The Fashionable Biltmore: What To Expect From A Biltmore Visit This Spring
If you are in driving distance of Biltmore Estate, this is a perfect weekend getaway for you. It was for us as parents of toddlers in need of a getaway that would give us exactly what we needed. It was a short 3 hour drive from our house in suburban Atlanta, we snacked on m&m’s and listened to podcasts the whole way up. The drive up to Asheville is absolutely beautiful with a highway that cuts through mountains. Normally, I don’t do well with winding mountain roads but since this was a 4-6 lane highway most of the time, I wasn’t motion sick which never happens! We stayed at The Inn on Biltmore Estate where the architecture kind of mimics the actual Biltmore House. I cannot say enough that everything is just so beautiful up there, even at night! We arrived at our hotel just in time for dinner at the Dining Room at the Inn. It was one of the best meals which says a lot coming from self-proclaimed ‘foodies’. We definitely appreciate quality cuisine and this did not disappoint, it actually kept impressing us each course! We ended up having appetizers, scallops and lamb for the main course, and a pana cotta for dessert! After dinner we went upstairs, as there is a lounge restaurant, The Library, right off of the lobby with a huge fireplace and a ton of comfortable chairs. We spent so much time here since it was chilly all weekend, and found ourselves unwinding by the fire each night. Most people did this and we found ourselves quietly relaxing listening to the live piano music sipping on lattes, with others staying that weekend too. The crazy thing was that it kind of had a lodge winter vacation feel, as there were other people around doing the same thing, but it didn’t take away from our relaxation at all. The atmosphere at the Library was one of our favorite parts of our trip and just what we needed as parents on a weekend away from the crazy routine.
Our Saturday was spent with the best kind of planned tours. We saw the exhibit ‘Glamour on Board: Fashion from Titanic the Movie’, where the fashions and clothing samples from the actual movie were in exhibit. It was the best of both history and fashion world for me, two things I absolutely love, coming together. We toured Biltmore House like you normally do, and in each room they had highlights of specific outfits that go with that room that relate to the Titanic movie. A fun fact about George Washington Vanderbilt, the man that designed and built the Biltmore, is that it was said he was scheduled to be on the Titanic and his bags were loaded aboard but had changed his plans last minute. We found all of the history fascinating and spent most of the weekend reading about it or listening to random old documentaries where the music sounds like a warped tape!
When it came to the fashion of this time of history, I draw such an inspiration. There is something to say about the way people dressed back then, it was so thought out! The wealthy had the most detailed and beautiful fabric for their clothes, and changed on average of 6 times a day! There was an outfit for everything… I could obviously relate to this as Robert was a bit perplexed at the concept. I snapped some of my favorite outfits through the tour, and loved how in each room, there was the description of the actual room, what it was used for and how it worked, and then a separate part for the clothes. The information told about the actual behind the scenes facts about it being on set, or what the designer was thinking when designing for a specific scene, or how the piece of clothing played a role in the Titanic movie. You can see my favorite outfits and rooms below!
Saturday afternoon we had a wine and chocolate tasting (I tried the wine, downed the chocolate) and learned all about the winery on property. I was probably the perfect student because I know nothing about wine and I learned a lot! Robert drank the rest of my wine and loved it and we headed to dinner at Village Social. There is an area of shops, ice cream shop, and restaurants with Village Social being one of them. It was amazing as we had an array of seafood dishes (kind of tapas size – my favorite). After dinner we ended our night again at the huge fireplace at our hotel, eating creme bruleé for dessert. Did I mention we love to eat, and that is pretty much what we did the entire time!
Is this a trip for the whole family? Yes, absolutely. It was cold and rainy while we were there, but we would love to bring our kids back when they are possibly a tiny bit older [read: out of the toddler phase]. The front lawn and grounds are huge, perfect for kids to run around, and everything is so pretty, perfect for photos or a family picture! We definitely saw kids there and the hotels are kid friendly, but it’s a really nice couples getaway! The views are amazing where personally with kids, I would not be able to actually look up and take in. The food is hands down some of the best dishes I’ve eaten, and with kids would not normally get to actually sit and eat hot food, or negotiate with a toddler to eat something. So maybe I’m a little biased since we don’t get time away that often, that it was really nice to be there without kids.
On Sunday, we had the best breakfast buffet at the Dining Room at the Inn. Trust me, I am not a buffet person, and this is no regular buffet. It’s all completely fresh and good quality food! The pastries and muffins are homemade and cooked fresh every morning, and I had the best white egg omelette made for me that I am still thinking about! The food was honestly one of the best parts of this trip. Good food, amazing views, and fashion is literally the most perfect weekend for me and I highly recommend trying it out at Biltmore Estate! The Titanic exhibit runs through May 13, 2018.
