After a down day in Asheville, spent in the ER and the hotel trying to help Fletcher feel better, we were all up fairly early in the morning. I had done some research and knew where I wanted to park and when I wanted to try and get to the largest house in America. (I don't know if the Biltmore still owns that title, but it's close if not!) We were a little later than I was expecting, but early enough to beat most of the crowds and the heat...it was still record breaking temperatures outside.
After a short walk from our parking spot, we took some pictures on the great lawn. I have to say, the entire day at The Biltmore surpassed my expectations. There is a lot more to do there than what we did, but we just wanted to spend a couple hours at the house and a couple in the village.
This was the first time we have really used the double stroller!
Then we wandered around the property. Jesse took Fletcher exploring and I had to sit in the shade to nurse Holden.
When we went inside, we left the stroller on the main floor and took the original elevator (still working off the original motor) to the second floor and we wandered around the entire estate. Jesse and I have been lucky enough to tour many castles and estates, museums, and tourist or historical spots, so we don't get into a lot of the detail in most places. For instance, we walked through everything, but didn't get the headphones to hear all the details. Our favorite parts inside were the elevator and the basement, which had an indoor pool, bowling alley, and gym among other things.
We were not allowed to take pictures inside, but we got this picture of me and Holden on the viranda. What a view those Vanderbilts got to enjoy! I am glad we didn't spend a ton of time inside. It was so hot! The heat outside and no A/C plus all of the body heat of hundreds of tourists was quite the combination.
After wandering around the house and gardens, we went back to the car and drove in front of the house and wound our way around the property (which was HUGE!) to Antler Hill Village. We ate at Cedric's Tavern for lunch, named after their St. Bernard. Fletcher did not cooperate at all with our meal. As soon as we were done, it was back to the hotel for naps!
Naptime didn't go well for anyone, it seemed. Jesse manned Fletcher while I took care of Holden. In the end there was a little shuteye and some down time out of the heat. After naps, we loaded up the car and went back to enjoy the farm and barnyard for a little bit.
Fletcher is currently obsessed with poop. He was quick to point it out (above) with the chickens and also with the goats.
Jesse tried to get him to pet the horse, but he was pretty frightened.
He must get that from his mother. You can see my hesitation. It didn't help that I kept thinking the horse might mistake Holden's little fingers as a treat. You can see me protecting them in both of these shots.
At the barnyard, we saw farm equipment, a blacksmith, and a wood worker.
Finally, we headed over to the winery, which used to be the dairy barn. This was our other favorite stop for the day. Included in your cost of admission is a wine tasting. I figured 6-8 wines of a set selection. Nope! There were 35-40 wines and you could have any and all of them! Woohoo! Oh...wait...we had two small children with us! I had to be a little selective or the journey would be way too long for them.
I was surprised by how good the wine actually was and that it wasn't overpriced at all. We bought a case at 15% off since we had room in the car for the box! Jesse entertained Fletcher a lot while Mom worked her way down the list of wines. They also give children grape juice. (One of the girls standing next to us reminded me of my lifelong friend, Laurel...it was too crazy how much they were alike!)
After our wine tasting we went to The Bistro for a really nice dinner. The food was amazing even if our children made us work through dinner. That night we all had a horrible night of sleep. There was a terrible storm outside that sounded like it was going to come through the windows. Jesse ended up in Fletcher's room. Neither of us really slept and then the power went out in the hotel. Fun stuff. I kept thinking that the only thing that would complete the situation would be if the fire alarm went off. Luckily that did not happen! Despite the lack of sleep...we knew we had a busy day ahead of us in the morning!
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