Our Trip to the Biltmore

First of all, if you have never been to the Biltmore--go! It is an amazing experience. And it is possible to do in a weekend if you live close enough. I believe it took us about 6 hours to get there. This was our first long weekend trip leaving Scotty at home. He was around 7-8 months old and stayed with my mom. It was nice for us to take a little trip but not be too far away. We went in the summer and the weather was fabulous... not too hot and full sunshine!
Our first night we stayed at the Grove Park Inn, which was a gift from my step-father GR. His parents had stayed there on their honeymoon. This is such a beautiful place. We arrived there later in the day and quickly got checked into our room. The room was very well appointed, complete with nice robes in the closet and the most comfortable bed EVER! We explored the grounds some (it was dark) and then went to one of the fine dining restaurants. What a wonderful experience!

The next morning we had the best breakfast buffet EVER at the Grove Park Inn. I wish I had a picture showing all the wonderful delicacies that were laid out for everyone. Once our bellies were full we set out to explore the gorgeous grounds of the Inn before our first day at The Biltmore. The Inn opened in 1913 and has hosted such guests as: George Gershwin, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George H. W. Bush, just to name a few. The grounds are very well maintained, lush, and inviting.

Once we had walked off our breakfast, we decided to head to our main destination... George Vanderbilt's Biltmore. This beautiful estate is still in the family to this day. And thankfully, they have opened their doors to us all. The doors first opened in 1895, after six years of construction. The home itself covers four acres of floor space. There is an indoor swimming pool, bowling alley, servants quarters, and gymnasium in addition to all the living space. Unfortunately, photography is not permitted inside. The land surrounding the home was originally 125,000 acres (now only 8,000). The whole expanse of land was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the same man who designed Central Park in New York. When the estate was new, the land around it was very barren and not much use for anything. However, Olmsted had such a grand plan that what we see now was planned by him over one hundred years ago. Now, the estate features lush forests, and carefully planned out gardens. (I am going to mention here that I love photography...especially of pretty scenes or details of flowers, etc. So you will be seeing a lot of pictures that show this).

This was our first view of the beautiful home. How marvelous! Like a hidden jewel tucked away in the mountains of North Carolina. As we traveled down a walkway from the parking area, we began to see such pretty details as a statue of a little angel. She seems to be in her own little corner of the world. What a treasure!

We decided to just tour the grounds the first day (of course there was no way we would see it all)...There are so many different trails, all leading to a new special section filled with beauty.

We LOVED looking at all the plants and trees. One of the first plants that caught our eye was a trumpet creeper. If you know what they normally look like, you will be amazed at this one. It must be original to the home, dating back over a century perhaps. The base was bigger than any I had ever seen!

The conservatory is nestled close to several planned gardens. The roses were in full bloom, as were a variety of other beautiful and colorful flowers.

We ended up eating lunch at the Stable Cafe. Turns out, the cafe was the old stable! Go figure! :) But it really was beautiful and they had delicious food.

The next day we came back and toured the home, some more of the grounds, and the winery. What a lovely mini-vacation. And included a lesson in American History as well. I hope you enjoyed the small recap of our trip, as well as my photo journal.