The Biltmore
September 28, 2017
After being in Asheville for almost three months, we finally made it to the Biltmore. Throughout our visit we kept exclaiming, “Dude!” and, “what was it like to live like this?”
With five acres of living space in the home, the estate was built to impress. Richard Morris Hunt and Frederick Law Olmsted modeled the home off of a trio of classic French chateaux.
Docents and guides spoke to Vanderbilt’s philanthropy, including the founding of the first national forest (although Vanderbilt selling much of the family’s land outside of Asheville seemed to have as much to do as avoiding the new property tax as it did his love of conservation and hiking).