The Biltmore Estate 10-31-14

The drive to Asheville, N.C. was along the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mts. that run from Georgia to Pennsylvania.  It was a hilly but beautiful trip.  The fall colors though have almost finished due to strong winds & rain.  I have been told that farther south there might be a better showing.
Today I passed from Virginia through the corner of Tennessee & into North Carolina, about a 4 hour drive.
The Biltmore Estate was built for George W. Vanderbilt in 1895 on 8,000 acres in Asheville, North Carolina.  It has 250 rooms with: 75 fire places; 50 baths; a double bowling alley; indoor pool; gymnasium; it`s own power generating system & large gardens all around.  Here are two views of the front - in the second one you can see my VIP parking spot on the left about half way along the lawn area.  And no that sign does not say "reserved for Bob".

I arrived about 4:00 PM and it was lightly raining so the guide let me park right in front, very cool!
As usual there was no pictures allowed inside.  The next shot is looking back at the house from the large lawn / gravel area on the left & from inside the little covered structure.

This next is a view that I took turning 180 degrees from the one above.  The tree covered hills into the distance.

Below is the view back to where I took the shots above.

These two plaques talk about the grounds and Frederick Olmsted`s hand in the planning of the estate.
You may remember that I mentioned Olmsted`s work at Great Falls, Va.  He really got around since he was the designer of things like Central Park in New York, among many, many others.

 This fromal garden is just off to the left of the main drive - you can barely see my truck under the trees to the left.  Below is one of the formal flower gardens with a large glass greenhouse in the distance.

The last is a closer look (below) at the left side ot the building from the lawn / gravel area. Remember there is still a full basement level to go along with the three floors you can see from the front.  A huge "house" but if you have that much $$$ you can build anything you want.....

I am expecting to wake up to "snow" in the morning and my ticket will still be good to get into the estate again, it ought to be interesting.  Snug in a hotel tonight (freezing temp) I am done....

One last look at the main entrance (just behind that potted plant on the right) taken from the left side of the building  Enjoy!