Asheville, NC

We left Charlotte and ventured West towards the mountains and Asheville.  The town reminded us a lot of Iowa City, very hippie, great food, big art and music scene, vagrants wandering around playing music or looking for money. 
The two places we ate at were amazing. 

 We had dinner at this Café.  Hands down best biscuits ever. Everything was locally farm sourced, I had the meatloaf, it was crazy good. 

 I have never seen a sign in a public park deterring registered sex offenders!  This was in the little city park/square across from the Honey Café.

 This bus was a permently parked restaurant.

 Posing with the lion statues out front of the Biltmore mansion

 The whole group

 In the Biltmore garden, can't remember which one, we walked several different styles of gardens.

 This was the rose garden

 This is how Dallas felt about going on Emily's chosen path in the garden and not his

 The Biltmore, the largest privately owned residence in the United States, it was amazing!  One of my favorite stops of the whole trip...

 Sampling wine after our Biltmore winery tour

 Grape juice for the youngins'

 This picture was taken at one of the nature playgrounds on the Biltmore winery.  It is a play floating barge with a pulley system for kids.  You can pile on, close the gate and pull yourself to the other side of the "pond".  The kids thought it was fun.

 We didn't have time to do the Segway, kayak, Land Rover, horse back, or bike tours, but the Biltmore is pimped out to your every need or spending budget!

These last pictures are out of order.  This is the Moonshine, Gpa D ordered at the Honey Café, along side a local beer sampler that Rob and I sampled

 Biscouts and the jam

 Enjoying the food

 Pool time in Asheville

 Climbing a tree in the Biltmore gardens

 Some old rare car at the Biltmore, I can't remember why it is special.... I think I do remember it is all original.

Tractor at the Biltmore winery

 

So the Biltmore was a fantastic tour.  Emily and I really enjoyed it.  The boys ditched out part way through because Dallas really couldn't stand looking and not touching anything any longer.  I think I find the old rich really fascinating, partly because I cannot imagine all these features they had 120 years that were so inventive, and partly because I think I am just intrigued by the history.  It also helps that I watch too many shows like Downton Abby, so I just have a thing for maid quarters and the workings of a mansion.  The Biltmore had one of the first elevators ever.  It still works, Dallas used it.  I think it was an Otis 001.  It also amazed me that George Vanderbilt that built the Biltmore wasn't even the money maker, it was is father and grandfather.  I love learning little facts, like they built a railroad especially to the land to build, as that was the only feasible ways to get supplies to the site.  The Vanderbilt's were really cutting edge as far as health goes, the bedding was changed everyday, I forget how many bedrooms, but the house has 250 rooms.  Can you imagine doing sheets daily on that scale?   They also had an indoor swimming pool went (to 10ft) that they drained and scrubbed down every 3 days, they pumped the water in from a reservoir miles away, the feat of that happening in 1895 just boggles my mind!  This is a stop I wish I would have paid extra for the audio tour.  Although the tickets were pretty expensive to start with, I bought them 7 days out to save $10, and the kids were free.  I would have loved the extra facts on the audio tour, but I don't know that I would have had an extra time, since we went through a lot of the house at kid speed. 

With your ticket you were also able to tour the gardens and the winery.  We walked down to the do some of the gardens, I think there is almost a mile of different gardens, so I know we didn't see them all.  We went back to our van and drove the 3 miles to the winery.  All this property belongs with the Biltmore Estate (we passed by the dairy, drove next to a river and passed a lake).  The winery was fun, they have lots of interactive activities located there.  That is also where they have built an inn so you can stay on property. 

I could go on and on, but I am not sure anyone is still reading about our vacation.  I haven't had a comment in months!  so if you want just ask me about it the next time you see me.  I will give you an earful.