March 7, 2023

Biltmore Estate



\
BILTMORE ESTATE

French artisans came to Asheville in the late 1800s to work on what became America's biggest house, the Biltmore. The 255-room mansion on 125,000 acres was the home of George and Edith Vanderbilt. Today the Biltmore is the No. 1 tourist destination in Asheville, where tourism is the No. 1 industry.

Biltmore Estate provides the ideal location for romance with a century old French Renaissance chateau. George W. Vanderbilt's 8,000-acre estate with its 250-room Biltmore House, 75 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, and the nation's most visited winery offers plenty of opportunities. Spectacular gardens and woodlands are perfect for leisurely strolls. From the house, walk hand-in-hand through gardens designed by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, best known for designing Central Park in New York City. The lush and beautiful reflecting ponds of the Italian Gardens are a fitting entry into a stunning world of garden paths. A short walk takes you to the four-acre Walled Garden and adjacent Conservatory.

Special arrangements can even be made for a sunset carriage ride complete with Biltmore Estate sparkling wine. A horseback ride takes you along trails through fields and forests to a ridge overlooking Biltmore House.

The Biltmore is Asheville's must-see attraction. It gets in excess of 1 million visitors a year and employs 1,600 people. By some estimates, it provides $350 million a year to Asheville's economy. The four-story French Renaissance mansion opened in 1895 with 34 bedrooms, 65 fireplaces, 23 bathrooms, three kitchens, a library with 10,000 volumes and a bowling alley and swimming pool in the basement. It covers four acres or 175,000 square feet. Be sure to check out the Biltmore's conservatory and gardens that cover 75 acres. They are among the largest, most colorful and most magnificent that we have ever seen.

Biltmore House, Gardens, Winery and Inn http://www.biltmore.com/ 800-858-4130