A Day at the Biltmore

When looking for a trip this summer, we wanted to visit someplace that was cooler than the humidity of the DC summer and a place that provided activities and areas with ample social distancing.  The Highlands offered just that for us and after planning out our trip to the beautiful North Carolina mountains, we decided to tack on Asheville to break up the drive home.

Asheville is a mountain town with a bustling food and beer scene. If we were visiting under normal circumstances, we would have made the trip all about food and drink but this time we sought out some different activities to keep us distanced - sprinkling in some food (mostly carry out) to enjoy while we were in town. 

You can’t go to Asheville without visiting America’s largest home - The Biltmore.  It’s hard to imagine this beautiful home was just a country house for George Vanderbilt.  I had visited the estate before, but my husband had not. It was just as impressive the second time! One thing to note is that you can leave the property and come back later in the day – which worked out well for us as we were in Asheville for only a few days and really packed in a ton of activities.  

We visited the gardens and grounds of the Biltmore in the morning and came back later in the day to tour the house (which took six years to build!). I absolutely loved the gardens - the fountains - the French renaissance architecture.

We had originally planned to visit this past spring to see the tulips and wisteria but with everything going on in the world, we had to postpone. Can’t wait to go back and visit sometime in the spring. Although other good times to visit are when sunflowers are in bloom or Christmas (hmmm). I could just walk for hours and hours all over the property admiring the blooms, ponds, and the marvelous mountain views.  I wore my new blue dress from Damaris Bailey that Edith Vanderbilt would have for sure been envious of the smocking, pockets and (my signature favorite) the puffed shoulders.  I got so many compliments from passerby that day.  

We left in the middle of the day for a takeout lunch at highly acclaimed Chai Pani (which literally means tea and water).  It's slang in India for going out for a cup of tea, a tasty bite, a snack, or “a little something.” 

Chai Pani was some of the best Indian food we have ever had, and I can see why the chef has several James Beard nominations. While we didn’t order everything on the menu (We wanted too!) we did enjoy tikka rolls, saag paneer and okra fries (one of their signature dishes).  And for dessert we treated ourselves to a 45-minute chocolate tour and tasting at French Broad Chocolates. It was wonderful learning about their story and the process of how a cocoa bean goes all this way to becoming chocolate. The founders are from the Midwest, moved and opened a cafe in Costa Rica and eventually landed in Asheville where they now have world famous chocolate bars and bonbons for all to enjoy.  They offer free shipping over $30 if you’d like to try some for yourself.  We left with their bestselling sea salt, dark and Nicaragua bars and some assorted bonbons.  Aren’t souvenirs the best?! They have a few locations throughout the city but only one location houses the factory and offers the tour.

Once the chocolate factory tour ended, we were back at the Biltmore for the house tour. It turned out that there were less people touring later in the day, so that made us feel better about the experience. One of my favorite rooms in the house was the library. The docent mentioned that with all his books, chess sets and art, it was the one room that really highlighted GV’s personality. I also liked the gymnasium. Although its simple in design, it just shows how far we have come from a pommel horse to Peloton bikes in keeping a fit physique. I also found it remarkable how many times a day everyone had to change their clothes. Oh, and did I mention that they also have a village on the property where you can do wine tastings, dining and shopping.  So much to see and so on this remarkable property.  

After the long day of touring, we had carry out for dinner from Limonges (hello Lobster nachos!) as we had to wake up bright and early for our floral workshop at Flourish Farms.

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