Biltmore Park Asheville, NC

Though the development of Biltmore Park remains fresh, the area contains quite a bit of history. The area first attracted attention in the late 19th century as the home to George W. Vanderbilt's magnificent Biltmore Estate. Located in the midst of rolling green mountains, natural rivers and lakes, the land provided a prime spot for the young heir's extravagant property.

However, the true beginnings of what makes Biltmore Park the place it is today started with the revolutionary vision of two companies, Crosland and Biltmore Farms. Engineered for the purpose of being North Carolina's first mixed-use community, Biltmore Park takes pride in being self-sustainable, exceptionally livable and environmentally friendly. The principles of New Urbanism on which the neighborhood was founded focus on creating meaningful connections between people in the community.

Though the neighborhood lacks any traditional museums, don't miss visiting the Biltmore Estate. Serving as a historical monument in itself, the 8,000-acre home of George Vanderbilt takes you on an educational and scenic journey through America's largest home and vast grounds.

Biltmore Park includes a state-of-the-art, stadium-style movie theater screening showings daily. The Regal Biltmore Grande Stadium 15 has all the latest films to hit the big screen. In summer, residents can enjoy listening to live music while enjoying the fresh air at the Concerts in the Park series.

Biltmore Park contains more than enough restaurant options for the residents of the neighborhood. Within Biltmore Park Town Square, you can find every type of cuisine from Chinese to Italian to American breakfast. While the neighborhood does include some chain favorites, such as P.F. Changs and Which Wich, it also provides a few unique local establishments.

Mosaic Cafe serves as the local neighborhood coffee shop while also acting as a great breakfast or lunch spot. The owners of Mosaic pride themselves on only using fresh, local, and organic ingredients while still offering meals at affordable prices. The cafe even sources its coffee locally, originating from Bean Werks Coffee & Tea located in West Asheville. Residents love the neighborhood-friendly feel of the place and often frequent the cafe looking for a good breakfast wrap or grilled panini.

For a more formal dining experience, check out 131 Main for a fancy take on Southern-style cooking. In pleasant weather, ask for a table outside and sit near the outdoor fireplace. On Tuesdays, the restaurant provides special wine menus priced at half their normal value. The menus change seasonally, so you can always find something new to eat upon revisiting.

Although the neighborhood lacks in live music venues compared to Asheville, that doesn't mean that you can't to find a bar nearby. The Thirsty Monk serves as the go-to neighborhood bar, and it was voted as the second best place to grab a craft beer in the South. With over 20 rotating taps and a full food menu, this bar acts as a great place to meet up with friends after work. Stop by on Sunday afternoon after 3 p.m. for a refined cocktail and appetizer tasting.

Hickory Tavern's televisions, beer and bar food make it a great place to catch a football game. The bar lives and breathes all things sports, with open fantasy leagues for football season and drink specials for game days. As far as night clubs and lounges go, Biltmore Park prefers to stay on the family-friendly side; night clubbers should expect to take a short trip to Asheville for a wild night out on the town.

Constructed as an urban village, Biltmore Park provides optimal transportation options for its residents, ensuring that people can find everything they need for daily life within the neighborhood. Located between Asheville's city center and the Asheville Airport, Biltmore Park sits in a convenient location for a quick trip to the airport. In addition, the neighborhood's position to the east of I-26 provides for easy access to the highway and Hendersonville Road.

Since county schools lie within or just beyond of the neighborhood, most children can walk to school on the sidewalks that line nearly every street of Biltmore Park. Residents love being able to leave their cars behind and walk to almost any destination in the neighborhood. Bike owners enjoy the abundance of sidewalks and bike lanes for transit within the area.

Most restaurants and business provide parking spaces, though the spots rarely fill up due to the pedestrian-friendly nature of the area. The South 1 and South 3 lines of the Asheville Transit network serve Biltmore Park and can take passengers into Asheville's city center. Taxi drivers prove an extremely rare sight to the neighborhood, so call ahead if you need a lift.

Surrounded by some of the nation's most beautiful and well-known state parks, residents of Biltmore Park have no shortage of options when it comes to outdoor activities. The neighborhood lies just minutes from the iconic Blue Ridge Parkway, which leads into Gorges State Park and provides gorgeous scenery along the way.

Though the larger state parks seem more spacious and grandiose, Lake Julian Park remains the closest and most accessible park to the neighborhood. Despite its smaller size, Lake Julian Park manages to keep its visitors very busy with fishing, boating, picnicking and outdoor sports such as sand volleyball, horseshoe and disc golf.

The serene Lake Julian provides calm waters for canoes and paddle boats, though pontoon boats also can be seen on the lake from time to time. Entrance to the park doesn't cost you anything, but use of boats, fishing permits and picnic shelter reservations require a fee. Walking and hiking trails surround Lake Julian as well, providing ample space for exercising.

In addition to the everyday activities, Lake Julian Park sponsors annual events for the entire community to enjoy. On the Fourth of July, the park staff hosts a free fireworks show over the lake. Kids love the Scarecrow Festival in autumn, occurring on the first Saturday of October each year. With hundreds of scarecrow models competing, only one artist takes home the grand prize at the end of the day.

Even though the nearby area of Biltmore Forest features some of the most expensive and high-end homes in North Carolina, Biltmore Park provides more affordable options. A one-bedroom apartment in the neighborhood rents for as little as $650 a month. Average rates for one-bedroom apartments range between $625 to $900. The cost of living for the neighborhood resides just below the price of a bigger city such as Asheville. Due to the close proximity of so many restaurants and businesses, residents save a lot of money on transportation throughout the year. Compared to the state of North Carolina as a whole, Biltmore Park ranks about 35.6 percent higher than the average. However, this statistic makes sense due to the large number of families living in the area who incur additional expenses for children.

Biltmore Park provides plenty of shopping options from local boutiques to well-established chains. With its close proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains and Lake Julian, outdoor clothing and equipment stores service the area, such as REI and Orvis.

Biltmore Park Town Square includes an outdoor plaza with a variety of shops, both large and small. The selection of specialty shops doesn't disappoint boutique lovers. The plaza provides a good balance between large retailers and local treasures. Future brides cannot skip Wildflower Bridal for its amazing service and unique dress selection, while locally-owned BETTE offers fashionable apparel from lesser-known clothing designers.

For those who love stationery, Baggie Goose provides paper templates for any event. Although the shop specializes in weddings and birthday parties, the staff hold true to the slogan: "If it's done on paper, we do it." Stop by this local boutique for some designing fun and get creative with your next event invitations.

As the nearest location to the Town Center, Ingles Market provides grocery options to most residents of the neighborhood. Ingles also includes a Starbucks and a gas station in the parking lot.

Although it requires a drive on the highway, the Western North Carolina Farmers Market proves to be worth the trip. With tons of fresh, local produce options as well as homemade delicacies such as jams, cakes and honey, shopping for food also becomes an entertaining day out.