North Carolina's Biltmore House

Asheville, North Carolina is a beautiful country town with plenty of things to do and see. George Washington Vanderbilt enjoyed regular visits to Asheville with his Mother from the time he was a young boy. He liked the area so much that he decided to erect his own summer home in the area, and America's largest home, Biltmore House.

The 250 room French renaissance style home home sits on 8,000 acres which overlooks the Blue Ridge Mountains, and is now a famous North Carolina Tourist attraction. The home was occupied by The Vanderbilt family for many years, over one hundred years ago. Original furnishings and artwork still seen today occupied the home during the time the Vanderbilt family lived there. More than 70,000 pieces of antiques, artwork, bronze statues, and beautiful rugs adorn the Biltmore House.

The house is not the only amazing thing to see, the grounds have always been, and still are, well maintained. Beautiful trees, azaleas, and flowers color the property. From the first of April until mid-May each year, Biltmore House has its own annual Festival of Flowers , displaying more than 50 thousand Dutch tulips and irises in full bloom.

Renovations and excellent up-keep of the estate has made it easier to offer more rooms for visitors to see. the newest room made available to the public has not been seen by any outside visitors for over one hundred years. One of the newest rooms made available for public viewing includes the Louis XV Room. his room is the birthplace of George and Edith Vanderbilt's only child, and many years later that daughter gave birth to their two grandsons.

One attraction of the home that gets many visitors year round includes the Biltmore House winery. The winery produces around 100,000 cases of wine each year, and has approximately one million visitors yearly. Wine is also available for sale for tourists and visitors.

When making plans to visit Biltmore, it will take a couple of days to enjoy it and the city of Asheville to the fullest. It is a nice getaway and the scenery is beautiful. To get the feel of the estate and grounds, the Inn or Cottage on Biltmore estate make great accomodations.

The Cottage used to be the residence of the Biltmore market gardener, and comes complete with a butler to attend to the needs of the guests. The cottage has two hundred rooms, each one filled with carpets, fixtures, custom bedding, and mirrors, all inspired by Biltmore Estate.

The Festival of Flowers and the Candlelight Christmas are guided tours and well worth the trip and the money. Asheville is a beautiful mountain town with a friendly atmosphere.

When approaching Biltmore House the wonderful serenity of the landscape and grounds is very evident. America's largest home, Biltmore House, makes for a nice romantic getaway or family vacation with all of the other tourist areas also available in Asheville, North Carolina.