This week, Tom surprised me with a short trip to celebrate my birthday. We flew to Asheville, NC and stayed at a nice hotel there. The trip included a great ghost walk through town (the next blog entry); a tour of the famous Vanderbilt mansion called "the Biltmore," and a day at Dollywood on the other side of the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee. These are our pictures of the day at the Biltmore and VIDEOS!
The Biltmore has 125,000 acres and the mansion has 4 acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. The basement alone would house a swimming pool, gymnasium and changing rooms, bowling alley, servants' quarters, kitchens, and more. We took an audio-tour of the mansion that covered 3 levels and the basement where the servants lived. It was an overwhelming display of wealth. It's an amazing museum, but we were disenchanted with the wealth and elaborate stuff in the place... you will still be amazed.
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| Ready for action in NC in the rental car at the airport! |
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| Tom at the back balcony of the Biltmore looking out over the 125,000 acres behind it. |
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| The Pisgah National Forest is now part of the original Vanderbilt/Biltmore Estate. Mrs. Vanderbilt sold it to the USDA Forest Service in the 1900s. |
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| Tom on the back patio of the Biltmore |
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Rob on the back patio of the Biltmore |
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Tom in the front of the Biltmore |
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| One of the "towers" in the front of the Biltmore Mansion |
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| This is a tower where the three flights of stairs are located. |
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| Tom and Rob on the west side outside the mansion. |
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| Tom at the entrance to the massive gardens. The greenhouse was as large as a modern 6 bedroom home. |
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