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|Overland Expo East|

|Biltmore Estate|

|Ashville, NC|

Overland Expo East (OEXE) 2016 was a huge difference compared to 2014 when my husband and I went and it was at the Taylor Ranch.  Having the event at the Biltmore Estate was much better in several ways:  

  1. The location was right along the banks of the French Broad River, which is scenic and actually feels like someplace you would want to camp.

  2. It was more organized and there was plenty of room for vendors, staff, campers, training, driving courses, etc.

  3. There was actual catered food with lots of food options and not just a crappy less than award winning BBQ food truck.

  4. The Biltmore has cool features like a Winery, Bistro, Tavern, Ice cream Parlor, plus the town of Asheville is right outside the exit.  

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Day One was great.  We arrived mid-day and  easily got checked in, with the exception of some minor camp set-up miscommunication, but we ended up how we wanted.  We set up quickly and began to walk around the vendors.  There was anything and everything there from BlueRidge Overland, ARB, Oz Tent, Mainline Overland, 4 Wheel Campers, Mountain State Overland, Conquerer, etc.  It did start to drizzle on us so we headed back to camp to make dinner and enjoyed Zootopia and Deadpool on the iPad near the propane campfire. 

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Day Two was even better with the exception of the weather.  It drizzled rain and was super windy for the majority of the day so we had to dress warm.  We found an awesome place called Biscuit Head for breakfast. It had the best biscuits ever and variety of jams.  After breakfast, it was time to check out some more rigs:  we walked around the camping rigs and then the rest of the vendors, running into OK 4WD, Earthcruiser, Front Runner, AEV, and Sportsmobile. We decided since we were at this luxurious Estate, we had to try one of their dining facilities for lunch.  We ended up going to Cedric's Tavern and it was by far the best pickles and bison burger I have had.  I still crave those pickles today.  We also did a tasting at the winery, but I, personally, was not impressed with their selection.  

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Day Three was closing time.  We packed up camp and hit up the Estate tour, along with some ice cream and hot apple cider before hitting the road.  

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