George Vanderbilt welcomed his family and guests to the Biltmore Estate at its grand opening on Christmas Eve in 1895 after 6 years of construction.  He was the grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the wealthiest man of his time in the US.  The Biltmore mansion encompasses 250 rooms totaling a floor space of four acres.  It was fashioned after French Renaissance manors in Europe.  Originally the surrounding grounds encompassed 125,000 acres.  Although most of the acreage was sold over the years, today the estate has 8,000 acres in a valley of the Smoky Mountains and is located in Ashville, North Carolina.  The youngest of eight children, George was not interested in the family business or making a fortune for himself.  It appears that this mild-manner person built this grandiose estate in somewhat secrecy to impress his family and friends.  Nevertheless the estate is a wonder to experience.  One must personally visit the home to absorb its opulence since no photography is allowed inside.

We enjoyed Thanksgiving week at the Biltmore Inn.  Our stay included Thanksgiving dinner, unlimited Biltmore house visits and a special candlelight tour of the house at night.  In addition to the regular self-guided tour with a storytelling audio player, we also took the guided butler's tour and a guided historical land tour.