For generations, families have been making a pilgrimage to Asheville, N.C., to tour America's largest home and its gardens on Biltmore Estate. It's one of those iconic Southern attractions that people might have gawked at in their youth but haven't seen since. While the Biltmore of yesteryear is still there in all its glory, if you haven't been to this bucolic 8,000-acre estate in the past decade you'll be surprised by all there is to do now.
Asheville itself has long been a hot spot for mountain tourism -- their minor league baseball team has been called The Tourists for nearly a century -- but lately there's a modern city flair that draws visitors to this newly hip hamlet.
What's new at Biltmore
People who haven't been there in a while don't realize that Biltmore is now an overnight destination as well as a place to spend the day. The 210-room Inn on Biltmore Estate, a hotel created so visitors don't have to leave the grounds when the day's activities are done, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Antler Hill Village opened last year, offering plenty more activities to choose from. The village is a short stroll from the inn and acts as an informal town square and village green for Biltmore. It contains a winery offering tours and a complimentary tasting room, shops, restaurants, a pub, live music and an outdoor adventure center. The adventure center has a wide array of options for outdoor fun on the estate grounds, from a Land Rover off-road driving experience to float trips and kayaking on the French Broad River, horseback riding, Segway tours, bike excursions, a fly-fishing school and sporting clays.
Antler Hill Farm, adjacent to the village, focuses on the agricultural legacy of Biltmore with exhibits and live demonstrations that depict what 19th-century farm life was like. Kids will be thrilled by an close-up experience with the many barnyard animals on the farm.
A craft beer destination
Asheville's modern resurgence has turned a once declining downtown area into a culinary, shopping and music hub, as well as a craft beer lover's nirvana. With eight craft breweries in a city that has a population hovering around 80,000, Asheville claims to have more breweries per capita than any any other U.S. city, with more slated to open and another located in nearby Black Mountain. The city has adopted the unofficial moniker of "Beer City USA" after edging out Portland, Ore., last year in an online poll on America's best beer towns. A good introduction to craft beer culture in Asheville is a trip aboard the Asheville Brews Cruise (www.ashevillebrewscruise.com), a guided brewery tour that includes generous tasting samples at multiple stops (plan to take a cab or walk back to your hotel after the tour).
Two of Asheville's best pubs are located at the intersection of Patton and Coxe avenues downtown; Thirsty Monk boasts a Belgium beer bar in its stone basement and Jack of the Wood is a cozy English/Irish-style pub. Harder to find, but still a can't-miss spot for hop heads, is Wedge Brewing Company located next to a train yard in the River Arts District, a section of town where former industrial buildings have been transformed into artist's work spaces and galleries. At Wedge the only thing on the menu is beer and free bowls of roasted peanuts and most of the seating is outside. You'll feel like a local as you hoist a handcrafted pint at the communal tables next to a gravel parking lot.
If you go
Asheville is a 3-1/2-hour drive from Atlanta. Take I-85 north to I-185 in Greenville, get off at the first exit and follow the signs for U.S. 25 north to I-26 north, which will take you into Asheville.
Stay
Inn on Biltmore Estate. Luxurious inn on a hilltop overlooking the estate. Request a room with a view of the mountains (may cost extra). 1 Antler Hill Road, Asheville, N.C. 800-411-3812, www.biltmore.com/stay/.
Hotel Indigo. For those wanting to stay downtown, this boutique hotel is within easy walking distance to shopping, dining, pubs and attractions. 828-239-0239, www.ashevillehotellodgingdowntown.com/HotelIndigo/.
Eat
Tupelo Honey. Longtime favorite with locals and visitors, this downtown restaurant serves gourmet New South cuisine. Big, fluffy cathead biscuits accompany each meal. 12 College St., Asheville, N.C. 828-255-4863, www.tupelohoneycafe.com.
White Duck Taco Shop. New taqueria in the River Arts District serving an ever-changing menu of creative and affordable gourmet tacos. 1 Roberts St., Asheville, N.C. 828-258-1660,
www.whiteducktacoshop.com.
Visitor info
Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau. 36 Montford Ave., Asheville, N.C. 828-258-6101, www.exploreasheville.com.
Biltmore Estate. 1 Lodge St., Asheville, N.C. 828-225-1333, www.biltmore.com.
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