We woke to a lovely sunny day and a temperature of 57ºF (14ºC) this morning. A big change from yesterday. I forgot to mention that when we had the car trouble, it had also started to rain very heavily. As they say, it never rains but it pours! ☔️
Dean, one of the owners of the B&B, very kindly arranged for us to have an early breakfast this morning as we had early entry tickets into Biltmore House. Our breakfast was delicious and very filling, but it set us up for the day. He had even arranged for our favourite teas to be available. Nothing like a good cup of tea to set you up for the day. 🫖
We started with yoghurt, fresh fruit and granola and then a Croissant filled with cream cheese, pecan nuts and maple syrup with two link sausages.
Feeling very happy and full, we set out for the Biltmore Estate. It was only a short drive from the B&B, so we arrived in good time. We were advised to allow for a 45 minute drive once we arrived to allow for parking and getting to the house. We were still amazed when we passed through the entrance to see a sign that said it was 2.5 miles to go to the parking area and then an eight-minute walk to the house!
The Biltmore Mansion
The house is huge and the contents quite magnificent. It took us approximately two hours to see everything and we felt quite overwhelmed by it all.
The Atrium
The Biltmore Estate is a historic house museum spanning 175,000 square feet, which is more than four acres of floor space. The 250-room, four-storey, French Renaissance chateau includes 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces and was built for George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895 and is the largest privately-owned house in the United States. It is still owned by George Vanderbilt’s descendants.
The Dining Room
In the 1880s, George Vanderbilt began to make regular visits with his mother, Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt, to the Asheville area. He loved the scenery and climate so much that he decided to build a summer house in the area, which he called his “little mountain escape”.
He eventually bought 125,000 acres (506 km2) of land, comprising nearly 700 parcels, including over 50 farms and at least five cemeteries. Upon his death in 1914 at the age of 51, at his request, Edith sold some of the land to the federal government to create Pisgah National Forest, one of the first national forests east of the Mississippi leaving approximately 8,000 acres today.
Where Cornelia, his daughter was born
Construction of the house began in 1889 and took six years to complete. In order to facilitate such a large project, a woodworking factory and brick kiln, which produced 32,000 bricks a day, were built onsite. A 3-mile (5 km) railroad spur was constructed to bring materials to the building site.
Construction on the main house required the labour of about 1,000 workers and 60 stonemasons working seven days a week.
The Bowling Alley
He made extensive trips overseas during construction to purchase decor. He returned to North Carolina with thousands of furnishings for his newly built home, including tapestries, hundreds of carpets, prints, linens, and decorative objects, dating from the 15th century to the late 19th century. Among the few American-made items were a more practical oak drop-front desk, rocking chairs, a walnut grand piano, bronze candlesticks, and a wicker wastebasket.
The Kitchen
The 1991 Vanderbilt Cecil Family Portrait
He opened his opulent estate, on Christmas Eve of 1895 to family and friends from across the country who were encouraged to enjoy leisure and country pursuits. The mansion reportedly cost £5 million (equivalent to $180 million today) to construct.
After completing the tour, it was time to purchase a few souvenirs of course! There was a wonderful selection of goodies to buy and I think it’s fair to say I made a jolly good job of it! 😂
When we left the temperature had reached 75ºF (24ºC). It was just like a summer’s day! 🌞 It was a 4.5 mile drive to actually leave the estate. 😱
We shall be returning tomorrow to see the wonderful gardens.
For dinner this evening we went to a local restaurant called Tall John’s, just a short walk from the B&B. The staff were very friendly and the food excellent.
Si’s Steak Diane
Sand’s Ricotta Cavatelli
We spent the rest of the evening enjoying ‘happy hour’ with some of the lovely guests here at the B&B, swopping some very interesting stories! 😉
The funniest event of the day was when we drove away from the B&B this morning and suddenly there was a car approaching us head-on ………………….. Si was driving on the wrong side of the road! 🚗😂 Hey ho!
See you tomorrow!