Visiting the Biltmore

Last week my grandparents treated my family to a visit at the Biltmore -- the largest house in the United States. Here are a few of the highlights, though I could write an extended blog post about this house and another about the gift shops. 

Since the house was HUGE I couldn't get a picture of the whole thing, but here's a glimpse of the beautiful gothic front of the house!

The conservatory was right off the front entrance and is probably my favorite room in the house. I love the ceiling with all the light and the beautiful plant arrangements. 

With high vaulted ceilings and a very large table, the dining room took my breath away. Opposite the enormous fireplace is a pipe organ on the second floor. 

Now dubbed the "Music Room," this area once held various pieces of art from the National Art Gallery during the war. Every detail is just magnificent. 

You can catch a glimpse of this view if you look out any of the windows of the house. 

Inside the Tapesty Room, two fireplaces (one outside of the picture) and plenty of seating provide ample space for afternoon tea or conversation. 

 

George Vanderbilt's library is massive. He had thousands of books on nearly every subject. 

This staircase goes up all four floors. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos on the staircase, but you can get the view of most of the first floor on your way up. 

Mr. Biltmore's bedroom was filled with art and very prominently displayed the color red. It's interesting how back then bedrooms were used as a kind of private apartment as well. Even the guest and servant bedrooms were large enough for their occupant to just to hang out in for a while. 

  

Edith Vanderbilt's bedroom is just lovely too all the gold and white molding is so elegant.

Guest bedrooms provided George Vanderbilt's guests with plenty of furniture and even a bathroom. There were also sitting areas for the guests to get to know each other. 

One of the guest bedrooms in particular had a lot of beautiful images of Our Lady. They were prints of artwork in Europe. 

It was also interesting to go downstairs and get to see what the lives of the servants were like back then. 

There was a full greenhouse and huge gardens outside as well, the rose gardens were stunning. 

There were multiple gift shops throughout the complex, everything about them was so well done. Every detail was taken care of so nicely, just like everything in the house.

I could go on and on about the house, there was just so much history and hundreds of rooms. I'd encourage anyone to visit the house, it was incredible to see in person. This house is a great place to see for anyone visiting North Carolina!