We topped our journey off in Asheville, North Carolina with a New Year’s Eve candlelight tour of George Vanderbilt’s country home—the Biltmore.
This darling little cottage in the hills has 250 rooms and over 4 acres of floorspace!
It was first opened on Christmas Eve 1895 and has been open to the public since 1930.
There are 43 bathrooms. Amazing. Especially when you consider practically no one had indoor plumbing when this place was built. There’s even an indoor swimming pool and bowling alley.
They won’t let you take pictures inside the house. Booo. But we made sure to take as many as we could outside.
I just love all of the gargoyles and statuary.
George Vanderbilt's Asheville estate was at one time over 125,000 acres. This consisted of the mansion, farms, gardens and woodlands. Today, only 8,000 of the original remain in the Vanderbilt family.
Along with the house, there is a working vineyard and winery, two inns, and a farm village. You can still visit the gardens, originally designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who also designed New York’s Central Park.
It was a beautiful way to end 2005 and begin 2006.
Happy New Year!
6 comments:
Oh girl, I'm there! I've already got my room picked out. Now all I've left to do is track down a pair of vintage Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. I'll be set! Sooooo classy! ;)
Hey, I've got a pair, oh wait, they're not vintage. Oh well.. (Grin).
Hey Sweet, yer man's a looker! ::Waves to Robbie::
~Lace~
Oh, Lace, I can't help but ask...
Are they black velvet Vanderbilt's??? ;)
I probably shouldn't admit this, but, I had a pair of violet one's back in the 6th grade. I thought that swan was sooooo cool. Went great with the pom-pons on my roller skates!
Yikes!
And yes, Robby is a cutie. Let's just see if he's still talking to me after reading about my "cool breeze" 80's days. ;)
ehhh heh hehehe black velvet vanderbilts.. nope.. just denim.. in every color known to mankind.. im SUCH a loser..
as for robbie.. im sure hes got a few embarrassing skeletons in his own 80s wardrobe closet.. my husband actually owned a sea green LEISURE SUIT... till i tossed it out one fine spring day.. what WERE those designers thiking of??!!??
80's skeletons in the closet? Should I be on the lookout for sleeveless hair-band t-shirts and a pair of black-and-white checked vans?
Oh, yes, Mandy. O.P. (Ocean Pacific) was WAY before your time, but, it was the epitome of
"Cool Breeze"!
I know you're way jealous! ;)
80's skeletons in the closet? Should I be on the lookout for sleeveless hair-band t-shirts and a pair of black-and-white checked vans?
If you are, let's surely hope you don't find any!!!!
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