How the other Half Lives

Currently in: Four Oaks, NC (outside Raleigh)
Next Up: Outer Banks and Fayetteville, NC; Charleston, SC; Savannah, GA
Heading to Florida in early December

While in western North Carolina, Johnny and I visited the Biltmore Estate, built in 1895 by George Vanderbilt, grandson of railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt.  Cornelius donated money to what eventually became Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

To call this house a mansion is an understatement.

Side view of Biltmore House

The views off of the loggia are fantastic.  All planned by Mr.  Vanderbilt and his landscaper, Fredrick Olmsted.  There are also lovely gardens and a conservatory on the 8,000 acre property.

My favorite room in the house is the library.  The staff has started to decorate for Christmas already.  It's a big job in this 250 room house.

This was the first home in America to house a bowling alley and swimming pool.  Photo included here for our bowling friends!

I also interested in the workings of the household which were essentially housed in the basement.
For those of you that like to cook, there were several kitchens that the servants used to keep the family fed - pastry kitchen, roasting kitchen and this, the main kitchen.

If you know my affinity for laundry, you know I was intimidated by the amount of laundry generated by the family and its guests.  There were heated drying racks for the sheets, a new technology at the time. (I didn't get a good photo - this one is from the internet)

As a side note, the Vanderbilt fortune is essentially gone.   It is generally accepted that Cornelius' descendants had lavish spending habits.  The Biltmore Estate is a testament to that.