The Biltmore Estate: America's Largest Privately Owned Home

America's largest privately owned home, the Biltmore Estate, rests in the midst of the Appalachian Mountains of Western, North Carolina-in the relatively medium sized city of Asheville. This home, built in 1895 by George Vanderbilt is now toured daily, and visited by more than 900,000 tourists each year.

Ground breaking for the Estate occurred in 1889, with construction continuing into 1895. The house was opened for family and friends on Christmas Eve of that year. The Vanderbilt's named the estate "buildt" after the place the family originated from in Holland, and "moor" meaning upland rolling hills. No estimate is available on how much it cost to build the estate in those times--though research is being conducted at this time that will hopefully allow that information to be released soon.

The Estate was opened to the public for touring in 1930, at the request of the City of Asheville in hopes of sparking an increase in tourism during the Depression. Cecilla Vanderbilt, the only child of George and Edith Vanderbilt, granted permission. The current owner, William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil-grandson to George has chosen not live in the Estate or use it for family functions. He lives in the area and remains active in the maintenance and preservation of the estate. The estate serves as a historic landmark, receiving no governmental funding.

For its time, the Estate had many advances, including being completely wired for electricity, refrigeration, and central heating, and an intercom system used by servants who lived in the home. From having been on many tours of the estate, I can say that I have seen a two lane bowling alley, and an indoor pool. The estate has 250 rooms, and is nestled on 125,000 acres of land in the 19^th century. Today the estate only encompasses 8,000 acres. Of those 250 rooms, 43 are bathrooms, and 34 are bedrooms. The home occupies more than four acres of living space! Talk about exquisite!

Many movies have been filmed on the Estate, at least in part. Some of these movies include: The Last of the Mohicans, Richie Rich (becomes the family home, McDonald's store front not included), Forrest Gump (scenes from his cross country run) Patch Adams, and Hannibal (home for lead character).

Tickets run from $25-$42 per adult depending on the day of the week and the season you visit. Children aged 9 and under are free with a paying adult, and ages 10-16 are free or $21 also depending on when you visit. You can go on a guided tour-fees vary by tour-or roam the home on your own with a headset and audio player. I would suggest a spring visit so you can see all the gardens in bloom, or a Christmas visit so you can see all the trees and extravagant decorations.

In addition to the home, there is a gift shop, a restaurant (where all the local high school proms are held), and the most recent addition, the Inn on the Biltmore Estate-a quality four star hotel.

If I were to sit and list all the details of the Estate you and I would be here for days. So, I'll leave the rest of the research up to you. I hope that someday you will get to experience the wonder and beauty of the Estate. I often take for granted the fact that it's my neighbor.