Hello dearies! Did you know that the largest privately owned house in the United States is located in the mountains of North Carolina? The Biltmore is a mansion built for George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889-1895 and is still owned by the descendants of one of America’s richest families, the Vanderbilt’s.
I was fortunate to visit this estate on a trip to Asheville with my 2 lovely kindred spirits from NC. It was a typical southern rainy spring day and the April showers turned out to be the perfect backdrop for a dreamy afternoon stroll around a castle with my bygone gals.
The Châteauesque-style architecture is striking as you arrive at the end of the very long lawn. It took my breath away and at the same moment transported me to another era. The Gilded Age was a time of growth in America after the Civil War and The Biltmore encapsulates that feeling of prosperity in the late 1800s to the turn of the 20th century. The grandeur is evident in all of the 250 rooms filled with immaculate decor and the essence of a lavish lifestyle that still lingers in every tiny detail.
But the time travel didn’t end there as we found ourselves delightfully surprised that there was an exhibit called “Dressing Downton” showcasing 47 costumes from the British series “Downton Abbey” that is set in Edwardian England through the 1920s. The decadent dress forms were set up throughout various rooms and we were positively swooning over the gowns that the ladies of the manor would wear as if the ghosts of an old-fashioned era were present with us.
The $80 admission fee already felt worth every penny, but then our eyes were filled with wonder as we looked upon thousands of tulips in the garden. There’s is also a beautiful greenhouse that was filled with all sorts of enchanting flowers. Had we found the secret garden? Or perhaps, it feels that way to every charming traveler who finds their way to the grand Biltmore Estate, especially when the tulips are kissed by the raindrops. You may still have time to see the #BiltmoreBlooms if you visit between April 1 through May 23, 2019.
This was certainly one of the most enchanting days of my life and I will always hold the memories dear to my heart of this dreamy old-fashioned dream spring day in the rain at the Biltmore with my bygone gals. I hope you enjoyed coming along with me to my adventure to North Carolina in 2015. The south holds many hidden charms, and I hope I never forget even the encounter with a waitress who said that in the South macaroni & cheese is considered a vegetable when I asked if I could have it as a side!
Bye For Now,
-Lindsay Dianne
P.S. Do also check out the “Snow White & Rose Red” fairy tale photo shoot I did with my pen pal in the woods of NC!
