Experience Christmas traditions the Vanderbilt way from November to early January and delight in storytelling, singing, candlelight evenings, gingerbread houses, decorative mantels, and festive hearths. Conservation, Environmentalism and Sustainability From the very beginning, George Vanderbilt and his landscape architect, Frederick Olmsted — the co-designer of Central Park in New York — planned and planted the Biltmore estate with conservation and regeneration in mind.
The pedigree of the cattle farmed on the estate trace back to the original herd. The estate also farms, according to Global Animal Partnership guidelines, other livestock such as sheep, pigs, and chickens.
In , a magnolia tree planted by George and Edith on the birth of their daughter Cornelia in fell into decay. In its place stands a second-generation magnolia, self-seeded from the original. They recovered wood from the first tree and built gorgeous tabletops for the event rooms on the estate.
The Biltmore estate continues to innovate and receive awards for eco-friendly initiatives such as solar panels. The stunning historical site dedicated six acres to generating electricity, tree protection, and landscape design.
For over a hundred years, the Biltmore continues to set the gold standard for stunning architecture, conservation, and innovative ways to serve the community. In , it sold 1. Last year it produced around 1. The company says it is the "most visited winery in America. Soon after the winery opened, so did Biltmore's second restaurant and first gift shop in the former stable building.
Later a bookstore, candy shop, toy store and Christmas shop were added. Investments and visitor numbers were racing skyward. Besides wine, the company now has numerous gift shops and even sells its own brand of pickles named after George Vanderbilt's favorite dog, Cedric. The pooch also has a restaurant named in his honor. After shaping the Biltmore Company for decades, William Cecil retired in His son, Bill Cecil Jr. Both had been raised on the property and felt a strong connection to it.
In , they opened the room luxury Inn on Biltmore Estate. In , they opened a new complex of shops and an English pub-style restaurant next to the winery.
Around this time they added horseback riding, fishing, Segway tours, biking and the Land Rover Driving School. This was followed by another hotel and specialty tours of the house. Soon it will be handed over to the next generation: Bill Cecil Jr.
And though the property is technically divided into parcels held by different companies for tax and inheritance reasons, the family has pledged to keep it together. Any additions will surely be in keeping with the vision of George Vanderbilt when he started building years ago, but meet the needs of 21st century visitors.
Adding, that "they are good business people, but they're not commercially crass. In short, they keep it classy, yet profitable. Surprisingly and against all the odds, a Vanderbilt legacy is still alive in the mountains of North Carolina. Still owned by descendants of the original builder, the Biltmore Estate comprises 8, acres of well-kept grounds and the biggest house ever built in the US. But that alone won't pay the bills and the owners have turned it into one of the most- visited historic properties in the country.
The mansion is the cornerstone of any visit. It has rooms, some massive, some more modest. On self-guided tours visitors can make their way through the , square foot 16, square meter chateau. The main rooms on the ground floor are impressive, but many visitors prefer the "below stairs" section that included the kitchens and staff quarters.
There are also special tours of the roof. This section of the mansion was first opened in as part of an effort to "keep bringing them back. The Biltmore winery was opened in in the old estate dairy. Today it is the most visited winery in the country and sells around 1. Overall the various Biltmore companies have 2, employees tending gardens, taking tickets, assisting guests, cleaning, selling trinkets or serving and cooking in the many places to eat. Opened in , the plus room Inn at Biltmore was the first of two hotels now operating on the property.
Both were built to match the colors of the mansion and their location within the estate. In a bold move, the family decided to take over management themselves instead of turning to external professionals.
It was yet another big challenge the company took on and another big risk. Big houses call for big dogs and the Vanderbilt's most beloved was Cedric a Saint Bernard. Now he has a line of drinks and snacks named in his honor. In Antler Hill Village, a new collection of shops, he also has a pub. The estate stables also house a restaurant. The centerpiece was a four-story stone house with a ft.
Even after six years, Biltmore House was not complete when George Vanderbilt opened it in ; work would continue for years. Its scale continues to be astounding: the house contains more than 11 million bricks; the massive stone spiral staircase rises four floors and has steps. Through its center hangs an iron chandelier suspended from a single point, containing 72 electric light bulbs. The Collection Vanderbilt, the grandson of industrialist Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, was an intellectual, fluent in several languages, well-traveled and knowledgeable about art, architecture, music, agriculture, horticulture and literature.
Vanderbilt's diverse and cultured tastes influenced his travels with architect Hunt while Biltmore House was being constructed. The two men traveled throughout Europe and the Orient, purchasing paintings, porcelains, bronzes, carpets and furniture. All of it would eventually become part of the collection of objects still in Biltmore House today. Indeed, it is often the collection, reflecting Vanderbilt's personal interests and tastes, that guests then, as well as now, find most fascinating.
Inside, artworks by Renoir, Sargent, Whistler, Pellegrini and Boldini adorn the walls and, in one case, the ceiling. The furniture includes designs by Sheraton and Chippendale. A chess set and gaming table, which belonged to Napoleon when he was in exile at St. Helena, are on display in the salon, and Chinese goldfish bowls from the Ming Dynasty can be admired in the library. Fifty Persian and Oriental rugs cover marble and oak floors.
The House Upstairs on the second and third floors, in addition to luxurious bedrooms, are areas where guests once played parlor games and took afternoon tea. The Fourth Floor features Maids' Bedrooms and the Observatory, with spectacular views from the top of the front of the house. Downstairs, the domestic servants kept the entire house running smoothly with the help of a state-of-the-art domestic nerve center, complete with a main kitchen, two specialty kitchens, large laundry complex, refrigeration systems and pantries.
Fully electric and centrally heated, Biltmore House, at the time of its completion, was considered one of the most technologically advanced structures ever built and is still admired today for its innovative engineering. It used some of Thomas Edison's first light bulbs, boasted a fire alarm system, an electrical call box system for servants, two elevators, elaborate indoor plumbing for all 34 bedrooms and a relatively newfangled invention called the telephone.
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