September 6 - Biltmore Estate (YRE)

The Biltmore Estate is one of those bucket list places I’ve always heard about, and I’m so glad I finally got a chance to visit it.  It was absolutely breath taking.  Sure, it is over-the-top ostentatious, but it is also a national treasure.  Biltmore House is the gorgeous châteauesque home built by George Vanderbilt in 1895. No expense was spared, and no detail was too small to merit attention in this lavish mountain retreat.

I’m not going to go into a lot of detail about Biltmore House, or about the grounds, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (but I could, and I might supplement this post after I get home).  I will just say, go see it, and rent the audio tour.

Biltmore contains over 250 rooms and we toured 42 of them.  Then we did a 5K volkswalk on the grounds.  It was a beautiful day and it was delightful to wander through gardens and woods.   

We started out on the terrace where the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains was stunning.  After walking through an arbor, we walked through the Spring Garden and the Azalea Garden.   The landscaping was artfully blended into the forest to create a beautiful, peaceful environment.  Rustic bridges complemented the paths of the estate.   

The Boat House

At the Bass Pond, we were treated to the Boat House, a small gazebo on the edge of the water.  At the other end of the pond we caught a view of a little waterfall and a pleasant natural stream. 

The Conservatory

Inside the Walled Garden

The final part of the walk took us to the Walled Garden and the Conservatory.  The conservatory is a huge hothouse with every type of tropical plant you can think of, and lots of inviting nooks to sit in.  The Walled Garden was a huge formal garden with flowers, fruit trees, ornamental plants, and lots of roses.  Olmstead was a genius, but we already knew that.

After our walk we went to Antler Hill Village, a newly developed area of the Biltmore Estate.  We saw a fabulous exhibition of Tiffany Lamps and went to wine tasting at the winery. There wasn’t much else there.

Rating:

Walk Route: A

Walk Documentation: B-