In celebration of our 3rd successful year of marriage, Susan and I took off on another extended weekend vacation to mark the occasion. To help alleviate some of the necessary driving, the trip was divided into two segments, we'll call them North Carolina and South Carolina.
North Carolina began on Thursday with a midday drive from Cincinnati to Asheville. We had purchased a package through a hotel that included Biltmore Estate admission for consecutive days, so stopped off at the hotel to grab our tickets. We arrived at the Biltmore entrance when most people were leaving for the day since the house tours were closed. Luckily, our plan was to check out the newer section of the estate, which was Antler Village (and farm) and the Winery.
The village is a circle of shops, restaurants and an exhibition gallery. When we arrived, there was a guitarist jamming some Bluegrass in the rotunda. We hit the area shops and made sure we'd have time to hit the winery last, before we grabbed some ice cream and made our way through the farm.
The farm has one section devoted to turn of the century agricultural technology to give an idea of what life was like at the beginning of the estate's history. Another section has a small garden and a farm animal petting zoo, complete with baby goats, rams, horses & chickens.
We concluded the estate visit with a tour of the winery, with a very talkative tour guide, and a tasting (which was unlimited and free with admission to the estate). To make up for the bargain tasting, we spent a good deal restocking wine in the shop afterwards.
Before leaving the estate, Susan was taken by a field of sunflowers so we stopped for a photo shoot. Then, we made our way to downtown Asheville for dinner. We hit up The LAB (Lexington Avenue Brewery) and returned to our modest hotel to take advantage of the rest of the package deal we received, which included champagne and chocolates. 
Friday began with a return to the Biltmore and a tour of the gardens. The tour was abbreviated due to excessive heat, so we grabbed some lunch and decided to take the audio tour of the house. It is mighty impressive, especially the indoor swimming pool. Unfortunately, they outlaw photography in the house. Once our tour was complete, we cruised around the rest of the estate grounds before bidding farewell to Asheville and North Carolina. The remainder of the vacation will be centered in and around Charleston, SC.
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