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My
first visit to this incredibe estate was at Christmas time during
my first year of fulltiming in 2001. I remember being absolutely
amazed that a man-made thing could be so beautiful. So the first
time I was there coincided with the same season when George Vanderbilt
first opened his home. The grand opening was on Christmas Eve in
1895 with a lavish formal party and the descendants continue to
make the estate a holiday showcase to this day. Every open room
of the 250 room mansion boasts its own Christmas tree decorated
in a different theme and precious one-of-a-kind ornaments. While
seeing the house during that season certainly had its charms, I
vowed to return when the gardens were in bloom because I also wanted
to see its personality during that season.
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So here I am again in June, 2007 in front of America's largest private
home. Would you look at the size of that thing?? In perspective, I
feel like my lil ole 380 sq. ft. motor home would fit in its keyhole! |
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And
the gardens are blooming and the conservatory is sunlit and full
of exotic colorful beings of every shape and size. It was a beautiful
day for strolling along the paths and enjoying the different vantage
points to view the house from.
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But it's only when you step inside the house that the overwhelm
factor really sets in. The vaulted ceiling in the grand banquet
hall is 7 stories tall! It took six years to build this amazing
"country retreat," and I bet you could spend six years
exploring it without ever getting bored. It contains 4 acres of
floor space and it originally sat on 125,000 acres with views of
the Blue Ridge Mountains that could make you cry. Some of the 65
fireplaces seem bigger than some apartments I've lived in.
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The
quiet elegance of Mr. Vanderbilt's bedroom. The furniture is some
of the most elaborate I've ever seen and the artwork, murals and
tapestries are breathtaking. Everywhere you look you could spend
hours just exploring that one little nook and cranny - and the house
is just filled with interesting big and little nooks and crannies.
I think the fact that the house has remained in the family throughout
all these years is a big reason for Biltmore's present day attraction.
Great care has been taken to preserve and protect what George created,
and the original furnishings, fabrics and priceless art make this
tour really feel like a step back into a completely different time.
My own sense of place even became a little distorted as I walked
down the Grand Staircase trying to conjure up what it must have
been like to actually live in such a showcase. I could almost hear
the swish of the long skirts flowing down the stairs on the way
to the banquet room.
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You
can even see how well the horses had it in their hay-day, so don't
miss a meal at the Stable Cafe. Everything is made fresh daily here
from scratch using ingredients from their gardens. Even the beef
is estate raised black Angus. We were in the mood for a light lunch,
so we had the Spring Focaccia "Freshly baked focaccia bread
stuffed with ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced prosciutto, mozzarella
and basil pesto, served with mixed spring greens tossed in a feta
vinaigrette." Mucho yummy! By splitting that with a cup
of delicious creamy potato soup, we had just enough room left over
for some of the best strawberry shortcake ever. The cherry on top
of this meal, though, was the incredible service by our waiter,
Bill Boeheim. He's been serving meals at the estate for years now,
is intriqued with its history and loves to answer questions about
the estate and its restaurants, saying it's "magical"
here. When you visit, ask for him and you'll see that when service
is equal to the quality of the food it makes even the best meal
better.
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Biltmore
Estate is a massive operation with The Inn, a winery, conservatory
and every kind of garden imaginable. Even the obligatory gift shops
were so well done that you just had to stop in to see what they
offered - of course, we had to have a memento of this visit. I would
definitely recommend this stop for anyone anywhere nearby this area.
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There
is a large enough lot with designated parking for RVs, but this
is definitely the kind of place that takes at least an entire
day to really see, so don't rush through it and then have to
drive afterwards. Especially since the admission price is on
the Vanderbilt scale, as well ($42.00 in June, 2007), stay long
enough to appreciate all it has to offer. Oh, and don't forego
the $6 bucks for the audio tour cassette - it really is neat
and adds to the enjoyment with good info on the tour stops.
Wouldn't it be great if they put an RV park on the property
so we could just stay here a couple of days and feel like gypsy
Vanderbilts?? |
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From
the Blue Ridge Parkway: Take U.S. Hwy. 25 North exit; then
approx. 4 miles
From
IH-40: From East, exit 50; from West, exit 50B
Use address 1 Approach Road; Asheville, NC to get directions
from mapping programs.
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Note:
The two pics of the interior above are courtesy of Biltmore for
purposes of this review and are not to be copied for any other purpose.
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Click
arrow to return to the Parkway
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