We had a late breakfast overlooking the beautiful North Carolina hills. The hotel is in a wonderful spot with 360 degree views of the countryside. We were told the hotel was built about ten years ago, in the style of George Vanderbilt's mansion.
One of the advantages of staying at the Inn was that we had free shuttle transport to and from the mansion, which is about two miles from the hotel. It is a vast estate, that was originally 125,000 acres but much of the land was sold back to the state of North Carolina after George Vanderbilt's death.
As we drove to the mansion, I saw this maple turning a beautiful red.
Our first view of the mansion after we arrived in the shuttle.
We entered the house to take the guided audio tour, which goes through the main rooms of the house, as well as some of the bedrooms and the servants quarters. There are 33 bedrooms and 250 rooms in all!!
The tour, which took about an hour and half, was well worthwhile. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos inside the house, so it is not easy trying to describe how vast and impressive the interior of the mansion is. For example, the banquet hall is 70 feet in height! No expense was spared in building the house, which took ten years to construct and was completed in 1895. It is the largest house in the US and is still privately owned by George Vanderbilt's grandson, William Cecil Jr.
The huge foundation walls at the rear of the house.
Looking towards the southern elevation of the house, across the south terrace.
The house with a wonderful wisteria-clad pergola in the foreground.
This giant purple-leaved European Beech tree was one of the many planted at the end of the 19th century.
We walked through the gardens into the beautiful walled garden with its very colourful flower beds and borders.
A giant hibiscus flower, which was about six inches across.
This flower bed had just been planted and was based upon a pattern of a Tiffany lamp.
Wonderful borders.
Next, we walked back to the house to look at the Italian Garden with its three pools, each one filled with different varieties of water lily.
I liked these giant floating lilies.
One of the ponds was teaming with Koi carp.
We then walked back to the house and I took this final photo. I felt it was a fitting way to end a wonderful visit and one we would both thoroughly recommend to anyone who is thinking of visiting North Carolina. George Vanderbilt has left a truly remarkable legacy.
We took the shuttle back to the hotel and, later on in the afternoon, we drove down into Asheville to try and find the art deco buildings the town is famous for.
The drive only took us about twenty minutes and we parked in the centre and were immediately impressed by some wonderful art deco architecture. In central Pack Square are two large buildings which turned out to be the Buncombe County Court House, on the left in the photo below, and the amazing City Hall.
In front of the City Hall was a fountain through which children were running and trying to dodge the jets of water that were randomly squirting into the air. It was very enjoyable to watch them having so much fun.
Close up of the top of City Hall with its pink and green tiled roof.
Just in front of the County Court House was a memorial to the Veterans of North Carolina. In the centre of the memorial was a statue of a seated woman holding a book in her hands. The significance of the lady escaped me.
The third major art deco building on the edge of Pack Square is the extraordinary Jackson skyscraper. Built in 1923 on an incredibly small 27ft x 60ft plot, it has an upper section that looks like a church tower which has been planted on top of the building.
A close-up of the extraordinary top section of this art deco skyscraper.
A rather beautiful fountain where the water flowed over a smooth circular stone, from the centre outwards and then to the ground.
As we walked through the centre of Asheville, we saw a legacy from the past, an FW Woolworth store, with a lovely art deco facade.
A close-up of the Woolworth facade.
Another impressive art deco building in the centre of Asheville.
We had a lovely meal in a Spanish restaurant before driving back to our hotel. What a surprise Asheville has turned out be. None of us ever expected that this North Carolina town would have so much to offer. Yet another place we would like to come back to.
After returning to the hotel, we went out on to the terrace and saw a new moon in the beautiful evening light above the hills. What a perfect way to end an incredible day.
What beautiful photos! I've always wanted to go to the Biltmore, but have never made it there. It remains on my list of places to see. It's too bad you couldn't take any pictures inside. The gardens are so beautiful, I can only guess what the inside looks like!
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