Biltmore Estate - Festival of Flowers

The Festival of Flowers at the Biltmore Estate begins April 5 and ends May 18. The Estate gardens are the focus during the spring season, though the house is fun to tour any time of year. The Festival might be one of the best times to visit Biltmore, as the grounds are beautiful and temperatures are usually comfortable - perfect for a stroll or picnic outside.

The first several times I visited Biltmore, we bought house & garden tickets (there are several purchase options) in anticipation of seeing the house and later taking a walk through the garden. Well, by the end of the house tour we'd spent so much time oogling we were either too wiped out to stroll the gardens, or we'd just plain run out of time.

Finally, after 3 years of living in Asheville, I purchased a discounted winter pass sometime in late February (these expire right before the Festival of Flowers). This way, I could spend entire separate afternoons devoted to the house, the winery, the greenhouses, the grounds (full of great trails), or even just the restaurant and gift shops.

There's a trade-off, of course. I didn't get to see the spring flowers - and in fact, never have. Spring visitors will see Biltmore at it's peak, but brief visitors of course don't have the luxury of time to spend exploring the entirety of what Biltmore has to offer.

Carolina Mornings offers Festival of Flowers tickets for $47 to any guest booking a reservation with Carolina Mornings. While guests can purchase Festival of Flowers tickets a little cheaper online through Biltmore, our tickets are valid for two consecutive days.

Two days might not give you enough time to discover every nook and cranny in the Biltmore Estate home (I think even a year wouldn't be enough), but it does allow you the option to slow down and enjoy the house, gift shop, gardens, and winery.

Need to see for yourself how great spring at Biltmore can be? Enjoy this 'Biltmore Insider' video on the Festival of Flowers.
Spring is beautiful in Western Carolina. Today Parker Andes, Biltmore Estate's Director of Horticulture, gives us the details on how his crew grows 95,000 tulips every spring for Festival of Flowers. Then Vonciel Baudouin, Biltmore Estate Winerys culinary specialist, reveals how to put together the perfect spring picnic.