“Biltmore Estate” by JcPollock – Self-published work by JcPollock. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Biltmore_Estate.jpg#/media/File:Biltmore_Estate.jpg
Recently, while visiting my sister, I was fortunate to visit the Biltmore Estate, a 250-room French Renaissance chateau completed in 1895, located in Asheville, NC.
It was a beautiful, warm day and we toured the gardens (such a treat!) and the house, which covers FOUR acres! It is the largest private home in the United States with 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. Can you imagine cleaning a house that size? No thanks!
An added treat was an exhibit of over 45 costumes from Downton Abbey, the popular PBS series, many of which I recognized from watching the show for the past five seasons. It was great to see the lavish beaded gowns and tailored men’s suits up close. The overlaying of the fictional series with the real lifestyle of the Vanderbilts helped us envision what day to day life was like for the ultra-rich.
The priceless art, elaborate furnishings, tapestries from the Middle Ages and floral arrangements in every room were a sight to behold.
Today, it requires a staff of 1,800 to maintain the house and 8,000 acres of grounds. Over a million people visit the estate each year, which now includes an inn, stables and winery.
Of course, my main interest was the grounds and 40-acres of manicured gardens, which were designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. 
A stunning display of tulips, hyacinths and daffodils filled the beds of the walled garden.
The conservatory was filled to brimming with beautiful tropical plants that are used to decorate the buildings throughout the estate.
Many spring shrubs were in bloom including magnolias, dogwood, eastern redbud, forsythia and cherry. It was wonderful to jump into spring, leaving my still snow-covered yard and cool weather behind. I will return renewed and expectant of the abundant growth to come. Best of all, I’ll get to enjoy two springs this year!
Eliza Waters 
Beautiful but, OMG that is just to much living space 😉
I know, I wondered how they kept from getting lost. I couldn’t imagine working there. You’d need GPS to find your way around!
It looks so much like Waddesdon Manor in my village!
Is that a National Trust site? I’m itching to tour all the many gardens they oversee. 🙂
It is.. you can look them up here http://www.waddesdon.org.uk/ and see how similar the house is… and I have a few visits on the blog somewhere too 🙂
Oh, yes, it does look very similar. Very French. Rothchild & Vanderbilt = big bucks! 🙂
You should see the art they house here… phew! 🙂
Gorgeous photographs! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Thank you, Georgetteann. 🙂
I’ve been there only in high summer. Note to self: GO IN SPRING!!! Absolutely stunning, Eliza. Thank you so much for this visual feast.
Thank You, Barbara. It was a stunning place. My sister says that the Christmas displays are wonderful, too.
Oh yes, it’s true. I’ve seen the pictures. Makes my little owl mantel display look pitiful. But then again, I don’t have “staff.”
I fantasize about having a cook, housekeeper and gardener. Wouldn’t mind giving it a try. 😉
The colors are so stunning.
Thanks, Kim. The shrubs here are sooo gorgeous!
WOW, we visited in the Fall and there were no gargeous gardens like this!
I wish I lived closer… I would come back to see the rose garden (2500 plants!) My sister bought a pass, so she’ll have to send me photos, but I’ll miss the fragrance. 🙂
That looks like an amazing place – imagine having all that ‘garden’ to play with!
With lots of help, of course! 😉 The rose garden alone has over 250 varieties with 2500 individual rose bushes. That must be a sight to see.
So lovely…
How beautiful! The house itself looks lovely (understatement?), but I’d be more interested in the grounds and gardens. I was thrilled to see the image with the redbuds blooming. I think it will be a few years before we see many blooms on the redbuds we planted here last year.
The redbuds down here are gorgeous (all of the shrubs really) making me quite envious! I planted one a few years ago, but it keeps getting broken by ice and snow. It really is a more southern tree, I think. I hope yours grow quickly!
Wow, I had no idea what the place looked like this time of year. I went a few years back with my cousin and just loved the gardens. George Vanderbilt actually brought the railroad to that part of NC so that he could get supplies down there for building. The descendants seem to be very savvy business people as well. Must have been an amazing time to visit with all that blooming going on!
They have added a lot to it recently, esp. the winery. It would take days to see it all. Definitely a place to revisit!
Beautiful photos Eliza. The gardens look spectacular.
Thank you, Jenna. It was pretty mind-boggling!
Oh, how gorgeous!!! 🙂 I wish I could have come with you! 🙂 I watch Downton Abbey too, mostly because I loooove seeing all those beautiful dresses and hats!! I wish I could dress like that and have Garden Tea Parties in an enormous flowery garden!! 🙂
You would have loved it, for sure!
You should give a tea party! My sister gave one many years ago and we all dressed up, but only the little girls wore hats. 🙂
I would wear a hat! 🙂 I would love to give a tea part but I don’t have any friends who would be interested in that, they would all laugh and make fun of me.
Do one for the kids, they are still connected to the joy of living and doing fun things! I have tea parties with the little girls next door with a child’s set that I got special for them. Every spring we make violet and mint tea. You’ve just reminded me that that time is fast approaching! We don’t dress up, but we do have great fun!
Oh, how lovely!!! 🙂 I wish wish wish I could come!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
It would be fun to have you. Perhaps I’ll post about it!
Yaaay! 🙂 I will love to read! 🙂 I wish I was little and lived on your street, you would have been my favorite person ❤
Oh, Trini, you are so sweet to say that! You would make a great neighbor. 🙂 ❤
🙂 ❤ 🙂 ❤ !!!
Eliza, these images are simply gorgeous! Each one looks like a painting! I knew I recognized it because the film “Being There” was filmed there; and I saw this film recently (the last from Peter Sellers). How fortunate to have been there Eliza, these images are breathtaking!
Thank you so much Maria for your kind praise. I didn’t know that about “Being There” – such a fun movie. It is a great place to visit and takes more than a day to really see it all.
I know it must have been a beautiful sight to behold! 😉 Your sister was lucky to have you there with her !
🙂 ❤ XO
8000 acres of ground-OMgoodness…I would be in heaven:-) Could you imagine to have a place that beautiful:-) to work with and live in and share! Beautiful photos and great post…but I have to admit, I stopped watching Downtown after “Mary” started getting on my nerves-LOL-
she drove me nuts! The actress did a great job playing the part:-) They were spoiled people:-)
Indeed, I understand about Mary, but the costumes and surroundings are so beautiful to see.
Believe it or not, the estate originally was 125,000 acres! More than 90% was sold off over the years, a lot to form Pisgah Nat’l Forest.
How fortunate you are to have visited the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. I was there several years ago with great friends. It would have been a doubly grand visit if the Downton Abbey wardrobe had been featured then. What an experience you must have had.
It was a great thing to see. Photos just can’t convey the scope of the place, can they?
What a treat! I absolutely LOVE visiting such places. It always reminds me what’s possible if we just let our imaginations go wild, and then what the heck, go for it. Like … maybe I could have a bit of Eden too? Could it be? Yes, why not!
The mind is the only thing that can hold us back. But as the saying goes, ‘a great place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.’ I’d take the gardener’s cottage, however! 😉
Right – other people inspire, we benefit.
What a treat! Lovely shots.
Thank you, Fi!
Gorgeous Eliza – it is a beautiful place.
Many thanks, Mary!
Sounds like an awesome adventure!
Oh, that it was! So much more to see than one can squeeze into a day.
I visited years ago when I was looking at colleges – I don’t remember the flowers being so beautiful, though! Perhaps we were just a little too early for the flowers.
We were told that spring is when they get the big crowds coming to see the acres of spring bulbs and flowering shrubs. It was packed.
Lived in northern Georgia for several years and never appreciated how close this place was. I don’t want to take care of it, but I would love to see it. And to have two springs 😉
Oh, I LOVE Asheville Eliza! Wonderful Vegan food, great art AND beautiful gardens. We didn’t visit the Biltmore – it seems a bit like Disney to me. Instead we opted for the artists’ galleries in the river art district and ok, I’ll confess, the many brew pubs! Our last visit we stumbled upon a gem – the North Carolina Arboretum run by the university – wonderful, beautiful gardens. We will be visiting Asheville again and I’ll have to see the Biltmore gardens – they look stunning – way over the top – Disney!
I will have to put the NC arboretum on the list for my next visit – thanks for the tip!
Beautiful pictures ❤
Thanks, it was an amazing place to visit.
Marvelous post, Eliza! One day I would love to visit those grounds. It was a treat to see them~thank you 🙂
Thank you, Melissa. It is an amazing estate. I hope you get a chance to see it someday!