Day 3 - GA to DC Spring Trip 2026

March 29, 2026 - Today we toured the grounds of the Biltmore Estate. The mansion and gardens are beautiful. Andy checked AI about parking and crowds and it advised that we arrive early because the RV lot can fill up. I guess AI was thinking it was the summer season, because when we arrived at 9:30, we were the first ones in the lot. It never filled up. We had a leisurely breakfast in the camper and set out to explore. The mansion was grand and the gardens beautiful. The tulips and daffodils were spectacular. We didn’t tour the inside of the house because it was $85 each (on top of the $80 we already spent for the grounds and Luminere show). We figured we could find pictures.

We had lunch back at the camper then drove to Antler Village at the other end of the estate. This is where the bike trails are located. The Biltmore website gave great information about the wonderful biking opportunities on the estate, so we were a little disappointed when there was less than 3 miles of paved trails and that the gravel trails were awful. We don’t mind riding on crushed gravel, but these were bumpy and rough. It was like they labeled service roads as bike paths. We rode some of the gravel and the paved trail twice. We did get some nice views of the mansion from the paved trail.

After our bike ride we set out on foot to explore Antler Village. Cute little developed town with shops and limited dinning. We didn’t see anything that interesting us for dinner. It is Sunday and some options were closed, so we opted for little pizzas in the camper. After dinner and a rest we headed back to the mansion for the Luminere show. It was excellent. Shortly after a beautiful sunset sparkling lights began to dance in the garden. The air was filled with music. After walking through the fairly land we settled in front of the mansion for the show. It was “projected” onto the walls of the mansion. Through pictures and the voice of George Vanderbilt’s great granddaughter we learned the story of the house. At times it looked like you could see people walking around the rooms, then the images would change to photos of the family or images of the house being built. it was fantastic.

We’re back at Lake Powhatan State Park for the night. It was sunny but still cold today, tomorrow we’re heading further south. Hopefully I can ditch my fleece lined pants.