A Girl's Weekend at The Biltmore
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains sits one of the largest mansions in the United States. The Biltmore Estate is as grand in person as it is in pictures. It made the perfect backdrop for a girl’s weekend with my dear cousin, mother-in-law, and aunt-in-law.
We arrived at Biltmore on a very rainy Friday morning. Umbrellas in tow, we boarded a bus that took us from the parking lot up to the front of the Biltmore property. The mansion stood stoic and beautiful even among all the rain clouds. We opted for the self-guided tour of the house where they provide you with a small device that looks like a ‘90s cell phone. You key in numbers in each room of the house to listen to the history of it.
The tour begins in the winter garden, a large marble-floored room with a massive skylight and many plants. As we walked through the house, a few things stood out to me:
The Banquet Hall is essentially a large dining room. The long dining table was decorated with fresh floral arrangements and the walls of the hall were adorned with tapestries, something Biltmore displays throughout the house.
The Library is every bookworm’s dream! Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves covered the walls, each shelf holding an original from George Vanderbilt’s collection. A massive fireplace sits off to the center of the room inviting anyone to sit and stay awhile. I could live in this room!
The elaborate Louis XV guest room has velvet wallpaper in a gorgeous garnet and cream color. This room was where Edith Vanderbilt gave birth to her daughter, Cornelia. The room had a gorgeous window seating area where it is said Edith and Cornelia spent many of the early days.
The tour took almost 2 hours to complete but gave you an overall history of the home and each room. I enjoyed seeing the original Monet and Renaut paintings in George’s collection. I also enjoyed the Tapestries hung throughout the home.
Wine Tasting at The Winery
After our tour and a little lunch, we headed to the Winery for our wine tasting. We opted for the Uncorked option. It’s $20 per person which is in a secluded room with you and only a few other people. This includes premium Biltmore wines and a heartier pour.
We each tried 5 wines of our choosing: mine included the Blanc de Noir (Sparkling), Dry Riesling (White), Sauvignon Blanc (White), Pinot Noir (Red), and my personal favorite, the Antler Hill Chardonnay. It was a lovely experience and our wine guide had a great knowledge of each variety we tried.
I purchased a bottle of the Antler Hill Chardonnay and even had a glass with my dinner that evening. Needless to say…it was my favorite!
Afternoon Tea at The Biltmore Inn
On Saturday afternoon, we headed to The Biltmore Inn for their afternoon tea. I am a sucker for high tea. I love all the tea sandwiches and pastries! Biltmore’s afternoon tea was located in the dining room of the Inn. Gorgeous windows lined the room and looked out onto the Blue Ridge Mountains.
We dressed to the nines and I even donned my fascinator for the tea. You have your choice of teas and funnily enough, we all ordered the same tea.
The first course is a scone service with a scone and bun paired with Devonshire cream, honey, and sweet potato jam. The jam was a hit at our table!
The second course was savory canapes. It included smoked trout on shortbread, a cucumber sandwich, Lobster Salad on brioche, and a truffle deviled egg. Each canape tasted incredible but my favorite had to be the smoked trout on shortbread.
The final course was sweet canapes. The highlight of any meal of course is the desserts! Our tray included a hazelnut cake, cinnamon sugar churro topped with kumquat, banana macaroon, and a salted caramel truffle. The churro surprised me the most as my favorite but everything was delicious.
With our tea, we also indulged in some bubbly. I went traditional with just a class of champagne but everyone else opted for the champagne chambray drink. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon!
We had such a lovely time on the Biltmore property. I feel so grateful to have spent a weekend with such incredible women laughing, talking about life, and making new memories. We want to make our girl’s weekends a yearly tradition. I wonder where we will go next year…