Summer Road Trip: Day Two

Asheville, North Carolina: Today we had a big day exploring the Biltmore Estate.  The crown jewel of Asheville, the Biltmore has been a place we have wanted to visit for a while.  It was also a bucket list thing to do for my wife so we were pretty excited to visit.

We started the day with breakfast at the hotel.  The free complimentary breakfast was a lot better than we had expected.  It had omelets, waffles, biscuits and gravy, sausage and much more.  Much more than the standard cereals, toast, etc you come to expect at a hotel complimentary breakfast.

After breakfast, we headed out to the Biltmore.  To say the grounds and estates were awe-inspiring is an understatement,   During our trolley tour yesterday, they told the story of the Vanderbildt's and described the immense size of the property, but it doesn't truly sink in until you arrive at the estate.  From the gate, it is still a 2 1/2 mile drive to the Biltmore House.

We decided to walk to the house in lieu of the shuttle service.  This was to let the sheer beauty of the massive estate sink in.  As you come down the stairs onto the front lawn, the house just dominates the landscape.

We took a tour of the house using the audio tour feature,  It took you through a good portion of the estate including the main floor, bedroom area, and the basement which featured a bowling alley and swimming pool.  The portions we toured were just a small portion of the home which is the largest home in the country.

But the Biltmore Estate has more to offer than just the house tour.  We toured the grounds and gardens near the house before jumping back into the car and touring the rest of the property.  Along the way, we stopped out at some water falls, the lake, the horse stables and did a drive by of Antler Village.  During the drive we saw some wildlife right along the driveway including deer, turkey and a large group of Canadian Geese, This resort has so much to offer, it is easy to imagine what it would have been like to be a guest of the Vanderbildt's during the prime of this magnificent estate.  The architecture and natural beauty of the estate is just plain awe-inspiring,

After we finished the drive through the estate, we headed back downtown to the Visitor's Center to take another trolley tour.  The passes we purchased yesterday were good for two days so we decided to see the tour from another side and hear the stories from a different guide.  This city has so much to offer, it really has the hustle and bustle of a big city nestled in the mountains. As we concluded the tour, we got to see Asheville's bravest in action, so of course I had to get some photos of their fire apparatus while on a call downtown.

By the time the tour had concluded, the rainy stormy weather we left in Florida had found us in North Carolina.  The skies opened up so we decided to head to dinner.  Today we chose Pack's Tavern.  This historic tavern is housed in an old speakeasy.  So since we were eating in an old speakeasy, it only made sense to order the prohibition roast and it did not disappoint.  For the second straight night, we got a ton of food for a reasonable price.  This town knows how to eat, that is for sure.

While at the Biltmore, we observed a bunch of air traffic headed into Asheville Regional Airport and the approach looked like a lot of fun to watch as the pilots navigated the mountains.  So being an aviation nerd, we decided to head to the airport.  However, we could not really find a good place to watch.  There was no approved places at the airport, so we went to a near by shopping center that overlooked the field however there was not scheduled flights so we left.

We wrapped up the evening by heading to historic McCormick Field for an evening baseball game between the Asheville Tourists and Rome Braves.  McCormick Field is a historic ballpark built in the 1920's with a rich history.  Many baseball legends have played on this field.  The ballgame was an exciting one with the home team Tourist picking up a big win.

After the game, we headed back to the hotel to end the night an rest up for our adventures tomorrow.  Tomorrow we will be doing some horseback riding and gem mining at Sandy Bottom Trails outside of town.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for more from our trip and follow us to see more photos and stories from the trip once we return home to Florida,

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