One place that I can revisit over and over again and never get tired of it is the Biltmore Estate. It’s hard to describe the feeling you get when you park your car and take the eight-minute walk to the house through the trees, and then come around the corner only to be greeted by the largest house in the United States. The beautiful architecture from the outside alone is enough to make this trip worthwhile, but luckily the Biltmore, which is still family owned, does open the house to the general public for touring. I have never not been impressed with the sheer beauty and luxury of the Biltmore even though it was built back in 1889. To this day, the Biltmore is the most prominent gilded age mansion in the United States.
a brief history of biltmore
Construction for the Biltmore started in 1889 and took six years to complete. The house was built by George Vanderbilt who would later marry and have one child. The Biltmore house is an astonishing 178,926 sq ft and consists of 250 rooms, 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces. In 1914 George Vanderbilt passed away, but ultimately his daughter and son in law would take over and live in Biltmore until 1930 when Cornelia (George’s daughter) would open the Biltmore House to the public. There is so much history behind the Biltmore with interesting facts like it also being the place where priceless artwork from Washington D.C. would be stored during World War II in 1942. From there though, the family continued to open and expand the Biltmore Estate into so much more with their hotels, Antler Hill Village, winery, etc.
the estate
Even though there are over 250 rooms in Biltmore, when you go to visit you do not visit every room in the estate. They always have a large section of the house open for viewing and even that large section takes over an hour to walk through. They have an audio guided tour as well which gives a lot more history and context into each room you view. While I did not take pictures of every room I visited, I did take many pictures of some of my favorite rooms (including a pool and bowling alley) so that you too can see what the inside looks like if you have never visited.
My morning:
Let’s start off first with my morning. After I woke up, I got ready for the day in a simple, elegant summer outfit and then visited the Kitchen Cafe and got a breakfast sandwich and iced latte. I sat outside as the cool mountain air provided a lovely 69-degree morning to enjoy the fresh air. After breakfast I simply drove over to the Biltmore Estate which is located on the same property.
the main house and owner’s quarters:
artist’s wing:
servant’s quarters:
outside details:
THE COUTYARD MARKET
After touring the Biltmore house, you can visit the Courtyard Market right next door which used to be the horse stables for the owners and their visitors but was converted into small dining and shopping complex. The shops within the courtyard has things like Biltmore items, books, food, decor and so much more. There is a patio for relaxing as well as three restaurants to choose from for food.
You would think that after visiting the estate, shops and restaurants that one would be done for the day, but there is a whole other section of this estate that is yet to be discovered, the Biltmore Gardens. I have created a separate post for this exploration here so that you can enjoy all of the beauty that Biltmore Gardens has to offer seperately.
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