Tips for your Biltmore visit — To Make Much of Time

Ashville | Biltmore | Architecture | To Make Much of Time

UPDATED: 1/22/2023

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Tip 1 - Buy your ticket online: I recommend that you purchase your ticket online in advance. As of this writing (updated December 2019), an online ticket purchased 7 days or more in advance saves off the entrance fee. Pricing varies by season and for special events (like Christmas), but there is consistently an online ticket purchase discount. The other benefit, though, is that the home tour is self-guided and only a certain number of tickets are available for each time and so purchasing online ensures you can arrive and enter at the time you wish.

Tip 2 - Go all-in and dedicate an entire day to the experience: We spent over 10 hours at the Biltmore and didn’t even do everything there was to do. Allow an entire day to truly enjoy the experience (and get your money’s worth). I am on the speed walker end of the human speed continuum and even so, spent nearly 2 hours on the self-guided tour through the house. Add to that the gardens, the greenhouse, the lake, Antler Village, the winery . . .

Tip 3 - Make online restaurant reservations: There are a number of restaurants throughout the estate and they do tend to fill up quickly, so consider making online dining reservations in advance. In our case, we made a reservation for Stable Cafe, which is right next to the house. Make sure you pay attention to the location of any restaurant before you make reservations, as they are in different spots on the estate.

Tip 4 - Go on a temperate day: The grounds are hilly and you can work up quite a sweat even without the worst of summer’s heat. I’d recommend you go when the weather is nice out (spring or fall), though the winter offers the Biltmore Christmas, which is a different and unique experience.