We had a great trip to Biltmore which is still offering free admission to children under 16 through Labor Day. We stayed at a small hotel on the perimeter of the city that had a continental breakfast and a pool. We went out on the town in Asheville that night; what a city. We toured the Basilica of St. Lawrence, both kids were awestruck. Shindig on the Green was in full swing and we had a terrific meal at the Tupelo Honey Cafe. Just browsing the shops and watching magic tricks and other musical artists was so much fun. I recommend this city to those with or without kids. The kids loved the continental breakfast and just being at the hotel. My husband and I hadn't been to Biltmore for over 10 years; we had season tickets for many years before kids. Our son, 10 enjoyed the home somewhat but the land and all even more. Our daughter, 8, really got into the history and oo'hd and aw'd over everything. But, she was completely worn out by the time we got to the basement, after 2 hours of touring the home. If you decide to go, make sure to at least purchase the tour on tape ($8/person). We all started and stopped the tape at each room at the same time so we'd be together looking at all the items in each room. Little things, like the Renoir paintings hanging in one of the bedrooms and so many more would be missed with a self-guided tour.
No bathrooms or water in the house and no cameras, videos, etc. either. We had to exit the mansion to go to the bathroom and then go back to finish the last floor. We thoroughly enjoyed the gardens as we saw a snapping turtle and a smaller one, albino catfish, lots of hummingbirds, and a snake. The kids loved the trails and my daughter the flower gardens. They both got a kick out of the size of the lily pads in the formal water gardens.
At the winery, the kids tasted sparkling grape juice while we tasted several whites and reds. None that we tried (you could pay for more) were a hit so we went home with only one bottle, and the juice. It was a great day at Biltmore (we had perfect weather) and then we drove to Black Mountain for a fabulous authentic Mexican dinner at Las Casuelas. After that, it was on toward Little Switzerland for gem mining the next day. We stayed at another hotel with an indoor pool this time; the kids loved it and we swam til 10. The next day we went gem mining at Emerald Village an found lots of different stones. The kids are so proud of them. It was a great trip to the mountains of North Carolina.
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