Here’s another destination for your bucket list: The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The largest estate in America–over 250 rooms on 800 acres. It was built by George Vanderbilt–the grandson of industrialist tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt. (All earned before the days of income tax!)
George Vanderbilt was ahead of his times in many ways–lots of modern (for that era) conveniences built into the estate, the seldom seen areas of the house were just as well crafted as the living areas, and he paid New York wages to the Asheville, NC employees.
Construction of the house took six years. The finished home contains over four acres of floor space, including 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces.
Cornelius married Edith Stuyvesant in 1898 and they had one child, a daughter, born at Biltmore in 1900.
George died of complications of a ruptured appendix in 1914, at the age of 51. His untimely death was the end of an era for the Vanderbilt family.
As you can tell by the clouds–I encountered a little bit of everything! Rain, sunshine, wind, and snow!
The greenhouse on the property.
If you’re a Downton Abbey fan, I strongly recommend that you take the Butler’s Tour. You get a sneak peek into life downstairs.
So what places are on your Bucket List?
[Tweet “Go on a tour of @BiltmoreEstate with @SuzanneWFisher!”]
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I love adding to my bucket list. I watched the movie and when I hit a rough For years I have wanted to go to Ohiopyle State Park. I heard they have white water rafting and I want to see it done. Plus really beautiful waterfalls. My dad had wanted to go to Branson, MO to see Larry’s Dinor and to also see the Gaither Brothers and I would love to go for him. We had gone to my niece;s wedding and on the way back from CO we went thru Wyoming to go up to see Mount Rushmore. And I would love to tour Wyoming. Plus my dad told me about a place in the Carolina’s that has a place they do laser light shows of running horses. I would love to see it and then go down to Georgia to Atlanta and go to the zoo there. They have and aquarium that you can walk thru and see the sea life swim all around you. And my last place would be the Grand Canyon at sunrise or sunset. I have never been to The Biltmore Estate and it sounds like a neat place to explore also. I have been to the Garden of the Gods and it was fantastic!
Lovely photos. Even though the day was dreary it looked like a great day for an indoor tour. I am a Downton Abby fan so I think I’ll have to put the Butler’s tour on my bucket list (or tour Highclere in England). Thanks for the info!
The Biltmore Eastate is magnificent and all should certainly visit. My bucket list includes visiting every state in our grand United States. I now lack four.
Biltmore has been on my bucket list for years, long before I even knew what a bucket list was 🙂
What a beautiful building! It looks amazing in the landscape. Europe is on my bucket list, but that’s several years off. Right now my husband and I take long road trips every summer (he’s a teacher) with our two young girls and visit as many National Parks as we can 🙂 We’ve discovered several lesser known ones that are amazing!
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Love the Biltmore Estate. Grew up in the area and have been numerous times. Carrie Pagels and I toured it last May and had a grand time! I think I would like to travel to England, Ireland and Scotland. Old castles are cool 🙂
I absolutely love visiting the Biltmore Estate. I’ve probably been there 3 or 4 times. One time we took the “behind the scenes” tour with was really great as it was a limited size group guided tour of places the public doesn’t get to see unless they purchase this tour. I would visist the Biltmore annually if it was feasible. I live an hour drive from Sevierville/Pigeon Forge. We visit threre annually but don’t make it to the Biltmore but occasionally. Thanks for your great review of it!
I live about an hour away from the Biltmore House and have visited it numerous times. As a school teacher, I have taken my class of 5th graders there every year. Never did I tire of it! I learned something new every time I went. We got to see the first 2 floors and a few rooms on the 3rd floor. We also got to see the basement with the kitchens, pantries, maids rooms, laundry, and even the bowling alley and the swimming pool! On a more personal note, I found a book by Deeanne Gist, titled Maid to Match, that is set at the Biltmore House. The main character is hired to be a maid in the house not long after it was finished. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I’ve been to the Biltmore once & loved it, I’d love to go back someday. I’ve been to Germany, France, The Netherlands & Austria, my husband was stationed in Germany after 9-11 & I got to go over for 10 days, it was a wonderful trip & my plane ticket was free thanks to a good friend, that was the trip of a lifetime but I still have a dream trip & that’s to visit Lancaster,Pa. Hopefully I’ll make it one day, thanks for sharing your trip!
My son and wife went to this place and loved it so much that they made another trip the next year. A daughter and her husband also went when the son went the first time. They had been to a family reunion in Georgia. They took lots of pictures. I was just thinking of a man, wife, and one child in a place this large. It’s unreal. Thanks for this article. Maxie
One of the places on my bucket list is tovisit the Rosebud and Standing Rock reservations. It’s not your usual destination but I feel deeply that I need to go there. Another place is the island of Molokai. It is so beautiful.