Vanderbilt's Biltmore

The Front Door

Biltmore, the Vanderbilt estate in Asheville, North Carolina at 135,000 square feet is the largest private residence in the U.S. Beautifully sited on a hill top outside town, it is surrounded by 8,000 acres of gardens, farms, and forest. I've always wanted to visit Asheville, with its southern mountain climate at 2,000 feet elevation, and specifically Biltmore as an example of the heights Guilded Age private architecture achieved. Originally part of a working estate of 125,000 acres, 85,000 acres of its forestland were sold upon Vanderbilt's death to the federal government, forming Pigsah National Forest.

The Stalls in the Stable

Not only does it have 250 rooms, but the rooms are ginormous. They remind me more of civic or ecclesiastical spaces than a home. In fact the entire building has the feel of a castle and cathedral mash-up. The cut limestone, the complex and idiosyncratic carving, statuary, and old-world art work make it a museum too.

Still owned by a descendant of the original owner George Vanderbilt, it is operated as a for-profit enterprise with the purpose its of restoration and preservation. And they have gone to great lengths, including recreation of original fabrics on 100 year old hand looms and the commissioning of hand printed wall paper. We did our part paying $50 each for admission.

And there's a hint of Disney here too, with lots of subtle and not so subtle ways to part tourists from their money. One of our favorites was the restaurant in the old stables. My house should be as nice as those stables. The had done a great job turning each stall into a booth, and preserving much of the contents amidst a busy cafe. Food wasn't bad either.

Wisteria!

The house of course was over the top, and the finishes exquisite. We spent 2.5 hours on a self guided tour and had a great time. But what we really came for was the spring gardens. From the gargantuan wisteria on the patio overlooking the mountains to the redbud, forsythia, and magnolias nestled in the cozy valley to the expansive millpond, it was a treat for our winter-dulled eyes.

Lori and Ann Examine the Andromeda

Biltmore's grounds were designed by Fredrick Olmsted, designer of Central Park in New York City, late in life. From the moment you leave the highway and follow along the river, your views are orchestrated and your approach controlled. You leave the river and climb, turning, through the woods past towering trees and blooming shrubs, finally springing onto a vast lawn forming a tableau for the mansion and distant mountains. Large fountains are (still inactive from the winter) front and center, with gardens descending the hill to the left, in successive cascades of increasing informality. The highly structured Italian Garden with its pools and statuary leading to the formal walled garden filled with bulbs and ringed with espalier opening to the informal English Landscape Garden descending finally to the mill pond.

Spring Garden Valley Lawn

We spent many more hours exploring the gardens. They were so photogenic that many of our pictures of each other are of the one of us taking a picture! We even went through some sections twice.

Walking the Magnolias

Our final goal for the day was to try out the mountain biking at Biltmore. Yes, you heard that right, mountain biking. As part of the for-profit nature of the enterprise, a resort has been constructed away from the house near the farming areas. Called Antler Hill Village, it preserves the unique original brick barn structures, but adds a tourist village and resort hotel nearby. As part of the resort, there area several newer buildings housing restaurants, a pub, a winery, and an outdoor center. Many activities are offered to guests, including an equestrian center, fishing, a Land Rover off-road school, trap shooting, Segue tours, and of course, biking.

Mill Pond Bridge

To our surprise, we found almost 10 miles of single track, much of it professionally built, along with another 5 miles or more of two track and paths around the grounds. It was a fun end-of-day experience to wander about the farms and wooded hills along the river on our bikes and step back from the ostentation of the mansion and grounds proper. And it was reasonably priced at $5 a day.

Overall, worth visiting, and in the end I could get past some of the tourist vibe - it didn't dominate the experience like some places. You could still easily see the vision of the Vanderbilts for their home, the working farms and forests that were meant to maintain it (though I hear it was never fully self supporting), and the beautiful setting. It was at times busy in some of the buildings, even on the first weekend of high-season, but with good scheduling, you can get around that.