The Biltmore Estate is home to the largest privately-owned house in the United States.
George Vanderbilt, a prominent businessman from the late 19th and early 20th century, began constructing the Biltmore House in 1889.
Located in Asheville, North Carolina, the 250-room home took six years to build.
Asheville is a mountain city known for its scenic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The area’s most popular destinations include the Blue Ridge Parkway — a 469-mile road around the mountain’s peaks — and, of course, the historic Biltmore Estate.
Vanderbilt opened the Biltmore House in 1895. Over the next 35 years, the estate played an important role in Vanderbilt’s family life. In fact, his daughter, Cornelia, and two of his two grandchildren were born there.
George Vanderbilt died in 1914. After his death, his wife, Edith, sold around 87,000 acres of the estate to the United States Forest Service.
In 1930, Cornelia and her husband John Cecil opened the house to the public. According to the Biltmore website, it was opened during the Great Depression to boost the area’s attraction.
Since then, there have been various additions to the estate, including the Biltmore Winery, the Inn on Biltmore Estate, and the Antler Hill Village, which features the Village Hotel.
The Biltmore Estate, which now spans a total of 8,000 acres, is covered with gardens designed by American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
The main house, America’s largest, includes 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces.
Keep reading for a look inside.
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