We got up at 7, which is proof positive that this is a trip not a vacation.
We went down to the lobby restaurant for breakfast at 7:35. There were a fair number of people there. We were shown to a table and given menus. We chose not to spend the exorbitant amount charged for a buffet breakfast. It was bad enough that we had to pay for breakfast as it was. My orange juice cost $2.95 and my husband K's coffee cost $2. We both ordered pancakes, which were $5.95. He got maple pecan and I got chocolate chip. We both enjoyed them.
We went back upstairs to wash up and gather our things for the day. We were out the door at 8:30 and were surprised to find it cool outside. However, Asheville is sort of in the mountains. The odometer read 58,086, when we left.
At 8:45, after driving 3 miles, we arrived at the Biltmore Gate, where we showed our tickets. It took ten minutes to drive two more miles to lot A5, where we parked. Then, set off through the woods. It was a pleasant, interesting walk. Just look at the burl on this tree!
At 9:00, we got our first view of the Biltmore. It did not disappoint. So majestic! And so well-lit at this time of day. We photographed it and ourselves, of course, as well as the gate that visitors used to drive through and the mountains to the left.
When we came down the stairs, we discovered that there was a whole wall of fountains built into the hillside as a kind of retaining wall.
As we got neared to the house, details came into view and there were a lot of them.
We checked in at the ticket booth and picked up maps, before going off to the restrooms, which were an entire building prettily set in the woods.
The system for visiting the house was well-laid out. As the time got closer to our 9:30 ticket, which we'd bought several months ago, we headed for the end of the line on the far side of the house. It gave us time to look at architectural features, question whether the lions at the front door talked to each other at night, and read up on the family. We'd seen sculptures like those under the window in the first photo in Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland this year. There must be a staircase behind that fourth photo.
We have time, so let's talk family. Biltmore House takes its name from the Vanderbilt family. Not, Gloria Vanderbilt, mother of Anderson Cooper of CNN. She's related but not of this branch. The house was built for George Vanderbilt II and took 6 years to finish, which was in 1895. He built this gargantuan house and yet, was not married. In 1898, he married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser, a direct descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, director-general of New Netherland (New York). Their daughter Cornelia was born in 1900. Interestingly, George and Edith were to sail on the Titanic, but changed their minds so last minute, that a servant was left to sail with most of the luggage on that ship, while they left early on her sister ship, the Olympic. The servant sailed second class and perished. George himself died following an appendectomy in 1914.
According to his wishes, Edith sold 86,000 acres to the US Forestry Service, creating the core of the Pisgah National Forest. When she needed money to keep the house and its core enterprises going, she sold more land. There are now 8,000 acres left. Edith was basically keeping things going until Cornelia came of age and inherited the place. In 1924,Cornelia married Hon. John Francis Amherst Cecil, a descendant of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, the chief advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. They lived at Biltmore, even though he was British. Edith was now free to see to her own happiness and in London in1925 married Peter Goelet Gerry, Senator from Rhode Island.
John took to life at Biltmore, but Cornelia found it dull. They opened the house to the public in 1930 in response to requests to help increase tourism in the area during the Great Depression, as well as to raise funds to preserve the estate.
Evidently, by 1932, Cornelia had had enough of the estate and went off to New York to study art. She soon moved to Paris and divorced John in 1934, but left him managing the estate, to which she never returned.
When Cornelia died in 1976, the estate passed to her and John's sons, George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil and William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil. George took over the then more profitable Biltmore Farms and William got the Estate. George moved the farms into a profitable real estate business. Today, William's son, William, Jr. is Chief Executive Officer and his sister Diana Cecil Pickering is President of the Family Office and Chair of the Board of Directors for the Estate.
We had decided not to spring for headsets for a narrated tour, but to rather just read the booklet that the map was in and to read any signs posted in the house. You are also allowed to ask questions of docents in any of the rooms.
We entered the Entrance Hall passing the lions as we went up the stairs, just as guests would have back in the day. The first room we entered was the Winter Garden. The fountain in the center has a sculpture called
Boy Stealing Geese by Karl Bitter. It would probably be quite warm under that glass roof in the summer, but I bet it was nice in the winter.
The Banquet Hall was next. George must have visited old castles in England. The ceiling is seven stories high. The walls have Flemish tapestries from the mid 1500s. The annual Christmas party for the Biltmore workers and their families took place here. There is an organ loft! The organ is a 1916 Skinner pipe organ. Those chairs in the second photo are under the loft and look mightily uncomfortable.The small table at the fireplace was where the Vanderbilts and family members ate 7-10 course meals on their own. When they had a dinner party, there would be fine linens, silver, china and as many as 5 wine glasses per person at that huge table. You'll also note the sort of throne on the side.
As we left the room, we went through the stone passage between the Winter Garden and the Banquet Hall. I was struck by the lights and the precise brick pattern.
The Breakfast Room is misnamed, as they also ate lunch here. The room is really rather dark. Perhaps it was easier on the eyes after a late night party. The room features paintings of Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt, grandfather of George II and founder of the family fortune, and William Henry Vanderbilt, his father. There are also two paintings by Renoir,
Young Algerian Girl and
Child with an Orange.
The table here is a bit bigger than the one in front of the fireplace in the other room. The ceiling and upper part of the fireplace really caught my eye; they took work. There's a sort of fainting couch in front of a window, which seems random. I have no clue who the woman is.
The next room was intended to be a Salon by the architect Richard Moore, but it was never finished in George's lifetime. Since the 1970s, the family has furnished it as a sitting room using items from the original collection. I just really like the use of fabric on the ceiling. I also loved the view out the window.
The booklet pointed out the grate in the wall behind us. George liked technology and wanted his house to have state of the art systems, including electricity. This was a grate for the central heating system.
The next room was the Music Room, which wasn't finished until 1976. The ceiling in here was really cool. I also liked the Dutch town above the fireplace.
Interestingly, the covered porch or Loggia, as they called it, was actually considered a room. Evidently, they'd open the doors of the Tapestry Gallery to enjoy afternoon tea, while looking out over Deer Park and the Blue Ridge Mountains. They were so rich that Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture, actually designed
the countryside. He took worn-out farmland and turned it into "pastoral scenes and forest". I suspect, that he did not plan on the houses on the far hill. The views are great, but I also really liked the little workers under the arches over the windows. Again, this reminded me of Rosslyn Chapel.
From the Loggia, we could also see the massive foundation to support this massive house. There were also gargoyles and interesting spouts at the end of drainpipes.
Now, it was time for the aforementioned Tapestry Gallery. It's a gallery, because it is 90 feet long! People would have refreshments and listen to music. The tapestries are Flemish and part of a set from the 1530s called
The Triumph of the Seven Virtues. However, there are only three here- Charity, Faith and Prudence.
Besides the incredibly old tapestries, there were some old pieces of furniture and some modern art.
The art included a portrait of George Vanderbilt by John Singer Sargent. I think, he looks rather rakish. There was a full-length portrait of his wife Edith by Giovanni Boldini. There was also a portrait of her by James McNeil Whistler that was difficult to photograph without a glare.
The next room was a dream come true for my family- the Library. George owned 22,00 books on topics such as world history, religion, philosophy, art and architecture, as well as American and English fiction. Not all of the books could fit in here, of course. I couldn't help but notice how many of the books had the same color binding. When asked, the docent told us that George would have a book rebound after he bought it.
I wish that I could have gotten a good photo of the whole of the ceiling, as it was
The Chariot of Aurora by Giovanni Pellegrini. And, while it is beautiful, that's not the amazing thing. It dates to the 1720s and was originally in the Pisani Palace in Venice! How...?
It was a tough climb, but I made it upstairs. You know how you have a living room? Well, they have the Second Floor Living Hall. Evidently, it's been turned back to its original use as a picture gallery and formal hallway. Formal? The window treatments were reproduced and are really quite nice. (The fan on the floor reminds you there is no air conditioning.) They'll be hosting an exhibit of Downton Abbey costumes in the fall and there was a teaser here. They put back some paintings that were there, including portraits by John Singer Sargent of the architect of the house Robert Morris Hunt and the landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. I guess, it is sort of like their signatures on the place.
Next up was Mr. Vanderbilt's Bedroom. It was incredibly fancy for a guy's room. And it was just his room. His wife's room was further on, past another room. George evidently changed 4-6 times a day, but that closet is still pretty small. It was clever how they positioned a mirror so that you could see the paw-footed tub in the bathroom, without letting you near it. Also, the door to the next room had a serious series of locks. Who was he trying to keep out?
The aforementioned door led to the Oak Sitting Room, which is where they had breakfast and planned the day with the head housekeeper. They must have had guests often. Edith Vanderbilt planned not only meals, but social activities. I love the ceiling in this room. There are two portraits by John Singer Sargent of George's aunt and his cousin. The one of the cousin is a hoot.
The next really thick door led to Edith's beautiful room. Eighty years after the original purple and gold silk fabrics in the Louis XV style were created, new ones were woven by the same French company. Doors in this room led to the Lady's Maid's Room, the bathroom and the closets. Yes, George got one closet, while she got at least two. The room's oval ceiling is interesting, because the house was finished long before the marriage began.
The hallway after this was really rather plain, and blocked by a fan. But, then it was up to the Third Floor Corridor with its Gothic arched ceiling and oak bookcases. Here one can find first editions by William Makepeace Thackery, among others.
The Vanderbilts were very considerate of their guests, some of whom stayed for weeks. The Third Floor Living Hall was there for guests in nearby rooms to hang out, listen to music, read, etc. George put in Herter Brothers display cabinets and bookcases that had originally been built into the New York City mansion of his father, William Henry. It gave him more book space.
Guest bedrooms had names, which probably made it easier for folks to find the correct room. There were 33 guest bedrooms! (We did not see them all.) The visiting family or guests could have breakfast in their room. Several of the rooms were named for artists and, often, their works were displayed in the rooms. The first was the Watson Room, named for James Watson, the engraver. It is the only bedroom with twin beds. Each bedroom had its own bath. The one for this room had a makeshift air conditioner. Cool closet on the side of this piece of furniture.
The Van Dyck Room was next and it was decorated in the Colonial Revival Style of the late 19th century, which is when the house was built. The guidebook pointed out that guests changed their attire throughout the day, just as George did. It depended on the activity: reading, letter writing, lawn tennis, croquet, hiking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, "automobiling", afternoon tea, formal dinners. Guests, which included family, diplomats, politicians, artists and writers, often brought their own servants, and, if they didn't, one would be provided for them. What a different world!
Oh, and, I never saw a sink in those bathrooms. There are 43 bathrooms in the house, which was not usual for homes in the US in the late 1800s.
The Morland Room, named for English painter George Morland, is of note for the exotic Indian-style fabrics. The drapes hanging on the bed are exact reproductions of the hand-painted ones at the Italian villa, where the Vanderbilts honeymooned. The booklet said they "selected the chintz draperies as a souvenir of their time together...". That is absolutely the weirdest souvenir I've ever heard of. I did like the drapes and the German-style Schrank (wardrobe). My grandmother had one of those.
The next bedroom isn't named for an artist, but rather for the topic of the prints in the room- Madonna Room.
We then got to descend the Grand Staircase. My knees were not happy, since we were going all the way down to the Main Floor, but it was quite something. And, it was right behind the windows that earlier I had said had a staircase behind them. In fact, there is a walkway just outside the window, no doubt to facilitate cleaning. The chandelier was quite something. We passed an interesting hall on the Second Floor, but kept descending.
We did not stop on the Main Floor, but rather continued to the Basement. We went through the Stone Hallway, which lets you see a foundation wall. It took almost two years to build the foundations and footings, which extend down almost 29 feet.
In the Halloween Room, we saw a film about the creation of the house. We also saw the walls that Cornelia and her husband and family and friends spent several weeks painting for a New Year's Eve party. So, calling this the Halloween Room is weird.
The Biltmore had one of the first bowling alley's installed in a private home. Automated pinsetters hadn't been invented yet. So, a servant set up the pins and rolled the pins back. Very fancy seating for spectators.
The house was fitted out like a resort. So, of course, there was an indoor pool. We saw the ladies' changing rooms-no woman in the 1890s would walk through the house in a bathing suit- and the men's were on the other side of the wall, but not on view. Some of these were quite fancy, which I suppose reflected your place in society. The pool held 70,000 gallons and was heated. It still has its original underwater lighting. The vaulted ceiling was designed by Rafael Guastavino, who also designed and built the Basilica of St. Lawrence in town. It would have been cool to see this pool full of water.
It was no surprise that there was a Gymnasium. It was quite well equipped, including Needle Baths, which were like today's shower massages. You can see them in the back of the first photo.
There were multiple lower levels that were the domain of the servants. We passed a cold storage room and also one full of metal canned goods and one of the glass jars needed for canning, which also held hanging hams and glass lanterns.
The Servants' Bedrooms that we saw were all for females. Groomsmen, stable boys, etc. lived nearby above the stable. Even though it was uncommon for that time, every servant had a furnished, heated room. I was appalled at their working hours- most got two hours off daily, but were still on call; they got one afternoon and evening off a week and half a day every other Sunday.
The Pastry Kitchen let the chef prepare elaborate desserts away from the heat of the Main Kitchen.
The Rotisserie Kitchen was devoted to meat, thus keeping smoke and grease out of the other kitchens. Who thinks of this? Certainly not a guy like George.
We finally reached the Main Kitchen with its gleaming original copper pots. It was a huge room, since the chef directed all food prep here. He had a team of more than a dozen workers and held one of the most important staff positions. The room had an icebox, of course, but also the largest mortar and pestle I've ever seen.
In the Kitchen Pantry, there were electric and manual dumbwaiters. But, I was taken with the cabinet full of dishes.
I rather liked the Servants' Dining Room. It reminded me of a scene in the only episode of Downton Abbey that I've seen. Up to 30 servants needed three meals a day here. There was a maid responsible for setting the table, serving the food and cleaning up.
The Service Entrance was far busier than the front door. All luggage came in here and all the food, including 30 dozen eggs a week, did, too.
We passed the machine that provided the air for the organ in the dining room above. There were storage rooms for metal containers and vases. Can you imagine how many flower arrangements were in this place?
Besides a lot of cooking, a lot of laundry was done here. The Main Laundry was busy into the evening. There was a system of electric drying racks in the Drying Room next door. There was also a room for ironing. Another room had space to spread out lace doilies to dry. There was also an electric washer, as well as hand washing.
When we came back up to the Main Floor, we were on the other side of the Banquet Hall, which gave us a different vantage point. I hadn't noticed this doorway earlier, but we were on one of the earlier entrance times.
We were now in the Bachelors' Wing, with a variety of rooms with activities appealing to men. The first of these did attract women, too,-the Billiard Room. Not only were billiards played in this richly appointed room, but also dominoes, and drinks were served here.
The next room was the the the Gun Room, whose only redeeming virtue was the gorgeous ceiling.
Another unfortunate choice for a room was the Smoking Room, but, at least, it had books.
As we proceeded down the hallway, we came upon a portrait of Cornelia Vanderbilt, looking every inch of a 1920s woman.
It was after 11:30 by the time we left the house. What an incredible place! But, now we were hungry and we turned toward the Stables, which now have food and shops. The inside dining room was pricey, although the outside options weren't much better, but we chose outside. The courtyard was filling up, so we grabbed a table with an umbrella and took turns going off for food. I went to the Bakeshop, where I found an Almond Raspberry Croissant for my dessert and a Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Cookie for K's. I ordered a Caprese Wrap and a Diet Coke with free refills and my total was $22.58. I took the soda with me and they would deliver the sandwich. I relieved K, who went to the Courtyard Market for a Meatball Sandwich that came to $11.24 with tax. Ouch! It's a good thing the food was good. And, I did get that refill.
After lunch, we set off to explore the grounds and gardens. We wandered first to the other end of the house by the Library. Here, the South Terrace was set up for the outdoor concert series held here each year. The upper part of the terrace by the Library was canopied by thick vines. We got a great view of the Blue Ridge.
The Italian Garden was down steps from the South Terrace. Here there wee koi swimming among the water lilies and lotuses. Such gorgeous colors!
We went through the hedge to the Shrub Garden. This was nicely shaded and they were good enough to label some of the trees and shrubs. This was probably a pleasant stroll after dinner back in the day.
The Walled Garden gets its plants changed out for various seasons and months. Now, it was a riot of red-my favorite color. There was a handy sign telling the plants that were here, but I had no trouble recognizing the Black-Eyed Susans of my home state. There was an arbor through the center that acted as a line of reflection and it was covered in grape vines.
Next, we came upon the Rose Garden, my second of the summer. Many were past there prime, but there were still some nice specimens in bloom
I was very excited about the sign above the entrance to the Conservatory. I really like model railroads.
I want a conservatory! So many wonderful flowers and plants! And a railway running through it like the Biltmore's would be awesome. They didn't have just a train, but trestles, recreations of buildings on the grounds from natural materials, and even a waterfall. The train ran through various parts and even outside.
Outside, there was the model of the train station where visitors to the Biltmore would have arrived and All Soul's Church that George had commissioned for the nearby Biltmore Village.
The Stable looked even bigger as a model. The third picture seems so Victorian. Too bad the seats were so uncomfortable; it might have been pleasant to sit a bit.
The Gardener's Cottage was actually one of the first buildings completed on the grounds. The Bass Pond Waterfall was created by Frederick Law Olmsted.
The Lodge Gate was where we entered today. The double staircase is called the Rampe Douce and it is where we came down from the parking area. The final picture is from the Palm House portion of the conservatory.
When we left the Conservatory, we went around the perimeter of the garden and up to the arbor below the South Terrace. It was really very pretty there.
It was now about 2:35 and a very hot 85 degrees. So, we shared a soda under the breezeway of stables, before going in to check out the shops. There was a candy shop, a toy shop, a book shop, a Christmas shop, of course, and more. In the Carriage House, I found a Biltmore Pandora bead that K agreed to get me for a future gift. We made other purchases before hiking back out to the car.
We reached the car at 3:50 and set off through the woods to Antler Hill Village, which we reached at 4:10 (58,096). We roamed around, checking the scenery and the shops. It was quite pretty.
We went in The Biltmore Legacy, which was a kind of museum about the family, complete with a film. In case I didn't know it before, I could see here that the rich are different.
As we made our way to the winery, we passed this really cool plant.
There wasn't really a guided tour of the winery. You simply went down in a cellar and looked at displays. When we came upstairs, we were in the wine shop, which had a tasting room. As the tasting was complimentary, how could we say no? We were in a long line at 5:25.
At 5:42, we were directed to one of the many bars for our tasting. We were given several more tastes than the 4 or so that were promised. We dutifully filled out our tasting cards as we went. I was given whites and sweet wines to taste, since that was what I said I liked. K got reds. I really liked the Limited Release Muscat Canelli. It had a nice aroma and it got a rounder feeling as it sat in my mouth. The Limited Release Chenin Blanc is their most popular white and it had a brighter taste. K liked all the ones he tried, but didn't feel the need to buy any. I wanted to get some of the ones I liked and to get some as gifts for folks we would be visiting on the rest of our trip. So, we walked out with a couple of their pretty carrying boxes of whine.
We weren't finished in their until 6:15. We worked our way back down to the village proper, passing through parts of the hotel area. We looked at eating options, but they were all expensive. We wound up at The Creamery, which turned out to be the cheapest place to eat here. I secured one of the outdoor tables, while K went inside to get the food. He got me a slow roasted turkey and brie sandwich for $10.95, which tasted good. He also got me what turned out to be a not thick chocolate shake, which is very disappointing, when you are paying $6.50 for it. He got himself a club sandwich for $11.95 and a B-Cedrics Brown Ale for $5.50. ( Cedric's Tavern is very expensive.) The total with tax was a crazy $37.34. We split our sandwiches and enjoyed sitting.
We looked around a bit more, noting that it was getting quiet as the day visitors left. At 7:35, we joined them.
K drove us over to Biltmore Village, to see what it was like. It seemed to be mostly restaurants and we didn't stop.
We got back to the hotel at 8:04 (58,109). I took 471 photos today!! Everything we'd heard about the Biltmore is true. It's incredible!
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