Biltmore Estate

While in Asheville we visited the Biltmore Estate, the largest residence in the United States:

George Vanderbilt purchased thousands of acres after he was captivated by the Blue Ridge Mountains. Construction of the house was started in 1889, and it was opened to family and friends in 1895, although it was not completed. It took over 6000 craftsmen to create this 250 room French Renaissance chateau and the gardens! The finished home has over 4 acres of floor space, including 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces!

Biltmore House was opened to the public in the 1930’s to increase tourism in the Asheville area, and to generate income to preserve the estate. During WWII, Biltmore House stored priceless art from the National Gallery. In 1963 it was nominated as a National Historic Landmark. Some of the acreage has been sold over the years, but the remaining estate is still 8,000 acres! Proceeds from ticket sales pay for the refurbishment and upkeep of the estate. A couple of my favorite rooms:

This is where George would greet guests. Note the triple fireplace in the dining room!

The ceiling in the Billiards room was stunning:

There is a winding staircase inside this tower:

This esplanade overlooks the lawn in front of the house (the fountain on the right side of the picture is the one you see in the first picture):

As amazing as the house is, Jerry and I most enjoyed the gardens. There are 6 different kinds of gardens, including the rose garden, azalea garden, walled garden, and spring garden. There are more than 20 miles of trails for hiking, meadows for relaxing,forests,and so many kinds of flowers and plants. Here are some roses from the rose garden:

There were a lot of flowers that I cannot identify (other than pretty):

And more:

There were 2 colors of mountain laurel, pink and white:

I should have taken pictures of the paths we walked along- doh! The gardens were truly magical, and if I lived here I would visit the gardens often, especially since they apparently have different things blooming all year!

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Biltmore Estate,

As we were leaving (which takes a while because the grounds are so big!), a parade of about 30 geese crossed the road in front of us: