I highly recommend you explore the Biltmore Estate with dogs!
On our way back home from Memphis, TN, that’s exactly what Missy & I did when we finally got a chance to walk the beautiful grounds of Biltmore Estate.
We left Saturday morning and made the 6 hour drive to Knoxville, TN. We spent the night at the same pet-friendly economy hotel Red Roof Inn we had stayed at 2 weeks before.
Sunday morning at 7:30, we left the hotel and thoroughly enjoyed our trip back through the Great Smokeys. There’s just something calming and majestic about the mountains!
We hadn’t had the time to stop for a walk or hike on our way to Knoxville two weeks ago, but we certainly did on our way back.
Our Sunday was wide open with no specific time we needed to be back in Fayetteville.
That’s why we took exit 50 off of I-40 East after we had been on the road for 2 hours, and followed the signs to the Biltmore Estate, finished in 1895 by George Vanderbilt.
Biltmore Estate with Dogs: Walking the Grounds with Missy
Conveniently Located In Asheville, NC Right Off Of I-40
Biltmore Estate is very conveniently located in Asheville, just about a 5 minute drive from the Interstate.
Leashed dogs are allowed on the entirety of the estate grounds – they cover 8,000 acres.
That means you could walk all day long!
Biltmore House
We did have to purchase a ticket at the Estate’s Welcome Center before being able to pull into the main parking lot.
From there, it took us about 5 minutes to walk to the Biltmore House (there are also shuttle busses).
The ticket grants access to the Biltmore House & gardens, as well as to their current exhibition Fashionable Romance: 60 Years of Vanderbilt Family Wedding Fashion.
It features Jackie Kennedy’s Wedding Veil (Jackie was the cousin of Mary Lee Ryan who married George Vanderbilt’s grandson William A.V. Cecil).
It also includes a free wine tasting at the Estate Winery.
Side Note: Did you know that the Biltmore House is the largest privately owned home in the USA? It’s 175,000 sf (= 16,258 sm; yes, you read that right!) and features 34 bedrooms & 43 bathrooms.
Since dogs aren’t allowed inside the Biltmore House (exception applies to service dogs), we didn’t get to tour it.
That was quite alright with us as we were more interested in enjoying the good mountain air and the fabulous views.
Although – YES, I do admit that I would have been interested in seeing Jackie Kennedy’s wedding veil.
Mother Nature’s Beauty
We certainly DID get our fair share of fresh mountain air and gorgeous views of Mother Nature’s beauty in the 2 hours we spent at Biltmore.
Of course we only saw a fraction of the grounds, namely the Library & South Terraces, the Italian Garden & the Shrub Garden.
We’ll have to come back during fall and experience the Spring Garden, Walled Garden, Rose Garden, Conservatory, Azalea Garden as well as the Bass Pond & Boat House!
Core-Strengthening Exercise
While we did of course enjoy the beautiful scenery (Mommy) and most interesting smells (Missy), we were also able to incorporate some core-strenghtening exercises while walking the Estate Grounds.
We walked up & down several flights of stairs, and Missy took a closer look at the Koi & goldfish in the water gardens by putting her front paws up on the surrounding small wall.
Now THAT’s a fun way of exercising, isn’t it?!
Biltmore Estate with Dogs: Bottom Line
Our 2 hour excursion to the Biltmore Estate was THE perfect break from our road trip.
Besides getting to empty our K9 & human bladders, we enjoyed the fresh air & spectacular views of the surrounding mountains all while stretching our legs.
Missy was busy picking up her doggie news and Mommy reminisced about our past 2 weeks of vacationing in Memphis.
On our way back to the Interstate we stopped off at the local Starbucks, VERY conveniently located right after the first right hand turn out of the Estate’s gate.
Mommy had her personal Starbucks cup filled up with a tasty cappuccino that was accompanied by the clerk’s words “May it carry you through the day” – which it certainly did!
Have you visited the Biltmore Estate? As always, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section!
Related Reading:
Winter getaway to dog-friendly Hilton Head Island
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