Biltmore Estate Facts
Biltmore Estate Facts
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| Interesting Biltmore Estate Facts: |
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| Biltmore Estate gets its name from the word 'Bilt' - a region in Holland belonging to the Vanderbilts, and 'more' which means hilly countryside. |
| George Vanderbilt II purchased 125,000 acres over the years that made up the Biltmore Estate. |
| George Vanderbilt II had a railway built to make it easier to bring shipments to the site while the Biltmore Estate was being built. When the project was completed the railway was dismantled. |
| When the Biltmore Estate was built many people still used candles and oil and gas lamps for light. The Biltmore House had underwater lights in its indoor pool. |
| The Biltmore house was wired with both AC and DC current because nobody was sure which would become the norm. |
| The Biltmore Estate gardens were designed by the same architect who created Central Park - Frederick Law Olmsted. |
| When the Biltmore House opened to friends and family on Christmas Eve in 1895 the home contained more than four acres of square footage. It had 35 bedrooms, 65 fireplaces, and 43 bathrooms. It also has three kitchens, electric elevators, and Winter Garden. |
| In 1898 George Vanderbilt II married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser, a Parisian, and they lived at Biltmore after their honeymoon. |
| In 1900 George and Edith Vanderbilt had their only child, a daughter named Cornelia. |
| In 1900 George Vanderbilt's Main Dairy and Horse Barn construction began. It became an important part of the Biltmore Estate. |
| In 1930 the Biltmore House was opened to the public in an effort to increase tourism during The Great Depression. |
| 87,000 acres of the original Biltmore Estate were sold to the U.S. Government Forest Services in 1914, following George Vanderbilt II's death. His widow Edith was following George's wishes by selling the land. This land became part of the Pisgah National Forest. |
| The Biltmore Estate houses the most visited winery in the United States. The winery began in 1971, when George Vanderbilt's grandson planted grapes on the estate. Two years later he brought a French winemaker to the estate to help establish the winery. It is 94 acres in size today. |
| The Vanderbilt library houses 23,000 books. It also features 16th century tapestries. |
| The Biltmore Estate houses a bowling alley, indoor pool, and a gymnasium. |
| A 250 acre deer preserve is part of the Biltmore Estate. |
| At Christmas time approximately 15,000 strings of lights are used, as well as 100 evergreen trees, and 41 indoor trees to decorate. |
| The Easter Egg hunt at the Biltmore Estate draw approximately 5,000 children each year. |
| There are more than 6,000 weddings on the Biltmore Estate each year. |
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