The Biltmore, Asheville, NC

Tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains, stands a Gilded-Age home so beautiful that it’s  name alone is recognized as one of the finest houses in the entirety of the United States. The Biltmore Estate attracts thousands of guests every year, and once you visit you understand why. Join me on a trip to Asheville, North Carolina to visit the Biltmore.

The Biltmore was home to George Vanderbilt and was completed on Christmas 1895. Built in the Châteauesque style, the 178,926 sq ft home continues to be the largest privately owned home in the United States. One of my personal favorite features of the outside is the beautiful windowed spiral staircase.

When you see the Biltmore in person, the mere magnitude and ornate detailing makes you feel like you’ve crossed the pond into Europe! First, I suggest you tour the inside of the home. The tour of the house itself takes roughly an hour if not more. The Biltmore hosts several different exhibits during the year. We have been twice and have seen the costuming for the film Titanic and the glass art of Chihuly. Both exhibits were fascinating, but nothing quite compares to a Biltmore Christmas. No expense is spared when decorating this beautiful home and I cannot recommend visiting during the holidays enough!

When you enter through the large doors of the Biltmore you are pleasantly greeted with my favorite room in the entire home, the window arcade that holds the winter garden.

What could be better than an entire room of plants and pleasant places to sit and admire? Nothing.

After the arcade you make your way into the gorgeous vaulted dining room!

The fireplaces and large pipe organ make me want to find my own Ewing Klipspringer to play us something incredible while we have a Gatsby style party!

Another room to note is the Music Room, where you can find some beautiful instruments and works of art.

My favorite piece of art in the home being the print of Triumphal Arch by Albrecht Dürer. The architecture artist in me just loves the design!

Take a nice break out on the back terrace, where you can enjoy some of the most lovely views of the Blue Ridge Mountains!

Eventually you will make your way to my second favorite room in the entire house, the library. I want to just pretend to be Belle for a little while and enjoy reading leisurely in this gorgeous room.

To make it to the second level you will climb the lovely spiral staircase that you admired outside. Make sure to take in the beautiful stained glass windows and the view as you make your way up!

Be sure to look up at the multi-level wrought-iron chandelier, also!

There are so many beautiful rooms in the Biltmore, that this blog post would be forever long if I showed them all. Besides, if I did that you lose some of the mystery! Once you’ve made your way through the home, I suggest enjoying the gardens and the conservatory.

The Conservatory is an absolute dream! Narrow aisles, surrounded by plants is as good as it gets for me.

One rainy afternoon we strolled in to find a cellist playing some lovely pieces, so we sat and enjoyed the music and the flora.

Just the house and the gardens alone can take an entire day to visit. There are so many beautiful sights to behold at the Biltmore and I hope one day you make the trip!