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Biltmore Estate is a 250-room chateau built on 125,000 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside Asheville, North Carolina. When it was completed in 1895, it became the largest private residence in the country, occupied by members of the prestigious Vanderbilt family.
Before the house was even built, Vanderbilt hired Frederick Law Olmsted, the famed landscape architect who designed New York’s Central Park, to create spectacular gardens on the grounds. Much of the acreage was turned into forest. The 250 acres that were set aside for use as a ‘pleasure park’ were planted as a series of gardens, each with a different theme. The gardens closest to the house were more formal; others became increasingly more naturalistic as they stretched toward the woodlands. Olmsted’s original idea, which has served the estate well, was to use native plants that would thrive in the local conditions.
Today, with the estate over 100 years old, the mature specimens in the forest and gardens render it breathtaking. Around Biltmore House, lawns, terraces, allees and fountains set the stage for outdoor entertaining. A shrub garden, with nearly of paths, was designed for strolling after dinner. A rose garden features over 200 varieties of roses, from Victorian favorites to modern-day hybrids.
The house itself is a chateau built in the French Renaissance style, designed by a leading architect of the day, Richard Morris Hunt. It covers an amazing four acres of floor space, contains 65 fireplaces, 43 bathrooms, 34 bedrooms and 3 kitchens. A portion of the house which comprises 60 rooms is open daily for visitors to view.
Visitors to the estate would also enjoy a visit to the winery, housed in the old stable building. There is a pastry shop/ice-cream parlor on the grounds, and three restaurants, which feature entrees of Biltmore-raised beef, lamb and trout.
Shopping on the estate includes the following:
-gifts and decorative accessories, including reproductions of furnishings within Biltmore House
-a shop of old-fashioned toys and games
-a book shop
-a confectionery
-a garden shop, featuring Estate-raised plants and garden accessories
-a wine shop, carrying not only Estate wines but gourmet foods and kitchen accessories
The most recent addition to the Estate is the addition of a full service hotel, with conference facilities. For the first time, visitors can now actually stay on the grounds during a weekend visit.
Throughout the year, special events and activities take place, from the spring Festival of Flowers to the annual Easter egg hunt to the summer evening concert series and the holiday festivities at year’s end. When decked out in its Christmas finery, the Estate is truly spectacular.
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