Biltmore & Smoky Mountain Fall Foliage

Estimated Tour Pricing Inclusions: 5 nights’ accommodation, 5 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 5 dinners, admissions, entrance, and guide fees as stated in the itinerary, including taxes, and gratuity (excluding gratuity for guides and driver, unless requested).

Highlights:

• Bold-Rock Hard Cider
• Bill Graham Training Center at the Cove
• Lake Lure Inn
• Lake Lure Boat Tour
• Sky Top Orchard
• Asheville Overview Trolley Tour
• Biltmore Estate
• Antler Hill Village
• Oconaluftee Visitor Center
• Newfound Gap Tour
• Gatlinburg
• Anakeesta
• The Island at Pigeon Forge
• Titanic Museum
• Dollywood
• The Hotel Roanoke
• O. Winston Link Museum

• Arrive in Asheville, NC. 
• Check-in to your hotel.
• Enjoy dinner and a glass of fall cider at Bold Rock-Hard Cider. Also, take home a souvenir glass.

• Enjoy breakfast at your hotel.
• Take a guided tour of the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove. The Cove’s story began with a vision that God placed in the hearts of Billy and Ruth Graham. A review of the years prior to the founding of The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove reveals how God led the Grahams, opened doors, and paved the way for ministry in this unique mountaintop retreat center. The Cove’s story is interwoven with the history of Billy Graham’s calling and ministry.
• Arrive at the 1927 Lake Lure Inn for lunch and a tour.
• Embark on a Lake Lure Boat Tour. Cruise along local attractions and landmarks used in the filming of "Dirty Dancing". Discover the beauty and charm of Lake Lure on a covered boat tour. Listen to the legends of the lake and learn about the natural and cultural history of Hickory Nut Gorge, home to Lake Lure, North Carolina.
• Take a wagon ride through Sky Top Orchard. Sky Top Orchard has been a family-owned & operated farm since 1967 when father and son duo Everette and David Butler planted the first trees on Mt. McAlpine, in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. While here you will take the Fall Harvest Tour that includes a short educational talk on growing & picking apples.  You can then select a ¼ peck bag of apples to take home with you.  The tour includes a glass of fresh-squeezed cider and an apple cider donut and time to shop at the farm market for more goodies.
• Tonight, enjoy a fresh, authentic German dinner.

• Breakfast at your hotel this morning.
• Board the trolley for a historic, fun, informative Asheville Overview Tour.
• Your trolley tour ends in downtown Asheville where you will have free time to shop and have lunch on your own.
• Next, enjoy self-guided, audio tour of the Biltmore, George Vanderbilt's 250-room French château. Your Biltmore House admission invites you to experience three grand floors and the once-bustling basement of America’s Largest Home. As you explore this architectural   marvel and beloved national treasure, the fascinating stories about the Vanderbilt family and their guests come to life through their collections of fine art, lavish furnishings, accessories, and more.
• Visit Antler Hill Village and Winery. Discover the new village that connects the estate's present and past, providing a relaxing place for dining, shopping, historical exhibits, and new ways to experience Biltmore's hospitality.
• Explore the Biltmore's grounds and gardens.
• Dinner is included tonight at a local tavern.

• Enjoy breakfast at your hotel prior to checking out.
• Discover Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Then, depart on a Newfound Gap Tour.  There will be scenic Photo Stops, Newfound Gap, Rockefeller Memorial & the Appalachian Trail. Travel the scenic mountain road around the famous “Loop” by way of the high-rising Chimney Tops. At the top of the mountain, you will stop at Newfound Gap which marks the Tennessee, North Carolina State line. You will have opportunities for photos at scenic stops along the way. At an elevation of 5,048 feet, Newfound Gap is the lowest drivable pass through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Half lies in Tennessee and half in North Carolina. Rockefeller Memorial honors a $5 million donation from the Rockefeller Foundation to help complete land acquisitions to bring about the reality of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Appalachian Trail crosses over Newfound Gap Road and straddles the state line between North Carolina and Tennessee for most of its length through the park.
• Finish your tour in Gatlinburg. You will feel right at home strolling along the Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg. Feel the fresh, cool mountain breeze whistling in from the Smokies, smell the fresh air, and relax; you’re in the Smokies. There’s plenty to see here and even more things to do. Lunch on your own while in town.
• Visit Anakeesta. Located in the heart of Gatlinburg, this mountaintop park has elements of adventure and relaxation, sure to offer a memorable experience in the Smoky Mountains! Autumn has arrived in the Great Smoky Mountains, and there’s no better place to experience the season and the changing leaves than at Anakeesta, Gatlinburg’s award-winning theme park. Visitors to the park can enjoy Halloween themed décor throughout the park. Step into Black Bear Village and taste Bavarian themed food and drink specials, while listening to live music. Make your way to Vista Gardens and stroll through stunning nature inspired pumpkin carvings.
• Meet to ride the Chondola or Ridge Rambler down the mountain.
• Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.

• Enjoy breakfast at your hotel.
• Visit The Island at Pigeon Forge. At The Island in Pigeon Forge, they change things up in autumn so that you are sure to find something new to enjoy for the season. From seasonal dessert and moonshine flavors to custom decorations and photo ops, fall at The Island is must-see.
• Ride the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel.  Towering 200-feet tall, The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel sits at the foothills of the most visited National Park in the United States – The Great Smoky Mountains. As the centerpiece to The Island in Pigeon Forge, it stands as one of the tallest attractions in the Southeast.
• Start your visit at the Titanic Museum with an included lunch. Then begin your guided 2-hour Titanic experience. As visitors touch a real iceberg, walk the Grand Staircase and third-class hallways, reach their hands into 28-degree water, and try to stand on the sloping decks, they learn what it was like on the RMS Titanic by experiencing it first-hand. Each guest entering the ship will receive a boarding pass of an actual Titanic passenger or crew. View over 400 personal and private artifacts on display, many for the first time. provide a spectacular area where the original guests of the RMS Titanic made their appearances. You’ll be surprised to learn what the floor was made of – something considered most expensive for 1912.
• Enjoy an included dinner at a local favorite.
• After dinner, head out to Dollywood. Celebrate the wonder of the changing seasons with the return of Dollywood's Harvest Festival. Experience the beauty of a Smoky Mountain fall as the forests come alive with vivid color, the smells of apple and pumpkin treats waft through the streets, and the sounds of thrilling rides fill the air with adventure. After sundown, award-winning Great Pumpkin LumiNights presented by Covenant Health glows even brighter with Hoot Owl Hollow. Discover an enchanting hideaway where a larger-than-life glowing owl and her friendly family have come home to roost among the whimsical warming glow of more than 12,000 illuminated pumpkins and towering pumpkin icons.

• Enjoy breakfast at your hotel prior to checking out.
• Visit The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center and partake in an included lunch.
• Explore the O. Winston Link Museum. Link was a prolific photographer, taking more than 2,000 images and 100 7-inch reels of sound recordings in 21 trips. Today, Link’s work constitutes the single most important photographic series taken of the region. Largely ignored for more than 20 years following their production, Winston’s work enjoyed a series of international exhibitions, recordings and two published books beginning in the 1980s. Today, Link’s images are known worldwide.
• Depart for home.

*Base rate does not include motor coach transportation, airfare, airport transfers, driver gratuity, guide gratuity, (student groups exempt) or any upgrades or add-ons unlisted from itinerary as stated. Pricing may vary based on day of arrival or other conditions. Personalized itineraries with custom pricing and/or additional transportation can be created and added based on client needs and upon client’s request. MARS will customize quotes or personalize itineraries for FREE.