While in North Carolina we manage to go a little further west to visit the historic Biltmore Estate. Built by George Vanderbilt from 1889 to 1895, the house is an amazing marvel. You could spend several days touring the entire estate. We only had one day and so we had to choose the parts we wanted to cram into our one day. The house is a must see. You can usually get discount tickets through your hotel or order them online ahead of time to reduce the cost. We did the audio tour and wore headsets as we walked at out own pace through the house. You do not see the entire house, but you see the most important parts. Many areas are still under renovation. This tour took us between 3 and 4 hours. The house, when it was built, had electric lights; indoor plumbing; 5 refrigerators (not ice boxes, refrigerators); an indoor heated poor with underwater lighting; it’s own bowling alley (servants had to reset the pins); famous scultures and painting throughout. No picture taking is allowed inside the building though. I was a bit preturbed about that. I wanted to be able to take my own.

We also toured the winery. The winery is an addition added by the grandson’s of George Vanderbilt. It is housed in what was once a dairy barn. They have a wine tasting room where guests are allowed to sample the wines. We found the whites to be much better than most of their reds.

I would’ve loved to have walked through the immense gardens, but clouds and thunder had moved into the area and rain began to fall. What we could see of the gardens were lovely though. They would be worth a trip back.