“If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.”-Jane Austen
Confession: I am a Jane Austen addict.
Deeper –Darker-More-Embarrassing-Confession: It started when I was a college freshmen and started reading her works just to make myself look smart and sophisticated.
What started out as a seventeen year old’s attempt to seem mature and cultured turned into an all out obsession. I really really love it. I love reading her books, watching every version of the movie’s with the audio commentary and reading silly and lovely books like Austen Land. I have an entire shelf of beautiful copies of Jane Austen books that rivals my Harry Potter Shelf.
It should be no surprise that I received a copy of the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies back in 2009 from a dear friend who knows me very well and I loved it.
It just so happens that another dear friend, who also loves all things Austen and Zombie related, refused to let the 530 miles between us stop us from seeing the brand new movie adaptation of book. We decided to have a zombie Austen-Tastic weekend in Asheville, North Carolina complete with a visit to the Biltmore Estate.
On Friday I met up with Brandi and Chelsea around 3 at our hotel in Ashville. From there it was time to explore the arts district (Don’t miss the glass blowers!), walk around downtown and find a yummy spot for dinner. We ended up at Tupelos for supper where I had the BEST grilled cheese and tomato soup.
After dinner we made our way to the movie and let me tell you: It. Was. Spectacular. It had all the best parts of the original book mixed with the fantastic action only a zombie movie can provide.
Even though it was February, the Biltmore Estate was still unbelievable. It took us a few hours to go through the house, especially because each major room was filled with wedding dresses from famous movies including Emma, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice.
Next up was a tour of the gardens and conservatory, followed by lunch at Cedric’s Tavern, a tour of the winery and ice cream in adirondack chairs on the grounds. Ooh! And the petting zoo!
We left the Biltmore Estate on Saturday around 5 to go out separate ways and head home, but believe me, we could have stayed a week enjoying the grounds and the atmosphere.
“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.” -Jane Austen
I think I need to make a point of seeing more historic homes this year, do you have any suggestions of your favorite historic homes to visit?
The Sunshine Hut 