The Beauty of Biltmore

Oh, we had a wonderful time in lovely North Carolina two weekends ago visiting the Biltmore Estate in Asheville! And before I go any further, I have to say that I got so tickled when I previewed this post and saw my tagline “Looking well to the ways of her home” over the image of the Biltmore house! Well, I can’t imagine looking well to all the ways of this massive home, but it sure is fun to visit!

I would love to go through these photos with lots of detail and history, but I’m playing catch-up this week for a lot of time lost sick in bed this past weekend, so this post will be more pictures than words. Today I’ll share photo highlights from our walk thru of the house, and my next post will show highlights from the outdoor attractions.

The front elevation is magnificent in size and detail!

After entering the front doors, we first walked past the Winter Garden which was already decorated for Christmas!

Next was the Banquet Hall! Oh, the parties I could host there!

We missed the Christmas decor for this room by a week, but I really enjoyed seeing this gorgeous late summer arrangement on the dining table.

Next was the lovely Breakfast Room.

The Breakfast Room did already have its Christmas trees up and they were warm and glowing.

The Salon was not even completed during George Vanderbilt’s time at Biltmore, but is now decorated beautifully for visitors.

The Music Room is a favorite of my daughter’s who is working on her degree in music.

As with the Salon, the Music Room was not completed with the rest of the house, yet historians were able to find clues to it’s originally planned decor, and it now exhibits as George and his architect intended.

After leaving the Salon, we got a glimpse out to the Loggia with it’s breathtaking mountain views.

The exquisite Tapestry Gallery gave us plenty to take in as we made our way to the Library.

And what a Library!

This completed our tour of the first floor as we climbed the impressive staircase to the second floor.

This Baroque bed is only one of the stunning features in Mr. Vanderbilt’s Bedroom.

There were numerous bedrooms and living halls left on the tour, which I took many photos of, but for or the sake of time, I’m moving ahead to a couple of examples of a guest rooms.

I love the blues in the room above, and notice the interesting details on the doors!

Below is an 18th-century Swiss porcelain tile overmantle.

The lavish Louis XV Room is where Vanderbilt’s daughter Cornelia was born. Ladies, can you imagine having this as your birthing suite?

After viewing the upper floors, we went down to the basement, which is not your typical basement! There are so many interesting rooms throughout the estate’s basement. In fact, we always find the servant’s living quarters just as intriguing as the formal upper rooms. The Kitchens (yes, plural), the Laundry areas, Gymnasium, and Halloween Room are all fascinating, but I’m just including photos of the Bowling Alley and Swimming Pool because those have always been some of my kids’ favorites.

It’s no wonder their guests had plenty do and enjoy when they visited!

As we made our way back up to the main floor, we saw rooms from the Bachelor’s Wing, first stopping at the Billiard Room.

Below is the Smoking Room. Aren’t those flower arrangements lovely against the blue wallpaper?

There is so much more to take in throughout the house than what I’ve shown here. If you’ve visited Biltmore, you know very well that this is just the tip of the iceberg. As we exited the house, we made our way around to the side of the home to take in more of the grandeur of the elevation before strolling to the gardens.

I hope you enjoyed this little walk thru of Biltmore, and I hope you will consider a visit there for yourself some day. It’s one of our favorite destinations! I’ll be back in my next post with highlights of the gardens and other outdoor sights!