I went with Savannah's class to the Biltmore House in Asheville NC on Friday. This place is incredible- I only wish we had more time to see it all. We started at the farm with animals, woodworkers, the blacksmith, and stables. Then we went to the house. Ok, house isn't quite the right word- CASTLE is closer! The place is exquisite and has many priceless works of art, ming vases, carvings and statues, and tons of books.
We didn't even get to the gardens (which were planned by Frederick Law Olmstead) or the winery (where your ticket gets you a complimentary glass of Biltmore wine.)
If you get a chance to see it, do. The ticket is pricey but well worth it. Sorry, there are no pictures of inside the house, but they don't allow cameras inside.
I looked at the pics over on facebook...isn't it lovely? All the acreage around the place too is fantastic. I just don't like the price of getting inside! It's a great tourist attraction. Has Savannah been to the Sandburg house? I can't remember. It's nothing fancy, and pretty boring, but it's kind of nice to walk around. The goats are interesting. And the ghost of an old red dog (my Denver) may be romping across the creeks terrorizing the security guards there. He got a ticket once. Came home with one attached to his collar LOL. You'll drive right past my old house on the way there (across from the Flat Rock Playhouse).
ReplyDeleteI've been to Sandburg's, but she hasn't. We went when I went to church camp at Camp Tekoa. Hopefully she'll get to do that next year.
ReplyDeleteI love being able to import here from Facebook- it made posting these pictures both places much easier!
When I visited Biltmore, Gloria Vanderbilt was walking among the sight-seers. The guide said, "Ms. Vanderbilt may be around.". I glanced up and she was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and waved goodbye to the crowd. Lovely place...I visited at Christmas one year...amazingly beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThere aren't anymore Vanderbilt's around- George only had a daughter, and she married a Cecil. They're still around, but I didn't get to see one- just a picture of them!
ReplyDeleteThis was the place that was damaged by a small fire in the mid 90s. This was one of my stops when I visited Asheville then.
ReplyDeleteWOW! What an awesome estate!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great trip!
ReplyDeleteAmazing.
ReplyDeleteDarling girls....in their pink tees. So cute!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was there last, they had just opened the winery part and we didn't tour that. They didn't offer all the out buildings either. Jonathan and Erin were still in strollers and Rachel's class mates helped me push them around! It's changed a lot.
ReplyDeleteI want to go up and do the winery- needless to say on this school field trip, we skipped that part!
ReplyDeleteI think when I was there, they had just opened a juice bar or something. The restaurant wasn't even there then. And it was $35 for an adult back THEN. I can only imagine what it is now.
ReplyDeleteAdmission? I think it was $50, and I bet that was a group rate!
ReplyDeleteEven though the place is magnificent...it really bugs me to have to pay that much to see it. Such wealth...arrogant wealth ya know? Like one piece of furniture it probably enough for me to retire on ahaha. But it is beautiful. I liked the bowling alley and indoor pool. Then when I saw the servant's quarters---even though they were utilitarian, SUCH a difference between "upstairs and downstairs".
ReplyDeleteYes there was! I know some of those servants were lucky to have those upstairs rooms, though. It was (and is) opulent. Although it is still owned by the Vanderbilts (or their company, however you look at it) they do a lot of philanthropic work- here's a list I found on the web site of some of the things they support:
ReplyDelete* Asheville-Area Mountain Chapter of the American Red Cross
* Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity
* Asheville GreenWorks (Quality Forward)
* Blue Ridge Parkway 75, Inc.
* Clean Air Community Trust
* Eblen Charities
* Environmental and Conservation Organization
* Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
* the Jane Goodall Institute
* John Francis Amherst Cecil Foundation Employee Scholarship Fund
* Junior Achievement of Western North Carolina
* Mountain Housing Opportunities
* National Association for Olmsted Parks
* The Nature Conservancy
* NC Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts (Canon North American Envirothon)
* NC Environmental Defense
* NC Environmental Educators
* Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
* Sustainable North Carolina
* United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County
* Wild for Life