Biltmore house and gardens WOW. We thought it was a little expen
sive when entering the Biltmore gates. Then the Guard at the entrance said “just drive down the drive and you will reach the house in 20 minutes”, What? This was 20 minutes of the most beautiful man-made / natural gardens; it must cost a fortune to upkeep in the driveway gardens alone to keep them looking so fantastic. We learnt later that they’ve got 1800 people on their payroll to keep the grounds and house looking fantastic, I’m sure this must include the security and retail staff, as you can gather this is no run of the mill house. Biltmore is the largest privately owned house in America having over 250 rooms and these are not tiny rooms for example the Banquet Hall is an impress
ive seven-story’s high. It was home to George Vanderbilt in 1896, who was a bachelor at the time and built it as a holiday home and still remains in the family today. The house was very revolutionary and state of the art for its day, this was a time when hardly anybody had power… this house had lights IN THE POOL (something that particularly caught Thomas’s attention) When the Depression came the family needed money to preserve the estate, so opened it to the public in 1930. They are doing a fantastic job preserving it as it has all the family paintings, furnitu
re
and clothing etc right back from 1896. We got an audio tour which gave us in depth information; it was so interesting if you are coming to the US you have to see this place. Oh I have to mention the stunning gardens that covered 12000 acres around the house designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of New York’s Central Park. The Biltmore Estate’s forests, grounds and gardens reflect Olmsted’s plans from nearly a century ago with woodlands, fields, and gardens Included several formal gardens—a four-acre English Walled Garden, a 16th-century Italian garden with three reflecting pools, and a dramatic rampe douce and esplanade lined by an avenue of trees at the entrance to Biltmore House, mum you would love this place. Then
we moved on down the hill to Antler Hill Village where the Biltmore’s employees lived and worked. They had demonstrations on Traditional farming, including authentic blacksmithing and a traditional kitchen garden showcasing the bounty of the estate fields and orchards. Even though we have an animal farm right next to us back home the kids took much time and pleasure in playing with the chicks and other farm animals. After all this adventure we drove to Pigeon Forge Tennessee and stayed at a KOA campground.
sive when entering the Biltmore gates. Then the Guard at the entrance said “just drive down the drive and you will reach the house in 20 minutes”, What? This was 20 minutes of the most beautiful man-made / natural gardens; it must cost a fortune to upkeep in the driveway gardens alone to keep them looking so fantastic. We learnt later that they’ve got 1800 people on their payroll to keep the grounds and house looking fantastic, I’m sure this must include the security and retail staff, as you can gather this is no run of the mill house. Biltmore is the largest privately owned house in America having over 250 rooms and these are not tiny rooms for example the Banquet Hall is an impress
ive seven-story’s high. It was home to George Vanderbilt in 1896, who was a bachelor at the time and built it as a holiday home and still remains in the family today. The house was very revolutionary and state of the art for its day, this was a time when hardly anybody had power… this house had lights IN THE POOL (something that particularly caught Thomas’s attention) When the Depression came the family needed money to preserve the estate, so opened it to the public in 1930. They are doing a fantastic job preserving it as it has all the family paintings, furnitu
re
and clothing etc right back from 1896. We got an audio tour which gave us in depth information; it was so interesting if you are coming to the US you have to see this place. Oh I have to mention the stunning gardens that covered 12000 acres around the house designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of New York’s Central Park. The Biltmore Estate’s forests, grounds and gardens reflect Olmsted’s plans from nearly a century ago with woodlands, fields, and gardens Included several formal gardens—a four-acre English Walled Garden, a 16th-century Italian garden with three reflecting pools, and a dramatic rampe douce and esplanade lined by an avenue of trees at the entrance to Biltmore House, mum you would love this place. Then
we moved on down the hill to Antler Hill Village where the Biltmore’s employees lived and worked. They had demonstrations on Traditional farming, including authentic blacksmithing and a traditional kitchen garden showcasing the bounty of the estate fields and orchards. Even though we have an animal farm right next to us back home the kids took much time and pleasure in playing with the chicks and other farm animals. After all this adventure we drove to Pigeon Forge Tennessee and stayed at a KOA campground.
No comments:
Post a Comment