Completed in 1895, George Vanderbilt’s 250-room French château – Biltmore House is a unique experience of how people lived and worked in America’s largest home. Its success is also guaranteed by the natural beauty of the mountains, by the majestic house and by the gardens designed by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, inspiring inner peace and relaxation to anyone.

Biltmore is still family-owned and the passionate expression of an attempt to preserve the philosophy embraced before the first stone was ever put in place. The continuous innovation, creative thinking, and commitments showed by the hosts make guests return and bring their friends and families, and even suggest more ways to connect with Biltmore.

Biltmore House from gstatic.com

People love to experience life as a Vanderbilt guest at the Inn on Biltmore Estate, especially with the Antler Hill Village connecting the estate’s present and past, providing a relaxing place for dining, shopping, historical exhibits, and new ways to experience Biltmore‘s hospitality.

The village is actually an extension and completion to the Biltmore experience. Whether you are interested in tasting the famous Biltmore wine, in expanding you horizons with the wine making secrets, or just in relaxing with some delicious food and wine in a beautiful setting, the Winery should definitely be on your itinerary, especially for the Winery‘s 25th anniversary.

You can take a stroll through the historic cellars to the tasting room, where gracious wine hosts will help you enjoy the taste of the robust reds, refreshing rosés, and crisp whites. The children can indulge in a glass of grape juice, so that you can take advantage of this experience together. To make it a memorable one, make sure you stop by the Wine Shop and see for yourself how the hard-to-find wine accessories, gourmet foods, and the complete selection of Biltmore Wines are practical and thoughtful gift ideas for the people you love and for yourself, of course.

Winery from biltmore.com

When you explore the Farm, the Barn is an amazing opportunity to step into the everyday life of families who lived on the estate raising livestock, tending crops, and working at Biltmore Dairy in the 1890′s. The Barn Shop offers Appalachian crafts, dry good, and old-fashioned candy, while the Smokehouse is the best destination when looking for Carolina barbeque, quick sandwiches, and Southern favorites in addition to cold drinks, snacks, and sweets.

You can then delve deeper into Vanderbilt history with The Biltmore Legacy and enjoy exhibits featuring objects, letters, photos, manuscripts, and drawings from the Biltmore House collection illustrating how the Vanderbilts lived. Short films explore stories about the Vanderbilts, their family, and friends. A small theater hosts a film narrated by Dini Cecil Pickering, George Vanderbilt’s great-granddaughter, sharing the family story from the Vanderbilts’ time to today.

The Biltmore Legacy also provides a showcase for Biltmore For Your Home products, offering unique gift ideas and accessories to decorate and entertain in your own home. Another source of inspiration when it comes to gifts, home decor and entertainment is Traditions, the shop offering a graceful mix of decorative home accents including tabletop accessories and home décor that blend perfectly in today’s homes, pottery and jewelry crafted by local artists.

Biltmore Picture from gstatic.com

Stop by A Christmas Past for a sparkling array of Christmas ornaments and music, by the Carriage House for Biltmore For Your Home furnishings and accessories, videos, Biltmore wines and jewelry, and do not end your vacation before shopping at Confectionary, Toymaker’s, A Gardener’s Place, Gate House, Marble Lion or Cottage Door, for their original breathtaking gift ideas and souvenirs that will make your vacation memorable.