Asheville, Day 2: Biltmore Birthday

For our first full day in Asheville, we kicked off our day with an amazing breakfast at Early Girl Eatery.  Check out my review of the meal here.

From there, it was off to check out the Biltmore Estate.  I'd been once before, but it was Duke's first trip.  The expansive grounds were just so impressive.  We did the full house tour, which is always unbelievable.  This time, now that I'm a Downton Abbey addict, I found myself envisioning the whole upstairs-downstairs dynamic!

The whole house was decorated with beautiful orchids for Biltmore Blooms, despite the cold weather outside!  We actually saw snow flurries.  The winds were cold and strong, so that curtailed our walk through the gardens.

We decided to head up to Antler Hill Village to grab lunch at the Bistro.  The food was great, as I remembered it from my last visit.  I especially loved the breads they served!  I was glad to fill up my tummy, since our next stop was to go next door for wine tasting.

I love the Biltmore Winery.  They have free tastings, so we were able to pick up a few bottles that we liked the best.

After such a full day, we decided to take a rest back at our hotel; the Aloft was an easy drive to and from.  We had reservations at The Dining Room at the Inn on Biltmore Estate to celebrate my birthday, so we dressed up (Duke was dapper in a suit!) and returned back in time for our meal.

I can't say enough good things about that meal.  You can read all about it here.  But it was one of the best in my life, possibly the best ever for my birthday!  It was so special, the perfect ending to a perfect day.

We even upgraded our tickets to a 12-month pass, we can return to the Biltmore and enjoy it throughout the different seasons!