Moments

Biltmore

Alicent Manwaring

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Mar 10, 2023

Last September (yes, this post is a little late, but better late than never😅) our good friend's Rex and Veronica, came with us to visit Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Brad and I have been there before (see April 2009 post) but we wanted Veronica to tour the home and grounds, since she is into that kind of thing (just like me). We had a wonderful weekend and stayed two nights at a very nice Air B&B tucked back in the rolling hills of Asheville, spent a full day walking the home and grounds of Biltmore Estate (it rained while we were in line but luckily the weather got better as the day went on), ate our weight in fudge and delicious fried chicken, and attended church right before heading back to Kentucky.

Since I'm a big nerd, I like to research the places I visit, so some fun facts about Biltmore: It is a French Renaissance chateau located in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, and is the largest privately owned home in the U.S. It spans over 175,000 square feet, and includes 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. The home was the Gilded-Age vision of George Washington Vanderbilt, grandson of famed industrialist and philanthropist Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt. George Vanderbilt married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser and they had one child, Cornelia Vanderbilt, who was born in the Louis XV Room of Biltmore House in 1900. The current acreage of Biltmore Estate is 8,000 acres, however, the acreage during George Vanderbilt’s lifetime was 125,000. Part of the property was later sold to the federal government to create Pisgah National Forest. Today Biltmore brings in people from all over the world and includes an award-winning winery, Antler Hill farm, a four-star Inn, Hotel, and numerous cottages. The property also includes an Equestrian Center, numerous restaurants and shops, event (many weddings) and meeting venues, and my favorite: 22 miles of trials to explore via biking, carriage rides, hiking, horseback riding, and more.

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