The day started off with a fairly long drive from Pigeon Forge, TN to Asheville, NC. This was the last stretch that I have to drive--due to the winding nature of the mountain roads. The weather was clear, though chilly enough for the car to require scraping in the morning.
Our primary goal in Asheville was the Biltmore Estate. I have been to the Biltmore at least twice, and possibly thrice, but it's been more than 20 years and Tom has never visited, so I was excited to show it to him.
There's really no way to describe the estate without including the adjectives; grand, impressive, stately, huge, and crowded.
It's always been busy, but it felt even more crowded to me than other times I've visited. Also new to me this year, the handheld audio tour. It was fairly cheesy, using the premise that you are a guest of the Vanderbilts, newly arrived for a party, and being given a tour of the house. You "interact" with several members of the family, staff, and other guests, and in the process learn about some of the history and items in the house.
It was also *extremely* crowded. Tom got a bit frustrated with both the crowds and the audio tour, but found the house itself quite impressive. We also walked through the gardens and the little shops in the carriage house. The sun was very bright and there's no available shade so we did get quite warm, but compared to the last time I was there it was plain mild.
I did do one thing at the Biltmore which I have never done before, either being too young or not drinking any alcohol yet. There's a winery on site and I did enjoy the complimentary wine tasting. Tom took over driving after--no worries about driving illegally! There were actually a few quite tasty wines, but I did not purchase any due to the logistics of getting it home, and not wanting to have to drink my way through a whole bottle before our flight.
Overall, I enjoyed getting back to the Biltmore, and I enjoyed getting Tom to see such a grand house.
Once we reached our hotel and looked at the map for our next day's locations, we realized that we're actually hitting three states on this trip. Tomorrow's first attraction is in South Carolina. Surprise!
We're both still in good health and going strong. I was hoping for a bath tonight to soak my sore feet but, sadly, this hotel doesn't have one. Maybe tomorrow!
Our primary goal in Asheville was the Biltmore Estate. I have been to the Biltmore at least twice, and possibly thrice, but it's been more than 20 years and Tom has never visited, so I was excited to show it to him.
There's really no way to describe the estate without including the adjectives; grand, impressive, stately, huge, and crowded.
It's always been busy, but it felt even more crowded to me than other times I've visited. Also new to me this year, the handheld audio tour. It was fairly cheesy, using the premise that you are a guest of the Vanderbilts, newly arrived for a party, and being given a tour of the house. You "interact" with several members of the family, staff, and other guests, and in the process learn about some of the history and items in the house.
It was also *extremely* crowded. Tom got a bit frustrated with both the crowds and the audio tour, but found the house itself quite impressive. We also walked through the gardens and the little shops in the carriage house. The sun was very bright and there's no available shade so we did get quite warm, but compared to the last time I was there it was plain mild.
I did do one thing at the Biltmore which I have never done before, either being too young or not drinking any alcohol yet. There's a winery on site and I did enjoy the complimentary wine tasting. Tom took over driving after--no worries about driving illegally! There were actually a few quite tasty wines, but I did not purchase any due to the logistics of getting it home, and not wanting to have to drink my way through a whole bottle before our flight.
Overall, I enjoyed getting back to the Biltmore, and I enjoyed getting Tom to see such a grand house.
Once we reached our hotel and looked at the map for our next day's locations, we realized that we're actually hitting three states on this trip. Tomorrow's first attraction is in South Carolina. Surprise!
We're both still in good health and going strong. I was hoping for a bath tonight to soak my sore feet but, sadly, this hotel doesn't have one. Maybe tomorrow!
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