The Biltmore Estate

After Thanksgiving in 2004, my mother and grandmother went with me on my first outing to Biltmore Estate in Asheville. This 250-room French Chateau (the largest private residence in America) is a sight to behold especially during Christmas when it is decorated for the holidays. I have never visited during the springs when the flowers, especially the tulips, are in bloom, but I hear it is a gorgeous time to visit. 

What's in a name? Bilt is a Dutch town and more = open, rolling land, thus the name Biltmore. 

Once you enter the gate on the estate, it is three miles to the house built by George and Edith Vanderbilt. The estate sat on 125,000 acres originally but now the acreage is only around 8,000. The French Broad River runs parallel to the estate. Opening on Christmas Eve in 1895, the estate boasts 40 Christmas trees, or at least it did at the time of my visit. It may be more than that now. The estate was landscaped by Frank Olmsted, who was the landscape designer for New York's Central Park. There are 33 family and guest bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces inside the estate. In 1924, George and Edith's daughter married John Cecil, and their wedding lunch was held in the Winter Garden Room of the estate. It opened to the public in 1930 for tours. 

At the time of our visit, 1,500 staff were employed at the estate. Some of the notable features I found of interest during our tour were:

• carved statues of lions at the front door

• the 90-foot-long Tapestry Gallery

• library with over 23,000 books

• Grand Staircase with its 4-story iron chandelier weighing 1,700 pounds

• Banquet Hall with its triple fireplace, 40-foot oak table, 70-foot ceiling, flags from the original 13 colonies, and 1916 Skinner pipe organ (the largest room in the estate)

• Billiard Room

• Breakfast Room that is made of marble and leather (the family ate all their meals in this room)

• the purple, gold, and black room

• dumbwaiters that carried food from floor to floor

• Morland Room-my favorite!

• Halloween Room where the walls were painted by little Cornelia

• Bowling Alley

• The pool that holds 70,000 gallons of water and is 8.5-feet deep, 27 feet wide and 53 feet long

• Gun Room with hunting trophies and gun cabinets

  
  

The grounds of the estate are some of the most beautiful grounds I have ever seen. The Walled Garden was designed by Mrs. Vanderbilt, and she said it was "a garden of ornament rather than utility." The Rose Garden is comprised of 2,300 roses with 250 different varieties. In the spring, there are over 50,000 multicolored tulips and every April, "The Festival of Flowers" is held. The pergola with wisteria vine is quite charming and fragrant. The Turtle Fountain can be seen along "The Rampe Douce" which is lit with luminaries at night. The glass-roofed Conservatory is also on the grounds and features the Orchid Room, along with a 300-acre nursery and 41 beehives. The Vista features a statue of the goddess of the hunt, Diana. And, let me not forget the Italian Garden where there are three pools of flowers. Take a walk through Lover's Lane, and also a short jaunt to Bass Pond. 

The Stable Courtyard is also on the grounds. It is 12,000 square feet and once house 20 carriages and 25 horses. It is now home to shops and the Deer Park Restaurant. We enjoyed a candlelight dinner here during our visit. We were served our choice of spinach salad, Waldorf salad, or Bulgur wheat salad. For our main course, we chose between prime rib, carved turkey with gravy, or seafood jambalaya. Our sides were vegetable medley, whipped sweet potatoes, and dressing. For the best part-dessert-we were given a choice between fruit crisp, chocolate cheesecake, and assorted cookies. 

Finally, I cannot leave out the Biltmore Winery. There are 70 acres of vineyards on the property and a 213-room inn. At the time of our visit, 200 tons of grapes were grown every year with 45,000 species of grapes! Now, that is a lot of grapes!!! The room where the wine tastings are presented used to house 80 cows! You can find many Biltmore Wines in grocery stores, but the Reisling was probably my favorite. Their wines are on the dry side, so no Muscadine wines here!

Nearby is Biltmore Village, which used to be the town of Bath. It was purchased in 1889 by the Vanderbilts, and they opened a school, church, and hospital in the village. 

For information on tours, hours of operations, ticket prices, etc. visit their website: https://www.biltmore.com/