Biltmore Estate, Asheville

As a native, I truly love the magic of the Biltmore Estate. I have been a passholder on and off for several years. Last year my husband and I went to a concert there (great venue, especially if you are anxious in large crowds). For and extra forty dollars, we could upgrade our concert ticket to a twelve month pass. Yesterday a friend and I went to purchase concert tickets. She and her husband were not passholders, so I told her about the upgrade, which she took advantage of. However, when I asked to renew our passes, it would be an additional sixty-nine dollars per ticket, not forty! I thought that there must be a mistake, but was told that "that's the way it was". I did contact someone that I was told could help me, Nancy Grindstaff of the Biltmore Company, but Nancy had the same attitude as the clerk that I had purchased tickets from. Needless to say, I am disappointed that the Biltmore Estate penalizes current customers in this way. So the moral of the story is: if you like to go to the concerts, wait until then to upgrade so you can save the twenty-nine dollars per ticket.

I went to the Biltmore Estate about three years ago. It is in a beautiful location and the staff is very nice. But don't get carried away with your money and spend money on extras. The regular admission is expensive enough. Also, this is not a place to run in and out of in a hurry. The house takes almost two hours to tour, and touring the gardens, winery, and farm add an extra two. If you do stuff like boat, bike, or take a carriage ride it will take way to long and be very expensive. Limit about one thing from the gift shop and don't eat at the restaraunts. Eat at the McDonalds just outside the entrance. And last, BRING A CAR! If not, you will spend most of your time walking. I do reccomend this to others, and it will be worth the time and money if you buy a regular ticket and only tour the house, gardens, winery, and farm. Overall, it is gorgeous!!!

I went to the Biltmore Estate in July 2007. It is in a beautiful location and the staff is really nice. The estate is kept in good conditions. The only bad thing is that everything is so expensive from the restaraunts to the gift shops. But the overall admission is expensive but worth the price.

Okay, it's expensive. Buy online or by phone ahead of time and get the second day option. That's 65 each for two days. See the house and all the gardens will take you all day. Get an early house reservation, beat the crowds. The audio is well worth the $10. then you tour at your pace and get infront of everyone else. Take a picnic lunch if you think the food is steep. You can eat at Antler Hill Farm for less than $10 each. On the second day there are miles of easy hiking & biking trails. I think a trail pass is $5. Bikes for $10/hr. This is THE place to have a picnic. If you are ever in the area, the house is worth a see. There is nothing else like it. Rafting, horseback riding and segway trips are a little more than other places but you are guaranteed the best service and scenery.

the self-guided audio tour is very informative and makes the visit worth the money.i've seen self-guided audio tour facilities at many other attractions but they are not this impressive.

My mother and I went in 2007. Enjoyed it very much. We did behind the scenes tour and audio tour. This part of the tour was our favorite. Were going back this month and taking the rest of our family. I was very dissapointed to see such a price increase to everything. Every single thing has a price increase. We hesitated in going. If they raise their prices any higher we WILL NOT be returning.. I'ts a wonderful sight but their about to price themselves out of the market. I'ts rediculous.....Let us enjoy some things without breaking the bank.....I know they can still make millions without raising everything higher.

We went to Biltmore on a Sunday in mid-November. We bought our tickets from a nearby hotel (Holiday Inn, where we stayed), and the tickets were $55 each and good for 2 consecutive days (better than buying online or at Biltmore). We only went for one day though. We didn't get the audio tour because it was an additional $10 per person and we'd already spent $110 just to get in! So... for the money, I was NOT impressed. Had it cost half of what we paid, I may have appreciated it more - but for the most part, we felt ripped off. There were a LOT of people there too. We even went before noon - and the crowds just got worse as the day went on. You are not allowed to take pictures inside the mansion, but as you tour through the mansion, they make you stop and get your picture taken inside by a photographer - that way they can charge you even more money to have a picture of yourself inside the mansion. I expressed to the picture attendant that I didn't want my picture taken, to which she insisted that all guests get their picture taken. What the...??? I don't have a choice??? We also did the wine tasting at the winery - that way at least we got a little bang for our big bucks. I should mention that I have a strong appreciation for architecture and real estate. So while the home is pretty nice, it is really an overpriced tourist trap that did not make a significant impression on me. One more thing - You don't get to see every room in the house - I noticed quite a few corridors and hallways with rooms were closed off.