More Guided Specialty Tours (extra fee)
Biltmore House Behind-the-Scenes Tour
Daily. Advanced reservation required. Call 800-411-3812 to reserve.
Discover more about the lifestyles of the Vanderbilts, their guests, and servants. Visit Mrs. Vanderbilt's Bath and Dressing area, and other areas not opened to the public.
Cost: $17.00 per person, in addition to estate admission.
Guided Biltmore House Tour
Daily. Advanced reservation required. Call 800-411-3812 to reserve.
Tour the house with a knowledgeable host, ready to share stories about the Vanderbilt's family history, unique artifacts, and more.
Cost: $17.00 per person, in addition to estate admission.
Premium Biltmore House Tour
Daily. Two-day advanced reservation required. Call 800-411-3812 to reserve.
Tour the house for two hours with a guide assigned to you exclusively. Includes areas seen in the Behind-the Scenes, Rooftop, and House Tours.
Cost: $150.00 per adult in addition to estate admission, $75.00 per youth and child in addition to estate admission.
Legacy of the Land Tour
Daily. Reservations suggested. Call 800-411-3812 to reserve.
Take a motorcoach tour of the estate and learn about the history of the land, structures, and former residents. Visit areas not usually open to guests.
Cost: $19.00 per guest, in addition to estate admission.
Red Wine & Chocolate Seminar at Winery
Daily: 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Discover why chocolate and red wine is a match made in heaven. Please register at the Winery Portal area in Antler Hill Village.
Cost: $15.00 per person. Guests must be 21 years of age to attend.
Winery Behind the Scenes Guided Walking Tour, Daily, 5:00 p.m.
Guests are guided on a walking tour of the Winery production areas. See and learn the difference between making red wine and white wine, as well as the bottling process. The tour ends in the Champagne finishing room where guests learn how true French style sparkling wines are made. 45 minute program. Please arrive at the Winery Portal in Antler Hill Village 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled program time. Tickets must be purchased prior to event.
Cost: $8.00 per person
Signature Tasting at Winery, Daily, 6:00 p.m.
Guests will be guided through a tasting of red wine varietals with emphasis on the individual characteristics of each grape style. Gain an understanding of how wine and cheese interact by tasting particular types of cheese. 60 minute program. Tickets must be purchased prior to scheduled event. Please arrive at the Winery Portal in Antler Hill Village 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled program time.
Cost: $35.00 per person.
Farm Guided Tour, Daily, 5:00 p.m.
Farm in Antler Hill Village
Take a tour of what everyday life was like on the estate at the turn of the century. Meet friendly farmyard animals, meet a blacksmith, a woodworker, and try your hand at churning butter. Stroll through the stunning Kitchen Garden..
Cost: $10.00 per person, in addition to estate admission.$8.00 Youth (ages 6-16). Children 5 and under free with ticketed adult.
Go to the Biltmore Estate Web site for more.
More on the Construction of Biltmore House
Construction of Biltmore House was under way in 1889; it was a massive undertaking that included a mansion, gardens, farms, and woodlands. George Vanderbilt engaged two of the most distinguished designers of the 19th century: architect Richard Morris Hunt (1828-1895) and landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903). The centerpiece was a four-story stone house with a 780-foot façade—a monument that would rival the surrounding mountains in grandeur. Hunt modeled the architecture on the richly ornamented style of the French Renaissance and adapted elements, such as the stair tower and the steeply pitched roof, from three famous early-16th-century châteaux in the Loire Valley: Blois, Chenonceau, and Chambord.
Even after six years, Biltmore House was not complete when George Vanderbilt opened it in 1895; work would continue for years. Its scale continues to be astounding: the house contains more than 11 million bricks; the massive stone spiral staircase rises four floors and has 102 steps. Through its center hangs an iron chandelier suspended from a single point, containing 72 electric light bulbs.
Download and print a PDF guide of Biltmore House. | Download and print a PDF overview of Biltmore Estate.
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