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Intro

Famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted designed the grounds at Biltmore with visitors in mind. Flowers, shrubbery, and trees were his brush strokes as he intended the landscape to resemble a “walk through painting.” If you are looking for an upscale adventure close to town come play on the meticulously manicured grounds of Biltmore.

What Makes It Great

Construction of George Vanderbilt’s 250-room French Renaissance chateau began in 1889. An entire community of craftsmen came together, over a six year period, to construct this architectural marvel. It is a well-known fact that Biltmore is the largest private residence ever constructed in the United States. It may however surprise you to learn that Biltmore hosts a variety of outdoor activities available to all guests and season pass holders.

The intricate beauty of Biltmore grounds is something that is best enjoyed “one step at a time.” Take a stroll through the meadows at Deer Park, amongst the estate’s noble forests, or along the placid French Broad River on Biltmore’s 22 miles of hiking trails. If you find yourself visiting in the warmer months, explore the labyrinth of Garden Trails which lead you through a variety of gardens adorned with a worldly display of flora.

Who is Going to Love It

Biltmore has a variety of activities for anyone: hiking, biking, horse back riding, and a Land Rover Ride-Along.

Directions, Parking, & Regulations

Access to outdoor activities at Biltmore is limited to pass holders, plan your visit and get your passes here.

Here is a free tip; if you are visiting and want to make the most out of a one day pass, purchase your ticket after 3pm and it will grant you access to the grounds for the following day as well. If you live in the Asheville area, take the plunge, buy a season pass and have year-round access to the outdoor wonders of Biltmore!

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Featured image provided by Doug Letterman

It is a well-documented phenomenon that romance flourishes in the outdoors, particularly in autumn, when chilly temperatures flood us with relief from the sweltering summer. Maybe it’s the brisk wind that pinks the cheeks and sparkles the eye that fills us with a craving for coziness and companionship, or perhaps it’s our inborn desire to find love before the frozen winter. Grab your soul mate (or your tinder date) and spend every moment that you can out of doors during this crisp, bright season. Here are five outdoor dates perfect for autumn in the Blue Ridge.

1. Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower

The views from atop fire lookouts inspire romance.
The views from atop fire lookouts inspire romance.
Emily Poisel

Jack Kerouac loved lookout towers. The years he spent living in a remote fire tower on Desolation Peak altered the course of his life and his writings. But you don’t have to be a beat poet to enjoy the stark elegance or the sweeping mountain views of these lofty structures. The 70-foot lookout tower on the summit of Fryingpan Mountain is open to the public, although it remains a bit of a well-kept secret. There’s a good chance you’ll have the tower, and the mountaintop, all to yourself.

The top tower is locked, but five flights of steel stairs will bring you just below the platform, for a breath-taking view that includes the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the Shining Rock Wilderness. At such great height, be prepared for gusty winds and chilly temperatures; you may have to draw each other close. If Fryingpan isn’t your jam, we’ve got more lookout towers to explore.

Fryingpan Mountain is accessible by a quick hike up Forest Service Road 450, at milepost 409.6 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

2. Picnic at Black Balsam Knob

Catching the last of the sun's rays on Black Balsam Knob.
Catching the last of the sun’s rays on Black Balsam Knob.
Melina Coogan

You’ve come prepared with soft cheese, a baguette, a box of chocolates, and a wool blanket to spread upon the summit of Black Balsam Knob. After double-checking the forecast and meticulously timing your approach, you and your companion are basking in the rich and flattering light that briefly illuminates the world directly before sunset. You are 6,214 feet above the sea, yet the hike on the Art Loeb Spur trail was a mere quarter mile long. In short, you have orchestrated the best picnic date in the history of picnic dates.

Do not neglect to bring a pair of binoculars and a small notebook. Then, as you watch the sun drop over Shining Rock Wilderness, Looking Glass Rock, Cold Mountain, Mount Pisgah (and even Mt. Mitchell, but only on a day of astonishing clarity) jot down a plan to climb together up every peak that you can see. Many years later, when you look back on the rich and adventurous life that you have shared, you’ll  trace it back to this moment, this one sweet and windy picnic in the Great Balsam Range. Or at least, this is the hope.

From Asheville, catch the Blue Ridge Parkway near the North Carolina Arboretum and head south for 25 miles. Just after mile marker 420 there will be a sign on your right for the Black Balsam area.

3. Group Ride with Asheville on Bikes

Put a spin on the “group hang” with a community bike ride.
Put a spin on the “group hang” with a community bike ride.
Garry Knight

Sometimes, it’s best to keep things casual. If it’s more your style to get to know someone in a laid back and social atmosphere, check out the group rides hosted by  Asheville on Bikes , a local nonprofit dedicated to bicycle advocacy and education. A community bike ride puts an athletic spin on the ever popular “group hang,” a dating trend which avoids the potential pitfalls of a one-on-one engagement.

AOB offers scheduled group rides from May to October, as well as a number of bike related events, volunteer opportunities and social mixers throughout the year. Pedal through town at a relaxed pace that just might facilitate good conversation. At the end of the ride, all that fresh air and endorphins will have instilled in you the courage to ask her out to dinner, or maybe to the top of a fire tower.

4. Trails and Wine Tasting at the Biltmore Estate

The Biltmore in autumn.
The Biltmore in autumn.
Leonard Silver

Biltmore is the largest privately owned home in the United States, lavishly adorned and preserved in the splendor of its railroad-moneyed heyday. This may sound like an unlikely attraction for the outdoor enthusiast, until one considers the 8,000 acres of forest, ornate gardens, trails, and broad meadows across which a pack of horses can occasionally be seen galloping.

Treat your companion to an unusual date of outdoor opulence, one which delights all of the senses. Hike through fragrant orchards of ripe grapes and apples, savor the autumn foliage of dogwoods, sourwoods, maples, gums, sassafras and oak. Explore the vibrant chrysanthemums and salvias inside the Walled Gardens and study the delicate orchards in a glass-roofed greenhouse.

After you’ve worked up an appetite on the trails, duck inside the Biltmore Winery at Antler Hill Village. A guided tour and complimentary wine tasting are included in the price of admission. (The price of admission is steep, so drink up!)

5. Visit an Apple Orchard

An apple orchard is an idyllic place to fall in love.
An apple orchard is an idyllic place to fall in love.
Tabitha Blue

Nothing on earth will get you into the spirit and festivities of the season more than an apple orchard. The future holds plenty of opportunity to barrel down steep creeks and stand atop rugged summits with your love interest by your side; for now, allow yourself to relax and bask in the campy pleasures of hayrides, scarecrows, and corn mazes.

Perched high in the mountains of Flat Rock, North Carolina, Sky Top Orchard offers 22 varieties of apples, pumpkins and gourds, freshly made doughnuts and gallons of cold cider. The farther you stroll from the barn, the more solitude you’ll find amongst the fruit trees. Cap it off with a pizza at the Flat Rock Village Bakery or a plate of wood-fired BBQ at the Hubba Hubba Smokehouse. After this day, you’ll wish it were harvest all year round.

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Originally written by RootsRated.

Featured image provided by Melina Coogan