A Royal Getaway

Visiting Biltmore – an American Castle

By Lyn Mettler

Picture yourself at the turn of the century, living in a castle snuggled among blue-tipped mountains and filled with the finest the world has to offer. Cool breezes billow in through hundreds of windows and strategically-placed verandas, and you have a staff to meet your every need.

That was the life of George Vanderbilt, American-born businessman and grandson of railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt, his wife, Edith, and their daughter, Cornelia, at their American castle they called Biltmore located just outside Asheville, N.C. And if you're looking for a romantic getaway for you and your partner, visiting this grand estate is a perfect escape. It will send you back in time into the lives of this opulent family, giving you a taste of grandeur.

When my husband and I visited the Biltmore, a young girl, in all seriousness, asked our guide, "Where is the princess?" And it's no wonder, because from the moment you enter, you see that this is a house fit for royalty, from the silk-covered walls of Edith's bedroom to the throne chairs in the magnificent banquet hall.

After visiting Asheville in 1888, Vanderbilt decided it would be a perfect spot on which to turn his vision of a grand European estate into reality. After purchasing 125,000 acres, construction of the home began and was completed in 1895.

The house, on the outside, is modeled after a French chateau, but on the inside, it more resembles an English country house. However, it's impossible to fit the interior of the Biltmore into one category, because within its 250 rooms are a multitude of styles from different periods with European, American and even Asian influences.

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