Many years ago, before we were married, my husband and I visited Biltmore in Asheville North Carolina. Today, 27 years later, we stopped by again.
Have you ever been? If not, visit their website, or if you’d rather, I’ll take you on a short (not covering nearly everything you understand) tour. I personally love the long drive back to the big house.
It inspired me years ago, to dream about building a house in the middle of a hundred acres, just so that I could have a lovely long drive home through the trees similar to this one up to the Biltmore mansion.
The first glimpse of the house itself always makes me gasp, and then smile. It’s just so magnificent! Not my style, by any means, but it’s a beautiful structure. Completed in 1895, it was a summer home for George W. Vanderbilt and his family. With thirty-three guest rooms, it was a summer getaway for family friends too.
You can view it after climbing a switchback to an elevated stone wall…
…or climb way up a hill for higher vantage point.
But once you get up close you notice all the amazing detail. Like the carvings and statues as seen on the front of the house, lining the grand staircase.
Even the windows are elaborate.
Inside it’s even more intricate, with a glass enclosed winter garden…
…and an opulent dining hall.
Each room has ceilings that are different and extravagant…
…and the furniture is ornate too.
But my favorite place in the whole mansion is the back veranda…
..where the view of the distant mountains is stunning. I could sit out there all day, and I’m sure there were people a hundred years ago that did just that.
Inside, the library was amazing, thousands of books that George Vanderbilt handpicked, covering all sorts of topics. The bedrooms were beautiful too, complete with their own bathrooms long before en suites were normal.
And in the basement was a giant party room, painted by members of a party in 1920…
…a bowling alley…
…and a 70,000 gallon pool with water pumped in from a mountain stream.
Biltmore, it’s an amazing, almost magical place, and that’s just the house.
Wait until you see the greenhouse and the gardens!
August 26, 2017 at 7:55 am
Words are not enough. What a magnificent structure!
I completely understand your desire for the long winding driveway – I love the “reveals” at the end, such as this beauty. Thanks for sharing!
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August 26, 2017 at 6:19 pm
You’re welcome. I love ‘reveals’ too. So much more than what I showed you here of course, but it’s a taste. If you’re ever near it’s worth the hefty admission charge to tour the home!
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August 26, 2017 at 8:42 am
We visited several years ago. The entire Asheville area is gorgeous, but the Biltmore is amazing. We did a wine tasting there and they have horses, too, don’t they? Our favorite part was the back veranda. Yes, I could very well sit there all day. Thanks, Dawn, for the revisit!
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August 26, 2017 at 6:20 pm
Yes I think you can ride horses there, saw lots of trails for that. Glad you enjoyed the revisit!
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August 26, 2017 at 10:23 am
I visited Asheville as a little girl, but I don’t think we saw this gorgeous mansion. I’d have remembered that reading room, for sure! Thanks for a lovely trip today, Dawn. Imagine what that view looks like during Fall!!
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August 26, 2017 at 6:21 pm
It would be stupendous in the Fall! Pretty spectacular in late summer too. Yes you’re remember if you ever toured the house, it’s pretty amazing.
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September 12, 2017 at 2:14 pm
What a cozy little vacation cottage! Thanks for the tour. Such a beautiful place.
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September 12, 2017 at 3:56 pm
Yes, my lake house would fit in their front hall.
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