Biltmore Blooms is an annual event featuring the gorgeous Olmsted-designed gardens of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.
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One of the most spectacular places in the United States is the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.
After moving to the area in 2014, my parents quickly became members of the Biltmore. They visit multiple times per year, which means every time I make the trip out to see them, the estate is on the itinerary.
You’d think visiting the same place over and over could get old. It doesn’t.
One reason it’s worth repeat visits is that it is so immense it’s impossible to see everything in one go. At 178,926 square feet, it’s the largest privately-owned house in the country.
Built by George Washington Vanderbilt II (of THE Vanderbilts) between 1889 and 1895, it’s still owned by his descendants. I’ve taken multiple tours of the house and every time I learn something new (and drool over the library).
Another is that they’ve always got something happening. Whether it’s the clothing of Downton Abbey or the Titanic, or glass sculptures by famed artist Dale Chihuly, or their seasonal Christmas display, the Biltmore Estate provides reasons to return again and again.
One of my favorite reasons to visit the Biltmore is their grounds and gardens. In a word, they’re stunning.
The 8,000 acre estate was designed by the Father of American Landscape Architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted. His other works, with partner Calvert Vaux, include NYC’s Central Park and multiple parks in Chicago, including Jackson Park, Washington Park, and the Midway Plaisance, all three part of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.
Side note: Frederick Law Olmsted and William Le Baron Jenney, the Father of the Skyscraper, met during the Civil War and worked together several times. Olmsted designed parks on the southern side of Chicago, and Jenney designed the parks on the west. You can learn more in Living Landmarks of Chicago.
If you’ve been to any of those parks, you’ve seen first-hand that Olmsted’s work is genius. Exploring Biltmore Blooms will reinforce and magnify that opinion. The sheer scale of the landscape, with its managed forests, walled garden, greenhouse, and two and a half miles of paths, would be overwhelming if it weren’t so expertly designed.
In the spring the gardens awaken with a cacophony of color. Biltmore Blooms is a riotous explosion of tulips, daffodils, azaleas, hyacinths, and more.
Let’s take a virtual stroll through the gardens and the greenhouse.
Photo Tour of Biltmore Blooms
For a virtual tour that’s completely different, check out this post on a first timer’s visit to Yellowstone National Park or this Elgin Illinois public art walk.
Details on visiting the Biltmore Estate:
Biltmore is located at 1 Lodge St, Asheville, NC 28803. The estate includes the house itself, Antler Hill Village & Winery, a total of 15 dining venues, 13 shops, three overnight properties, the gardens, and walking paths, all on 8,000 acres.
Click here to find a hotel near the Biltmore Estate
The admissions gate opens daily at 8:30am and closes at 6:30pm Spring through Fall and at 5:30pm during the winter.
Tours are offered daily, and reservations are required on weekends except late January through March.
Get tickets to the Biltmore Estate
