Biltmore Estate


Today we visited Biltmore House, George and Edith Vanderbilt’s country estate.  In 1895 the house was officially completed after 6 years of construction. (And the parties began…More later!)  The house has 250 rooms and 43 bathrooms. (Now remember most houses in the US, at this time, did not have even one bathroom!)  It had both a bowling alley and a swimming pool in the basement.  It is surrounded by gardens that are a match to anything the royal palaces in England have.

Whenever I visit a place like this, I am always struck by the way wealth was flaunted.  This era is referred to as the Gilded Age.  I am always wondering where the money came from and what these people did to be able to afford to build and live in such opulence.  Here is a brief history of the Vanderbilt family.  George’s grandfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt, made his fortune in the shipping business starting with a ferry to Staten Island and turning that into a shipping business operating over 100 steamships between the USA and Europe.  Later he was involved in the railway business.  At his death his son William inherited the estate valued somewhere around 100 million dollars.  William, operating as a financier, doubled that in his lifetime.  In 1888 George inherited 200 million dollars or thereabouts.  Here is where things get interesting from my point of view. It appears George never made a dime in his life.  He was not interested in his father’s business interests.  Instead quote, “George liked to read, collect books, socialize and collect fine art”.  Biltmore was built quote, “as an escape from everyday life”.  (I am not sure what ordinary life he ever led!)  After all, George’s life was quote, “filled with leisurely days and glamorous nights”. I was unable to establish exactly what Biltmore cost to build.  However, at the time of his death in 1914, his estate was valued at 50 million dollars most of which was the value of Biltmore.   In a few short years, George ‘blew through’ two generations worth of fortune.  From what we can tell, his daughter, Cornelia, pretty much ‘blew through’ the rest so that she and her British aristocratic husband had to open the estate to the public to help pay the bills.  Funny how this side of the families’ history was not mentioned today.  However, despite my disgust with this kind of wealth, the estate and gardens are something to see.

Distance Traveled = 68 km.  Wildlife Sightings = Chimney Swift, Barn Swallows, Eastern Towhee, Spotted Sandpiper.



Biltmore Estate


Lower Floor of Library (11,000 books)


Indoor Swimming with Diving Platform


Banquet Hall


Conservatory and Rose Garden

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