Biltmore:: America's Largest Private Home

As many of you that know our habits already know: The Dressler's Love Biltmore!!!  We had been season ticket holders for a long time and we regularly visited the house while we lived in Knoxville and even after moving to Pennsylvania.  The past couple years though, we have been unable to make it over to the house, with all of our travels and visiting with family.

First, I should tell you a little about the house (in case you don't know, skip on if you do).  The Vanderbilt family was extremely wealthy, and one son- George Vanderbilt decided he needed to build a beautiful home modeled after the gorgeous French Chateaus.  He enlisted Richard Morris Hunt as his architect and Fredrick Law Olmsted to be his landscape designer.  Both were top-notch and delivered what is arguably their best work!  The house is privately owned by Vanderbilt's grandchildren and is open to the public for viewing.  It has 43 bathrooms, a gazillion bedrooms, a swimming pool and bowling alley, a fantastic pipe organ to play lovely holiday music for everyone...plus much, much more!  They have this cool behind the scenes tour and this LandRover off-road adventure that sounds pretty rad.

This holiday season I told Matt that the only thing I "wanted to do" was visit the house and enjoy the holiday spirit at this beautiful home.  So, leave it to the sweet man that I married and my Mother to make that happen!  We headed over on New Year's Eve (what a great day to go!).  We toured the house again (seeing some new rooms that had opened since we were there last), visited the winery (waaaaay busy!), checked out the cool new car they have on display and just browsed around the grounds!

When we went to the winery, I was able to pick up some Wassail that rivals the Wagner Gormet Foods Mulling Spices that I have always used (which I might add they decided to discontinue.:(...)!  So, you should definitely give that a try, go HERE to order a pack!  I put it in tea to make a spiced, wintery tea mixture.

I can't tell you how much I love EVERY season at this place, but I do believe that Christmas is my favorite!  Here are some pictures from our visit to the house and grounds! If you are ever in the Asheville, NC area, please stop and visit this house- it is worth the money!!!

Be Blessed.