Anniversary Trip to the Inn at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina

We just got back from an amazing night stay at the Inn at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. We were very hesitant of staying in a hotel given the state of things right now, but decided since we haven’t had a night away in 8 months it was worth the risk. I will say that I was beyond comfortable at the Inn, they are taking precautions and everyone is very respectful in keeping distance and wearing masks. I highly recommend traveling to Asheville or anywhere in Buncombe county right now as the people and visitors are being very diligent.

We got to the Inn around 6 on Thursday evening, after dropping the boys off at my in-laws house. Upon check in, we realized that the hotel is no way at capacity and that things are a little different. The elevators are limited to 4 people, everyone is required to wear masks in open areas, there was only one restaurant open, bars are closed and there is plenty of hand sanitizer to go around.

Our room overlooked the Asheville skyline and was extremely clean. After quick showers, we went to enjoy a glass of wine on the back porch. We chatted and enjoyed the view. Around 8, we realized that we needed to go down to the Dining Room for dinner. Many restaurants are closed and we planned on enjoying the hotel’s restaurant. When we went down for dinner, there was a line of people waiting to place to-go orders as the restaurant was at capacity (probably 10 couples sitting down, but based on the rules in place, it was capacity). Note: they don’t take reservations-it is first come, first serve; so plan on an earlier dinner!

We grabbed our to-go order and went back up to the rocking chair porch. It was a beautiful evening and a perfect setting for our dinner. We chatted with a couple from Michigan and ended the evening laughing.

On Friday morning, we grabbed a cup of coffee and ventured around the property. We knew we wanted to go on a bike ride and it was nice to get a lay of the land before hoping on our bikes. There are so many different trails around the Biltmore property, and staying at the hotel gives you access to the grounds which is a total bonus!

Drew and I rode the property for 2 hours and covered over 14 miles. We had a map, but got completely lost a couple of times and ended up on roads and gravel trails we weren’t supposed to be on (oops!). It was so much fun!

We biked all the way to the Biltmore Estate and parked our bikes to walk around the gardens. Getting there early in the morning was so nice and peaceful. The flowers are gorgeous and the tempertutres were perfect. It was so much fun spending time together and getting some exercise in. I seriously felt like a kid again, biking all around with not a care in the world.

Following our biking excursion, we showered up and headed downtown Asheville for lunch. We stood in line (spaced 6 ft apart) to go to Wicked Weed. It was worth the wait! The food was amazing and service was impeccable. Following our lunch, we walked the streets of Asheville before heading back to my in-laws.

It was amazing having alone time with Drew. We didn’t realize how much we needed and missed the time together. I highly recommend the Inn at Biltmore Estate to anyone and especially now with the hotel rates a little bit less (and it being a lot less crowded!). We had a great night away and felt refreshed heading back to the kids 🙂