The largest house in America, the Biltmore, is only an hour from Bryson City. We are fortunate to be able to visit this wonderful place often. This is the winter garden, one of the first things you see when you enter the house. There’s a secret door in the floor…and it’s the only reason I wish I was born a Vanderbilt…so that I could venture down into all the hidden places:
The Biltmore one of my favorite places in the whole world. Sienna’s too. She could be a tour guide. She has listened to the kid’s audio tour so many times I’ve lost count. She also visits with my mother a lot and my mother is a walking Biltmore history textbook. I’m just an apprentice, but I have read all the books, including Lady on the Hill which you have to read because details the life of George Vanderbilt’s wife Edith and their daughter Cornelia after his death, and what they had to go through to keep the Biltmore in the family.
“Lady on the Hill tells the inspiring story of the thirty-five-year effort to restore this fading beauty to her former glory – all without a penny of government funding or outside foundation grants.
In the late 1950’s, attorneys, financial managers, and tax accountants were united in advising Cecil [George Vanderbilt’s grandson) and his brother, George, to sell off the estate’s 12,000 acres in order to create a suburban subdivision. Cecil quietly ignored this advice and came up with a better idea: over the next four decades he would turn this down-at-the-heel mansion that was a drain on the family business in the most successful, privately preserved historic site in the United States, perhaps even the world.”
Whenever we visit we usually walk from the parking lot but yesterday we got there later than usual and took the shuttle. When we turned the corner from the meandering drive up to the house there was a gasp of awe from every passenger in the bus:
Funny that I noticed this chicken for the first time, on the ceiling in George Vanderbilt’s library:
George Vanderbilt once owned all the land to that second ridge of mountains. That means he owned at least one whole ridge of mountains!
The Biltmore Conservatory could be an entire visit in itself. Greenhouse goals:
It’s full of plants I never even knew existed…and they don’t label them because then it wouldn’t be a historical garden…so I’m always tracking down the gardeners and asking a hundred questions. They are all more than happy to help me in my quest for random knowledge. I didn’t get a chance to ask anyone about this amazing flower…but maybe one of you knows all about it:
This fiddlehead was about as big as my head! It’s from an Australian Tree Fern. It looks like it could be a prop from Jurassic Park:
Sienna and Brett above the waterfall at Bass Pond:
I found a raccoon print at the bottom of the falls:
Oh and we found real chickens at the farmyard! All born around May 10:
These photos were taken a while back while visiting in the fall season:
I love how they always keep things new, it’s great if you have annual passes like we do. Right now they have created an exhibition throughout the house of award-winning fashion from iconic films such as Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. Here’s are two dresses from The Duchess (2008), worn by Keira Knightley and Hayley Atwell, which won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design:
I’ve visited the Biltmore so many times that I kind of think I’m part of the Vanderbilt family. And one day I’ll walk into the house and they’ll say: today is the day you can go through the door in the floor. Maybe I could convince them to make me an ambassador one day and I could stand there all day to invite people to peek down into door in the floor. I’d call it: Door in the Floor Day.
When my daughter was about Boo’s age we took her to the Biltmore for the first time. When she graduated from college and moved to Asheville from PA with her fiance, she called me and said she had gotten a part-time job at the Biltmore Inn. I asked her if she remembered visiting there when she was about 8 or 9 years old and she said she didn’t remember. I was and still am shocked about that. I said “all that money we spent on tickets and you don’t remember anything?” Anyway, she is married now and lives in Hickory, but she had her engagement pictures taken on the grounds, which by the way, I don’t know if you know this, but one of the relatives lives in a regular house on the grounds. If you had told me when we first visited there that one day my daughter would tell me she didn’t remember being there and that she would have her engagement happen there and then her engagement pictures taken there, I would not have believed it. (It was her second engagement, she broke the first one off soon after she moved to Asheville). I think their Christmas decorations are spectacular.
I have many fond childhood memories visiting the Biltmore every time we went to camp at Ridgecrest. I used to sit on the back and gaze at the view of the mountains. Of course, my childhood dreams including pretending this was my home!!
I been to the Biltmore & loved it went to the winery sampled a few there it’s a beautiful place also they were having a wedding that day beautiful wedding everyone must go you learn alot there.
Have you ever been to the Breakers? It’s the Vanderbilt summer house in Newport, Rhode Island. I just toured it for the first time — truly amazing! I would love to make a trip to the Biltmore!
I’ve only been twice – once when the kids tagged along. My college age son lectured me on the dangers of unfettered capitalism as we toured, while my 9 year old raced through the rooms. We finally caught up to her in the basement. Fast forward 13 years and the second visit was last Christmas and the house is spectacular during the holidays. My husband and I spent a lot of time in the conservatory – all the regular plants/flowers plus poinsettias. We also enjoyed the winery, wine tasting, and walking the grounds. We don’t live close enough for an annual pass, but lots of fun to visit.
This is one place I thought had succumbed to the times and money hungry realtors. Such a neat place I had heard about but didn’t realize it had been saved. I know, I live in a hole! Ha. I loved the stories about the insanely rich and their houses. I had always wanted to see an estate like this. One day I will have to make the pilgrimage down there when I’m back east visiting! That and the Georgia Aquarium!! Thanks for sharing and I hope you post again about Christmas time so we can see the decorations!
I love the Biltmore and try to go as often as I can. Going to pick up that book as I love that type of stuff. And the farm there is just my niece’s favorite place to be as she can’t get enough of holding those chickens. I too at times think I could be a tour guide, have you gone on their carriage ride tour, that one was my favorite one at Christmas it just felt like you went back in time.