Shanon Adame

Last year, I was awarded a weekend stay at the Biltmore Estate through my previous job. This impressive 8,000-acre estate includes farmlands, hotels, trails, a winery, and, of course, the famous Biltmore House.

The trip was designed for two, but my husband and I are crazy fools who took in five stray dogs when we were younger, so traveling can be difficult. Having just gone through the trauma of miscarriage, I decided to make the trip solo and use the time to try to reflect and heal.

The drive from my home in East Tennessee to Asheville, SC, was relatively easy, just miles of winding and twisting and turning. I was grateful for the quiet car ride which gave me time to just think and breathe.

When I pulled into the Biltmore property after being checked in by gated security, it was as if I had teleported back to the 19th century. Sprawling gardens and farmlands were everywhere you turned.

 On the way, I passed The Inn, Biltmore’s upper-scale hotel, but I never got a good look at it. It was a peaceful drive up to Antler Hill Village, where I would be staying.

Never having stayed at a resort-style hotel before, I was surprised by how inclusive it was. It was quite literally set up like a tiny “village,” with everything you could want just within a short walk. My room wasn’t anything too impressive, just your run-of-the-mill nicer hotel room, but who cares when you have acres of beautiful land outside to roam?

After I checked in and unpacked, I had to head over to the Antler Hill Barn for a required work dinner.

After the dinner requirement was checked off, I was free to do whatever I wanted for the weekend.

That night, I decided to walk around and check out the goings on of Antler Hill Village at night. I thought that it would be quiet, but it was full of life and movement.

People walked around with bottles of wine and plastic glasses, and a live band played in the pavilion, which was located in the middle of the square. Families gathered at Cedric’s Tavern, a small pub offering beer, wine, and lunch/dinner menus.

I briefly passed through an outdoor art installation and decided to head back to the hotel.

In my room,I found a bottle of Biltmore Pinot Noir with two wine glasses. The card around its neck said I could drink it for $20.

Normally, my wine budget doesn’t go over $10/bottle, but I figured it was a vacation, so I cracked it open. I am not a wine aficionado…I only know that I like red wines that don’t taste like vinegar. I’m told that means I like low tannins. Who knows? But I thought the Biltmore wine, straight from their winery, was pretty tasty.

I found out a year later that I could buy Biltmore wine from my local liquor store for $14/bottle, so I was pleased that the upcharge at the hotel wasn’t too egregious.

Biltmore House

The next day, I had a ticket to tour the Biltmore House, so I woke up early and, like a truffle hog, nosed my way around the hotel until I found a cafe’ that had small breakfast and lunch items and coffee. I ordered a latte from a very kind, pleasant lady who remembered my name and coffee order the entire weekend.

I made the short drive from our section to the Biltmore House. How to describe the Biltmore House? It was the amalgamation of every 19th-century mansion and manor I have ever read about in classic and contemporary novels. I was in love before I even walked through the crowded door. And I do mean CROWDED; the Biltmore does not want for visitors.

After the tour, there are restaurants, food stands, and gift shops on the property if you want to have a bite or buy some souvenirs. Because I was on a budget, I skipped out on all of that and headed to the garden, which is included in your ticket price. Calling it a “garden” feels wrong for the scope of it. You could easily spend at least an hour walking through it. Unfortunately, I was visiting just off of winter, so there wasn’t a lot of color, but that didn’t take away from its grandness.

Antler Hill Village

               The Antler Hill Village consists of the winery, a few restaurants/taverns, and gift shops, all centered around a small outdoor pavilion, where live music was playing each night I was there. Guests would bring folding chairs or blankets…most had a bottle of wine and sat to listen.

               There may have been other areas of the village farther away, but I was drawn to the vast farmlands that sat beside the French Broad River. On the way to the walking trails that follow the river and farmland, I passed through a small section where they kept goats, cows, and chickens. You could stroll through and even pet some of the livestock that would allow you to scratch the tops of their heads.

I walked for hours along the river. The trails were simple and the surroundings were so peaceful. It was never crowded with people, and every once in a while, I would pass someone walking a dog or going for a jog.

On the way back from one of my walks late Saturday afternoon, I spotted a crowd hanging around the sheep pen. Ever a person with FOMO, I joined the crowd to find out what was compelling them to gather.

A man walked into the pen with two border collies. One was obviously older; she walked gently alongside the man, never using more energy than necessary. The other was young and obviously a harbinger of chaos. The man and his two working dogs ended up giving us the most charming sheep herding demonstration – the older dog, obviously a seasoned pro, performed her job with grace and efficiency.

The younger dog, however, snapped too hard at the heels of the sheep she was herding, causing an angry sheep to give a nasty kick that collapsed the entire pen they had just been herded into. To the owner’s dismay, the sheep ran free while the crowd laughed and cheered. It was my favorite moment of the entire weekend, and it was free.

That night, I took myself to dinner at Bistro, which was connected to the hotel and tried to ignore the curious stares from fellow diners while I ate alone.

 I think it can be disarming for some, to see a woman secure in her solitude.

I had their Sorrell’s Creek Mountain Trout, which came with a squash puree, rice, and apples . It was all delicious and fit right into my budget of broke college-student.

The following morning, it was time to leave. I got up early-ish, got my coffee from the hotel café, and decided to go drink it with the goats, sheep, and cows.

That morning was the first time I saw the property at a standstill. No one was out, and all the shops and restaurants were closed. No music was playing from the pavilion. I was quite literally, all alone. It was lovely.

I packed up my things and said farewell to the Biltmore, grateful to have seen its grandiosity and to have experienced the tranquility of its property.

So, if you have read through this entire thing (thanks for sticking with it!), you are probably wondering where the budget factors in.

Budget

I won’t lie and say that a weekend at Antler Hill Village is cheap and affordable…it’s not. Staying there would undoubtedly be a splurge, but I think there are ways to work around it, to make it a pleasant weekend without breaking the bank.

First, bring your own snacks, food, and drinks. I saved a lot of money by not having to buy food from the hotel or restaurants every time I was hungry. I packed a bag full of bananas, protein bars, and trail mixes, which worked nicely for breakfasts and snacks. I was given a Biltmore gift card, which I used for lunch and buying wine, but before I knew I would have that luxury, I was planning on bringing a loaf of bread with some peanut butter and jelly.

Don’t get caught up in purchasing their adventure experiences (unless you REALLY want to); I found that there was enough to do and see outdoors to keep me busy the entire weekend without paying for a cent of it.

Steer away from the gift shops. They are fun to poke around in, but most of the stuff there is sold at an up-charge. When I stopped in one, I leafed through a book that piqued my interest, but wasn’t willing to buy it for $25. I waited until I got home and ordered a used copy on Amazon.

When booking your room, keep an eye on weekdays versus weekends, as weekdays tend to be a reduced rate. Also, look at the season; towards Christmas, rates increase by quite a bit but are significantly reduced at the beginning of the year.