THE BILTMORE

Yesterday, I went to the Biltmore. Since I have been full time RVing, I'm not so much interested in a lot of "touristy" things (plus I don't like to spend a lot of money on touristy things because they usually don't end up living up to the cost), but I have heard things about the Biltmore for years and have wanted to visit there for a long time. So, yesterday was the day.

I wasn't really sure what to expect.  I've seen pics of the house on TV but just driving onto the grounds is something out of this world.

First of all, it is right smack in the middle of Asheville.  Not on the outskirts, not on the edge, right in the middle of this city.  That may not seem odd except the Biltmore Estate today sets on 8,000 acres of land. It originally consisted of 125,000 acres of land but Mrs. Biltmore had to sell 85,000 acres of the land to the US government after Mr. Biltmore died suddenly in 1914.  It helped her financially but it also completed a wish of Mr. Biltmore for the land to remain unaltered and it became the largest national forest on the east side of the Mississippi River. I'm not sure if they still own the remaining 40,000 acres and maintain 8,000 or if they only own 8,000. No matter what, that's a lot of land.

So, here's what you drive through to get to the house.

 

After going through a security gate, you drive to the parking areas and then you either walk to the house or take a shuttle.

Looking out from the front porch of house

One of the many fountains built as an inset to a wall.

Walking up to the viewing area straight across from the house.  It's pretty much the only place you can take a picture of the house and get it all in one picture.

The house.

Now this house is a little over 175,000 square feet. That is not a typo.  It has 43 bathrooms. It has a total of 250 rooms.  You can't take pictures inside the house.  They have monitoring cameras in each room and they have workers in various rooms to make sure you aren't tempted to break that rule.  The house has an indoor bowling alley, a 70,000 gallon indoor pool, an exercise room with all the early 20th century exercise equipment, two-story library with 12,000 books, and other rooms filled with artworks, furniture and 19th-century novelties such as elevators, forced-air heating, centrally controlled clocks, fire alarms and an intercom system.

One of the outdoor patios along the tour. Since it was outdoors, you could take pictures.

During World War II, 62 paintings and 17 sculptures were moved by train from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. to protect them in the event of an attack on the United States. Among these were the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington and works by Rembrandt, Raphael, and Anthony van Dyck. David Finley, the gallery director, was a friend of Edith Vanderbilt who had stayed at the estate. The music room was not ready, so it was used for storage from January 1942 until 1944, when the possibility of an attack became less likely.

The grounds include 75 acres of formal gardens, a winery and the Inn on Biltmore Estate, a AAA four-diamond 210-room hotel.

The man who designed Central Park in New York is the same man who designed and oversaw the building of the gardens at the Biltmore.  We had a picnic lunch at the Bass Pond and Boat House.  This water feature was created by greatly enlarging an old creek-fed millpond.  A rustic boat house provided rest for the Vanderbilt's guests enjoying the gardens, and housed rowboats for fishing or exploring the pond.

We stopped by the winery and the shops located there before we left.  Here's what we saw on the way out.

The estate today is owned by the Biltmore Company, which is controlled by Vanderbilt's grandson, William A.V. Cecil, Sr., who inherited the estate upon the death of his mother Cornelia, the Vanderbilt's only child. William, Sr.'s son, Bill, Jr., serves as company president. In 1964, it was designated a National Historic Landmark. Bill, Jr., and his sister live on the property. They are both hoping that one of their children will have the love of this land and someday take over the company to continue the heritage.

It is not cheap to visit the Biltmore, but I think it is well worth the splurge.  If you buy your tickets 8+ days in advance of your visit, you receive a $15 per ticket discount.  If you buy your tickets 1-7 days in advance of your visit, you receive a $10 per ticket discount. So, if you can plan in advance, it will save you some money. Plan on spending at least 5 to 6 hours there.

On a side note - Today, Mr. W and I have been married 39 years.  What? Oh well, time flies when you are having fun! Here's to 39 more Mr. W!