Biltmore House

During my vacation last month, I had the chance to visit the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina.  I shared this view of the house with you when I posted about the Blue Ridge Parkway a few days ago.  While it may appear that we are quite close to the house, we are actually quite far away.   Yes, it is that  large!

The Biltmore House is the largest privately owned home in the United States at 175,000 square feet with 250 rooms….and it is a wonder to behold!

One of the first of many intense storms in early April blew through Asheville the night before.  We were awaken in the wee hours with rain, thunder and howling winds.  When we left to go to the Biltmore that morning, it was still overcast….and cold!  Very cold….so cold in fact it snowed while we were there….flurries that didn’t stay around but it added a nice touch to the visit.  🙂  Unfortunately, cameras and photographs are not permitted inside the home..a pity because I could have filled a large memory card with images from the inside!  But I can understand why they don’t allow them.  We saw it all….we obtained the recorded tour devices rather than participate in a guided tour so we could go at our own pace.  It was fabulous….from the entryway to the indoor pool and bowling alley. 

Since I was unable to take photographs on the inside, I settled for outside. I won’t show them all here, just some of the highlights.  The image above was taken from the end of the front grounds on top of the fountains area.  This is a pretty clear shot actually….normally there are several shuttle buses parked in the front along with more full sized buses like the one on the left of the photograph. 

This is the fountain area I took the photograph from.  I was on the top level in the center….it was quite a walk.  🙂  The playground for the Vanderbilt’s daughter was located on the grassy hill in the upper right hand corner.  A closer look at the fountains….

The detail on the outside of the house is amazing….gargoyles, carvings….all beautiful.  I wish I could have gotten some of these when there was cloud cover instead of full sun, but I had folks waiting in the car for me so I had to take the shots when I could.  I think you can make out some of the detail….

When we came to the room that Edith Vanderbilt chose to deliver her daughter, Cornelia…is it weird that when I first saw the room all I could think of was how it would be perfect for a photo shoot. Not only was it a beautiful room with a huge bed and a swinging, antique baby cradle….it was bathed in a most beautiful, wonderful light.  I suppose with all these windows, how could you go wrong?    🙂  Even the outside lights were quite ornate….

Next time….the Estate gardens…..