly, but our "behind the scenes" tour guide was speaking so fast that it was clear that he was mailing it in. It feels like the estate is essentially trying to overcapitalize on the name. We really didn't care for the wines at all. The winery really was not over impressive. One of the attendants in the house gave us the lowdown on where the estate came from, which left us wondering why this wasn't shared with everyone. None of the free materials adequately give information on the history of the property or the family. It's $10 more to get an headset audio tour. The mansion tour is what most people go to see, and all you get to guide you through the massive house is a pretty weak pamphlet. My beef with the place is that it's way too pricey. I think they've done a great job at keeping the greenspace green and minimizing the potential to add unnecessary "attractions" to the property. Let me get this clear on the front end - the Biltmore Estate really is beautiful. I would go back, but would spend more time to see everything. Overall it was a relaxing time, but very pricey. We had the breakfast buffet the next morning in the Dining Room and it was really good. The service was good, the atmosphere stuffy, the food o.k, but very overpriced ($150 for 2). It was good, but if we ever get the opportunity to return we probably will not eat in the Dining Room. We had our evening meal in the dining room. Our room at the Inn was great, the bed was extra wonderful, and the service was good. There is a lot to see and do, and we ran out of time to see it all. We weren't too impressed with the winery. The house was busy, and some rooms we had to wait a little bit, but it wasn't to bad. It was definitely worth the extra money to hear all the history and background. It was very interesting and we got the audio tour with our package. It required a lot of walking though and after 2 hours we hadn't seen much of it at all. We decided to do this first because of the heat. We began our day with a walking tour of the grounds and gardens. It included one night at the Biltmore Inn and passes to see the house, gardens, winery, and farm. After reading the reviews and researching the website we decided to buy the Romantic Getaway package. My husband and I visited Biltmore for the first time this past week. Your kids will get in free but feeding them won't be. A bottle of water will set you back $2.50 and about your cheapest food option is a $5. The prices are kinda high but the food is good. ![]() ![]() You cannot return if you leave the grounds so you're locked into what the various restaurants on the estate offer. Another tip - since you can easily spend the whole day at the estate you might consider a cooler with lunch and drinks in the trunk. offices are the only ones with tickets on hand for $36. You can pick up your tickets in advance from AAA but I'm pretty sure the Asheville or Hendersonville N.C. ![]() I am already a member of AAA but if you're not it costs $64 to join, you'll save $10 a night at most hotels and $19 on Biltmore tickets. We stopped at Group Sales at the gate to get our entry time for the house which was 10:15am. It took maybe 10 minutes to get to the Biltmore from there. After breakfast we drove up to the AAA office at 1000 Merrimon Ave in the north part of the city and picked up our tickets. That's a saving of $19 a ticket which added up to $57 savings for me. The next day I called at 8:30 when the AAA office opened and sure enough $36 a ticket. I checked on the local AAA website and they were saying $36 a ticket. I called the Biltmore information number and spoke to someone about the timed entry assignments but realized after I hung up I didn't learn anything useful. I was not happy about booking our tickets online because they want an entry time and in large print they say " There are no refunds or exchanges." It was supposed to rain the next day and I didn't want to lock into 3 tickets for 10am at $47 each. ![]()
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