We went to visit the Biltmore Estate while we were in Asheville. On a 8,000 acre site, George Vanderbilt (of the Vanderbilt family) built a 150 room house and had a magnificent set of gardens design by Fredrick Law Ohmsted. We took the audio tour which was well worth it since there is lots of information that you wouldn't get otherwise (44 short descriptions + about 15 more extra details about the rooms, the society, the way of life, and other details). We saw only about 30 rooms - among others the library filled with books, several dining rooms, George's and his wife's bedrooms, some guest rooms, the kitchen and pantries, some servants rooms, the gym, pool, and bowling alley. It took about 2 hours. You weren't allowed to take pictures inside the house and I didn't although I was tempted to take a picture of the wonderful antique rowing machine in the gym. It looked like this:
After lunch we spent about 2 hours in the gardens. The conservatory was chock full of blooming plants, and there were various flower and shrub gardens as well.
You can also go to Antler Village (a relatively new addition) and do wine tasting and see a museum among other things.
