Check-in and pick up program materials, orientation, and reception to meet the staff and your new friends.

Arrive To: Check in to rooms beginning at 3:00pm. Registration begins at 4:30pm. Prepare for an exciting week, exploring the surprisingly sophisticated and historic city of Asheville, NC. You will take in the grand home and breathtaking gardens of George Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate, as well as other unforgettable western North Carolina attractions.

Dinner: Dinner at the Blue Ridge Assembly dining hall overlooking the wooded areas of the region. All meals at the Blue Ridge Assembly Conference Center unless otherwise noted.

Evening: Dinner will be followed by an orientation and reception, getting the week kicked off in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Participants will receive written material to supplement the educational and historical values of their week.

Lodging: Blue Ridge Assembly- Blue Ridge Center

Meals Included: Dinner

Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center, the North Carolina Arboretum, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Cradle of Forestry and Looking Glass Falls.

Note: There is a considerable amount of leisurely walking today as we explore the vast lands that George W. Vanderbilt owned. Our visit to the Cradle of Forestry includes a 1.3 mile hike on a paved trail.

Breakfast: Full breakfast buffet.

Morning: After breakfast we'll board the coach and travel to the Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center where you will learn about the parkway's history, climate and habitat through innovative, high-tech interactive exhibits. The parkway is America's longest and most narrow national park, 469 miles long, connecting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The remainder of the morning will be spent on the 434 acre North Carolina Arboretum, a public garden in the Pisgah National Forest that serves as a center for botanical education, research, conservation, economic development and garden demonstrations.

Lunch: A delicious picnic lunch included along the way!

Afternoon: From the NC Arboretum we'll travel approximately 18 miles to the south, meandering through the rocky tunnels and climbing in elevation to the peaks of Mt. Pisgah and Fryingpan Mountain. Exiting the parkway at the Cold Mountain overlook, we'll travel down the ridge to the Cradle of Forestry, the site of the first forestry school in America. The school was founded by Dr. Carl Schenck, chief forester for George Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate. The wonderfully restored buildings, including a schoolhouse, a commissary and student quarters, a portable saw mill and logging locomotive, give visitors a glimpse of life at the school in the early 1900's. A short drive from there will bring us to Looking Glass Falls, one of the most popular waterfalls in North Carolina.

Dinner: Full buffet dinner at the Blue Ridge Assembly

Evening: This evening a local historian will present a program on the unique and beautiful city of Asheville, North Carolina, in preparation for tomorrow's visit.

Lodging: Blue Ridge Assembly- Blue Ridge Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

A Gray Line Historical Trolley Tour of Asheville will be the highlight for today!!!

Note: Learn of the history, culture and architecture of Asheville aboard the Gray Line Trolley, then enjoy the remainder of the day visiting the sites of your choice at your own pace.

Breakfast: Full breakfast buffet.

Morning: This morning learn about Asheville's early settlers, famous citizens and authors aboard the historic Gray Line Trolley. You'll also learn of the architecture, the history and the arts that make Asheville a very unique and special place.

Lunch: Lunch on your own in one of the many quaint eating establishments in downtown Asheville.

Afternoon: This afternoon enjoy the hop-on and hop-off services of the Gray Line Trolley. Visit the sites that you want to see...the River Arts District, Pack Square, the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, the Basilica of St. Lawrence, the Grove Arcade...you decide. Simply hop-on and hop-off at the designated stops along the tour route. Trolleys run throughout the day and pick up in 30 minute intervals.

Dinner: Full dinner buffet.

Evening: Cultural Presentation.

Lodging: Blue Ridge Assembly- Blue Ridge Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

After an early morning of free time, we'll enjoy a lecture on the Vanderbilts and the Estate. We'll then board the coach for a visit to the Antler Hill Village, the Biltmore Winery and George Vanderbilt's church, All Souls Cathedral.

Note: Spend your early morning free-time relaxing or hiking one of the beautiful trails on the assembly grounds. Trail maps are available at the front desk. There will be a fair amount of afternoon walking as we visit Antler Hill Village, the estate winery and the All Souls Cathedral.

Breakfast: Full breakfast buffet.

Morning: Free early morning. Optional activity: a nature/history walk on the Blue Ridge Assembly Campus, one time home of Black Mountain College and location for the "28 Days" movie filming. Mid-morning a noted lecturer will tell us about the Vanderbilt family and the magnificent Biltmore Estate.

Lunch: Full lunch buffet.

Afternoon: During this first visit to the Biltmore Estate, you will visit the Biltmore Estate Winery and Tasting Room, where you can enjoy complimentary wine or grape juice tasting. You will tour the historic cellars and learn the steps of quality wine production. Just outside the entrance to the Winery, you will have time to explore Antler Hill Village, an area of exhibitions, live entertainment, dining and shopping. All Souls Episcopal Cathedral will be the next stop of the day. Inspired by the abbey churches in northern England, the style of the church is Romanesque to Gothic, and the plan of the main church building is cruciform (cross shaped) using the proportions of the Greek cross. The church was conceived by George Vanderbilt to be the central focus of Biltmore Village and was designed, together with the Parish Hall, by Richard Morris Hunt, architect of the Biltmore House. The buildings were completed in 1896 and consecrated on November 8th of that year. Vanderbilt gave possession of the church buildings to the Wardens and Vestry October 26, 1896. He served as Senior Warden for eighteen years until his death in 1914. The cathedral is surrounded by Biltmore Village. Now an eclectic collection of upscale shops and eateries, Biltmore Village recreates the quaint atmosphere of an English community. The Village was originally conceived by Vanderbilt to serve the needs of the staff of Biltmore Estate but has evolved over the years to serve the thousands of visitors who come to Asheville and to Biltmore Estate each year.

Dinner: Full dinner buffet.

Evening: Enjoy videos about the Biltmore Estate. Learn about the architecture and treasures of the Estate as well as receive glimpses into tomorrow's visit to America's Largest Home!

Lodging: Blue Ridge Assembly- Blue Ridge Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Begin the day with a visit to the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Spend the remainder of the day at the Biltmore Estate during the most lovely of times, the Festival of Flowers.

Note: This is your day! Spend it in the grand house, in the gardens, and on a special guided behind-the-scenes tour. Bring your walking shoes and your camera!

Breakfast: Full breakfast buffet.

Morning: Before we make our final visit to the Biltmore Estate, we will head back to the Blue Ridge Parkway to visit the Folk Art Center. The Center is home to the Southern Highland Craft Guild and showcases the finest in traditional and contemporary crafts of the Southern Appalachians. The center also houses three galleries, a library and a craft shop, with live craft demonstrations daily in the lobby. Then, we will return to the Biltmore Estate for a self-paced, self-guided tour of the 250-room Vanderbilt home. There, you will see the luxurious living areas of the Vanderbilt family, lovingly restored to the grandeur of Vanderbilt's time, and filled with priceless, carefully preserved artworks and furnishings. You will also enjoy a special behind-the-scenes guided tour.

Lunch: Lunch on your own at the Biltmore Estate. The Stable Cafe Restaurant has a nice selection of sandwiches and gourmet lunches.

Afternoon: Afternoon continues at the Biltmore Estate, as you spend time wandering the gardens and shops or enjoying the beautiful views afforded from the home itself. Biltmore is famous for creating a wonderland of tulips in early spring. In addition to tulips, the gardens boast acres of azaleas, forsythia, spirea, magnolia, flowering cherries, dogwoods, redbuds, poppies, pansies and many other varieties of flowering shrubs and trees. Visit the glass-roofed Conservatory, which was designed by Biltmore House architect Richard Morris Hunt, and which operates much as it did in Vanderbilt's Day. There, thousands of flowers and plants for Biltmore Gardens are nurtured before transplant. The central room of the conservatory is a Palm House , where a large collection of palms, ferns and other foliage plants have thrived for many years. Annexes include a cool house, a hot house and an orchid house.

Dinner: Full dinner buffet.

Evening: Use this free time as an opportunity to visit some of the many local points of interest or prepare for departure on Friday.

Lodging: Blue Ridge Assembly- Blue Ridge Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Final presentation (includes information about Christmas at the Biltmore Estate) and departure

Breakfast: Full breakfast buffet.

Morning: Final presentations, wrap-up question and answers, passports, and check-out. Approximate end time is 10:30 AM.

Lunch: Box lunch provided upon request

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch