A Visit To The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina

I remember the first time I heard about the Biltmore house it was a friend who was telling me about an upcoming trip she was planning to take to Asheville, North Carolina to visit the Biltmore Estate.  She was going during the Christmas holidays and was very much looking forward to taking a wreath making class she had scheduled during her visit.

Since I knew nothing about the Biltmore House I decided to do a little research on the place.  Thanks to Google this is what I found.  The owner George Vanderbilt was from one of the societies most prominent families.  His family made their fortune in transportation,  railroads, steamboats and other business dealings.  George purchased over 1800 acres of land in Asheville, North Carolina to build a  250 room get-away home for his family and friends back in 1895.  Today it is the largest privately owned home in the United States.

Fast forward one year and my spring vacation lead me to Asheville, North Carolina to visit the Biltmore Estate.

Whether your preference is the cityscape or the countryside the eyes are in for a treat.  In viewing man’s creation or the landscape of mother nature the DMV (Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia) has so many beautiful buildings to admire.  I do have a fond appreciation for man-made structures but I have to admit my loyalty will forever fall with the countryside.  I guess it’s that country girl that lives within me.  The countryside can be pretty relaxing for me putting a smile on my face and a song in my heart.  Traveling through the DMV during a workday can be extremely stressful, and a traveler’s worst nightmare.

The Mansard Roof of the Biltmore House

The Biltmore house is fashioned after the  French Renaissance chateaus design by the architect Richard Morris Hunt.  The house took six years to build.  Within the homes 250 rooms, you will find a large library, several dining rooms, an electric elevator,  34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, a Bachelor’s Wing, servants quarters,  an indoor swimming pool,  bowling alley, gymnasium, 65 fireplaces, 2 kitchens and laundry facilities. Now, who’s going to clean all of that? Just Saying!   Man if these walls could talk, I’m sure they would have a lot to say.

The Sunken Winter Garden

One new aspect of the Biltmore houses policy is that they now allow guests to take pictures. Taking photos was forbidden in the past. It was eye opening to enter the Biltmore House to see how the upper crust lived.

Be prepared to open your wallet wide because it cost BIG money to see how the aristocrats lived.   Allow for about two hours for the self-guided house tour.  It’s recommended that you rent the audio device to help enhance your learning experience.  Entrance fees and the audio device is sure to set you back over one hundred dollars for each individual.  A little steep for my taste.  In my opinion, the audio device should have been included in the price of admission.

With a staff of well over 2,000 employees, the admission is used to support the Biltmore mission of preservation.  I didn’t let the cost dampen my experience.   Check out the Biltmore’s website for discount tickets, special offers, and Biltmore updates.

I could have so lived during this time period.  I love the formal attire worn during the era of the 19th century.  The elegance of the classic dress was totally appealing to me.

I must say that the grandeur of the furniture was a bit heavy and the darkness of the rooms wouldn’t work for me as well. I guess we all have different tastes.

Period movies are one of my favorite type movies.  One of my favorite period movies was Jane Eyre it was such a delight to see the costumes and the rooms where the movies were made.  Throughout the years the grounds and the buildings of the Biltmore Estate have been used in many major motion pictures and television series.

Appliances of That Era

I found what was behind the scenes at the Biltmore house to be the most fascinating.  The duties of the Biltmore staff.  There are storage areas for food, kitchen equipment, utensils, a food prep area, the staff quarters,  and a staff eating area.  It was interesting to know that the house contained indoor plumbing and electricity during that era.

I was intrigued by the laundry facility, it cast light on how difficult the laundry task could be.   They had rub boards (left picture) used to do the laundry by rubbing the clothes on the board by hand to clean the clothes.  I remember using a rub board to wash and clean clothes when I was a child.   Thank goodness for today’s washers and dryers.  How fascinating to see a clothes dryer  (right pic.) during that era.  I’m sure during those times these were considered modern day appliances.

The Biltmore House Garden

The gardens were designed by Frederick Olmstead the same person who designed Central Park of New York City.  The Biltmore grounds consist of 125,000 of gardens woodland and parks.  In 1898 the Biltmore Forest School was established by Carl Schenck who was hired to manage the timber forest on the grounds.

There are approximately 6,000 weddings that take place on the grounds each year. The elegant landscapes make for beautiful photographs.

Springtime was the perfect time to enjoy the gardens on the Biltmore Estates.  It was a perfect day to enjoy the view.  The weather was amazing.  The Azalea Garden just showed out!  The colors were simply breathtaking.  There are acres of beautiful flowers and trees to admire and enjoy.

There’s a photo opportunity located at every turn.

The beauty of the picturesque gardens seems to go on and on. There’s not just one garden you get to scroll through oh no.  There is the Italian garden, as well as the Walled garden.  Not to mention the vibrate colors of the Azalea garden where you can find many varieties of Azaleas.  Just what I needed after a long winter is to marvel at the beauty of the Spring Gardens.

Adventures at the Biltmore Estate

In the distance, you can see the Blue Ridge Mountains from the balcony of the Biltmore Estate.   On the trail, a horse-drawn carriage takes a group on a leisurely ride thru the grounds.   Find your way to the Biltmore Outdoor Adventure Center where you can engage in hiking, horseback riding, biking and Segway tours right there on the grounds.  The goal of the Biltmore Estates is to ensure that your outdoor experience is an adventure.

Antler Hill

Once you finish your tour of the Biltmore house there is more to see and do on the estate.  If you worked up an appetite after the tour no worries there’s an eatery near the house where you can sit and enjoy a bite to eat.

The tour of the Biltmore house does not end the visit, not by a long shot.  There’s a place on the grounds called Antler Hill Village. Antler Hill Village offers a pub, tavern, bistro, shopping, two hotels, restaurants and a winery.  Your ticket to the Biltmore includes a self- guided or guided winery tour.  There’s a farm on the estate in which visitors can experience what life was like during the 19th century.

There’s much to see and do at the Biltmore Estate.   Be sure to wear some comfortable shoes and prepare to enjoy the sites.   The estate gave me a better appreciation of what life was like during another era.   The Biltmore Estate reminds me how the preservation of history allows the public to step back in time to envision a life of the wealthy and the people who worked for them.

When you have free time where do you like to go to relax?  Leave your comment down below.