Epic Travel → North America → The South → North Carolina → Asheville → Biltmore

Location: Asheville, North Carolina

Time Required: 6 hours to two days

Red Tape/Notes: Open 365 days a year, times vary by season. Reservations required on high volume days. Ticket prices range from $40 to $75 per adult, depending on the time of year and how far in advance you buy your tickets. See the Biltmore website for additional details.

What’s Nearby?: Blue Ridge Parkway

Biltmore was constructed between 1889 and 1895 (and people think they have to wait a long time to build a home these days!) as George Vanderbilt’s country home, and is currently the largest privately owned house in the US, with 4 acres (!!) of floor space (George Vanderbilt’s descendants still own it). You can do a self-guided tour of the house, or you can pay for one of the tours which allow you to see additional rooms not open to the general public. There are also acres of formal and informal gardens, including a lovely rose garden and a fabulous conservatory. If you get tired of the big house and want something else to do, you can visit the Antler Hill Village and Winery – the Antler Hill Village is a touristed-up version of what life was like for the people working and supporting the estate, and the winery is…well…a winery. You can go and have some wine.

Epic Travel → North America → The South → North Carolina → Asheville → Biltmore