Spring 2010 at Biltmore brings the twenty-fifth anniversary the estate’s Winery, the twenty-fifth anniversary of its Festival of Flowers April 3 through May 16, the annual Easter Egg Hunt on April 4, and a new guest attraction scheduled to open on the estate in May called Antler Hill Village.
The Biltmore gardens, designed in the 1890s by the father of landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmstead, come alive in spring with the blooms of tulips, azaleas and all of the native plants of Western North Carolina mountains.
The floral décor of the Festival of Flowers this year will focus on iris, fleur de lis and silver, all symbolic of the twenty-fifth anniversary.
The festival begins with what Biltmore calls a parade of tulips, resulting from 40,000 bulbs planted specifically for the occasion to welcome visitors at the front entrance and across the estate, particularly in the Walled Garden.
After the tulip blooms have run their course, annuals will take their place at the front entrance and elsewhere on the estate. The annuals will include a variety of flowers in keeping with the twenty-fifth anniversary theme in fleur de lis urns. In the Walled Garden, the annuals will form a colorful fleur de lis pattern.
The Biltmore House entrance hall will feature a fresh flower carpet design and six woven commemorative banners highlighting flowers found on the estate. Throughout the house, flower arrangements will have a French influence in their designs with fleur de lis and blues, purples, soft yellows, soft greens and touches of pink, burgundy and red in silver vases.
Beyond the flower displays themselves, the Winter Garden inside the Biltmore House and the Conservatory in the gardens will feature live music in the spring. And on Saturdays and Sundays, visitors can get expert advice at the “Ask a Gardener” station in the Walled Garden.
On Sunday, April 4 (Easter Sunday), festivities include Biltmore’s annual Easter Egg Hunt on the front lawn at 2pm, free and open to children age five and younger when accompanied by a ticketed adult or estate pass holder. Easter activities on the front lawn will also include an appearance by the Easter Rabbit and children’s entertainment including a magician, music, storytelling, mural painting and crafts.
Scheduled to open in May 2010, Antler Hill Village is a new guest attraction included as part of daily admission to Biltmore. This pedestrian-friendly village will be a center of activity with ties to Biltmore’s past, present and future.
The village will join two of the estate’s most popular and historically significant attractions, the Winery and the River Bend Farm, and provide a number of new venues:
The Biltmore Legacy exhibition space will feature historic objects and exhibits, interpreters, interactive displays and a theater setting, along with Biltmore-inspired retail merchandise for the home.
From the Outdoor Adventure Center, visitors will set out on Biltmore’s many unique outdoor activities ranging from carriage rides and horseback riding to river float trips, biking, hiking, Segway tours, sporting clays, fly-fishing school, and even a Land Rover driving school.
Cedric’s Tavern will provide a relaxed atmosphere for classic food and drink and live music during extended hours.
The Creamery, a tribute to the original Biltmore Dairy Bar, will offer signature shakes, root beer floats, premium ice creams, gourmet coffee and pastries.
Finally, the village will be home to Traditions, a retail home store with contemporary décor items and local crafts.
