As I drive throughout North Carolina you can’t help but notice the beautiful fall colors, from vibrant red to peach, orange, yellow, gold and burgundy. But the one that stands out the most is the Red Maple sightings I spotted yesterday. Families from all across the country take an annual pilgrimage to the mountains of North Carolina to see the leaves changes colors. Some families have their favorite location where they come back to each year and others rotate and travel to a new location each year.
Peak season for leaf sightings change from year-to-year based upon the weather, latitude and altitude. Refer to the list below for the best leaf sightings in North Carolina by city:
Asheville, NC is the home of the Vanderbuilt’s. The mountain landscape was the perfect setting for the family to take root and build what is known today as the Biltmore House. The location is breathtaking and it also makes a great family vacation for a weekend getaway. There is so much to do on the property that you just can’t do it all in a two-day weekend. You should wear comfortable clothes and shoes since there is a lot of walking if you plan to take the tour of the Biltmore House. Plan on at least 4 hours or more if you have children to tour the entire house. The historical Biltmore estate is still family-owned since 1895. The property is so massive (8,000 acres) that they offer a convenient shuttle service to your car because you just might need some help remembering which lot and how to get back to your car. There are so many favorites about this vacation spot that I captured the most fun activities in a Top Ten list:
#1. Take a ride in the Land Rover at the Land Rover driving school at the Biltmore estates – It’s a fun and cool ride to feel how this car handles the rugged, bumpy mountain trails and how it can drive on two wheels without turning over. You can learn how to drive the Land Rover on the trails or you can sit back and let an experienced driver take you on an experience you will not forget!
#2. Pack your bikes and picnic basket or rent bikes to ride the long paved trails throughout the Biltmore estate and picnic on the lawn or park your bike at the restaurant of choice and have lunch at your choice of restaurants right on the property.
#3. Relax at the SPA while you enjoy your stay in the high-country at the Inn on Biltmore which is high up in the hills of the Biltmore property.
#4. Tour the winery, watch the history video and learn wine tasting at its best in the cellar.
#5. Tour the Biltmore House via audio tour to listen in at your leisure as your walk thru each of the massive rooms or choose to take a personal human guided tour in case you have questions about the Vanderbuilt’s lifestyle. Be prepared to walk a lot up and down stairs since the Biltmore House is a beautiful spacious castle across four acres under one roof measuring 175,000 square feet with 250 rooms, 65 fireplaces, one indoor pool and a bowling alley.
#6. Take the Roof-top tour you’ll enjoy new discoveries from a new vantage point. Your tour guide can tell you the movie that was filmed with the Biltmore estates in it.
#7. Visit the Equestrian center and take a horse-drawn carriage ride – this is the perfect Father’s Day gift so plan ahead and book your ride through the historic grounds of the Biltmore estate
#8. Teens and preteens love the gift shop filled with unique Victorian style jewelry,handbags for souvenirs and the candy shop ..where they can snack on their favorite candy
#9. Children would enjoy the animals at the River Bend farm
#10.Tour the beautiful colorful Biltmore Gardens for new landscape and gardening ideas.
And for cheap hotel deals there are several family friendly hotels in the city of Asheville, NC which is only 10 minutes away from the Biltmore. Check out the following:
As I drive throughout North Carolina you can’t help but notice the beautiful fall colors, from vibrant red to peach, orange, yellow, gold and burgundy. But the one that stands out the most is the Red Maple sightings I spotted yesterday. Families from all across the country take an annual pilgrimage to the mountains of North Carolina to see the leaves changes colors. Some families have their favorite location where they come back to each year and others rotate and travel to a new location each year. 
