Biltmore Estates

A while ago Design Mom started a column on her blog about loving where you live.  I decided that's a good idea.  In the past 4 years we have lived in 5 states and visited a few others.  We figured we would be in each place for a while and would have plenty of time to see things.  But we never got around to seeing more than the one or two main touristy things in the area.  So I'm going to join Design Mom in the quest of loving and learning about where I live and visit.

While Abbi and I were visiting their family, my sister and I decided to ditch the kids and take off on a road trip. The Biltmore Estate was our destination. We have this unhealthy fascination with touring homes.  I blame our dad.  If there was a new home being built or an open house near we always had to go walk through it. If there was a historic home near our vacation spot, we toured it.  We've been in historic mansions from California, to Massachusetts and even in Canada.  Our husbands don't exactly share our zeal.  So it was the perfect opportunity for a girls trip!



The Estate is amazing you guys.  It's a 1750,000 square foot mansion that was built by George Vanderbilt between 1889-1895 for his summer home.  He was single at the time, and even when he did get married they only had 1 child.  That is one mighty big place for 3 people.  I wish that they would have let me take pictures inside the home.  It was amazing.

But the grounds are equally as amazing.  If not even more so.  It was originally 125,000 acres and meant to be a totally self sustaining.  They had their own dairy, farms, everything.

To look at it now you would never know that it was almost completely empty of trees when Vanderbilt bought the land.  He brought in the landscape architect that designed Central Park in NYC to plan the estate grounds.  It was the first attempt at planned forestry.  It is totally amazing.

Have you ever visited Biltmore? Do you love old historic homes as much as I do?