#8- The Biltmore Estate - "the House"

#7- Biltmore Estate – “the House”

   How lucky are we to have America’s largest privately owned home right here in our own backyard? The Biltmore is a 250 room, 175,000 square foot, four story home surrounded by spectacular beauty nested into the Blue Ridge Mountains. The estate was built at a time when no income tax existed and the wealthy were able to live a very opulent life indeed.

   The estate was built for George Washington Vanderbilt and took hundreds of workers six years to finally complete in 1895. Now a National Historic Landmark the home is lovingly preserved and offers visitors a glimpse into a different time of style and privilege.  Lovers of antiques, fine art, statues, oriental rugs and china will be amazed at the collections exhibited here.

   Vanderbilt used to make visits to the Asheville area and he loved the mountains and climate so much he decided to build a “summer estate” here. He affectionately referred to the mansion as his “little mountain escape.”  The idea was to replicate the working estates of Europe and architect Richard Morris Hunt was hired to do the job. Originally the estate included its own village which is now located outside the gates called Biltmore Village with lots of shops and restaurants. It also had its own church now called Cathedral of All Souls also located in the Village.

   The house was first opened to the public in 1930 and family members continued to live there till 1956 when it was permanently opened to the public as a house museum. I often wonder what it was like for Cornelia Vanderbilt, the only child of George and Edith to grow up in a house like that. Hosting birthday parties, sleepovers and playing hide and seek in a house that size must have been a real adventure. With 34 bedroom, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces there certainly would be lots of places to hide- you might never be found!!

   Some of my favorite parts of the house are the indoor swimming pool which held over 70,000 gallons of water as well as the indoor bowling alley and the exercise room. Tours of the kitchen, pantry, laundry and servants quarters are also very enjoyable and enlightening. Of course, there is NOTHING like the Biltmore at Christmas. A 35 foot tall Christmas tree in the Banquet Hall is a sight to behold and every single room is decorated and dressed up for the holidays. You can go back every year and inevitably see something new you had never noticed before.

   Not surprisingly the Biltmore Estate was the most visited attraction in NC. This was the seventh year in a row that they won this honor. In 2010 alone over 1.1 million people visited the estate. Numerous movies have been filmed there including Hannibal, Patch Adams, Forest Gump and Richie Rich. When you see it for yourself it is easy to understand why!

“At its core, Biltmore will always have the natural beauty of the mountains as well as the majestic house and gardens to inspire us and allow us to escape from the every day.” Bill Cecil President & CEO The Biltmore Company