Like all of the Cottages on Biltmore Estate™, our Line House Cottages offer guests a step back in time to the Vanderbilts’ era—but unlike our other cottages, these cozy historic homes also provide a special glimpse into the estate’s agricultural heritage.
Archival image of the estate, c. 1906. The Line is in the foreground with the Barn to the left and the Main Dairy (what is now the Winery) in the center. Biltmore House is visible in the distance.
Located just steps away from the Barn and Farmyard in Antler Hill Village, the Line House Cottages are original estate structures, part of what was once referred to as The Line.
George Vanderbilt, his friend Stephen H. Olin, and two dogs walking towards the Farm Village (what is now Antler Hill Village), c. 1906. The Line is on the far left and the Barn is center-right. The four larger houses on either side of the Barn were reserved for management.
According to archival records, The Line consisted of eight nearly identical cottages. Dozens of estate employees and their families called these cottages home over the years, many of whom worked as milkers at the Dairy.
The beautifully updated living room in each of the Line House Cottages is the perfect place to unwind after a day spent exploring all the estate has to offer.
Today, these turn-of-the-century farmhouses have been reimagined as exclusive lodging options for our overnight guests, offering premium comfort and convenience along with privacy and four-star amenities.
The upstairs bedroom boasts double-window seating with ample natural light to illuminate the vintage Biltmore photographs displayed above the upholstered headboard.
Each of our 970-square-foot Line House Cottages can comfortably sleep four and offers:
Two bedrooms, each with a queen-size bed
Two bathrooms, each with a walk-in shower
Formal living room
Full eat-in kitchen
Covered front porch with pastoral views
Back patio for outdoor dining and entertaining
Imagine yourself part of this relaxing scene, sipping your morning coffee from your rocking chair on the front porch, having just woken up on George Vanderbilt’s magnificent estate.
With soothing, pastoral views of our working Farmyard, these homes are a short stroll from Antler Hill Village & Winery, estate trails, and the four-star luxuries offered at The Inn on Biltmore Estate. We invited you to discover our newest lodging offering and book your stay at one of our Line House Cottages in gorgeous Asheville, NC today.
Due to the historic architecture of our Vanderbilt-era Cottages, they are not accessible for guests with limited mobility.
Our Museum Services team works year-round to preserve the dream of George Vanderbilt and the visionaries who helped him create Biltmore. Let’s take a closer look at one of their largest projects to date: restoring the Louis XV Suite—the grandest guest rooms in Biltmore House.
About the Louis XV Suite
The Louis XV Suite is a retreat consisting of four guest rooms: the Damask Room, the Claude Room, the Tyrolean Chimney Room, and the Louis XV Room. It is located on the second floor of Biltmore House and is included as part of the Biltmore House tour route during the cooler months of the year.
The beautifully restored Damask Room boasts large windows that display captivating vistas in three directions: east, west, and south.
Damask Room
One of 33 guest bedrooms in Biltmore House, the Damask Room was named for silk damask draperies and distinct damask-style wallpaper. Situated at the southwest corner of the house, this room features commanding views of the South Terrace, Italian Garden, Deer Park, and the splendid mountains beyond.
Biltmore’s Museum Services team, which includes curators, conservators, and collections specialists, spent more than three years on this extensive restoration.
On the walls hangs a reproduction of the room’s original wallpaper, a complicated design that replicates on paper the look of a fine damask fabric. Small fragments of the original paper were found underneath door moldings. Our curators were able to match these fragments to full-sized samples of the wallpaper that had been placed in storage more than a century ago, enabling them to have an accurate reproduction made by Charles Rupert Designs, a company in Vancouver that specializes in surface-printed historic wallpapers.
On display in the Damask Room is a breakfast setup including Vanderbilt china, demonstrating that guests could choose to have breakfast in their rooms if preferred.
Biltmore’s conservators spent many weeks cleaning the antique marble and gilt fireplace and mantel in the Damask Room, in addition to conserving numerous pieces of American and English mahogany furniture for this room.
The striking wallpaper in the Claude Room, reproduced from the original, is the same pattern that is used in the Damask Room, but in a different color palette.
Claude Room
Like many rooms in Biltmore House, the Claude Room was named after one of George Vanderbilt’s favorite artists, the French painter Claude Lorrain. Several prints after paintings by Claude Lorrain originally hung in this room and are displayed here again. A master of 17th-century landscape painting, Claude presented nature as harmonious, serene, and often majestic. In 18th-century England, his works inspired new trends in landscape design. He also influenced later generations of landscape painters, including J.M.W. Turner.
As with many of the unrestored rooms in Biltmore House, the Claude Room was used by our teams for supplemental storage prior to restoration.
Among the noteworthy pieces of furniture from George Vanderbilt’s collection displayed in this room are an imposing ivory inlaid commode with attached mirror from Northern Italy that dates to the early 18th century, an English chest of drawers with an inlaid sunburst motif and a fall front concealing a writing surface and inner compartments from the same period, and an Italian Baroque-style kneehole desk in ebony and rosewood inlaid with ivory and mother of pearl.
An original drawing in our archives shows how architect Richard Morris Hunt incorporated the tile stove into the Tyrolean Chimney Room’s impressive overmantel.
Tyrolean Chimney Room
The focal point of the Tyrolean Chimney Room is the overmantel, constructed from an antique tile stove known as a kachelöfen that George Vanderbilt most likely purchased in his travels through Europe. Stoves like this were used in central and northern Europe from the Middle Ages to heat castles, palaces, and ecclesiastical buildings. Eventually, they came to be used in the residences of the wealthy. Created in the 18th century, it is comprised of tin-glazed earthenware tiles hand-painted with exquisite floral designs.
As part of this room’s restoration process, Biltmore’s objects conservator carefully repaired the chimney’s original floral design.
The wallpaper in this room is an exact reproduction of the original, a simple but elegant floral design with delicate gold striping in the background. Our team contracted with Atelier d’Offard, a small company in Tours, France, that specializes in traditional block-printed wallpapers, to create an exact reproduction.
The vibrant fabric in the Tyrolean Chimney Room is one of the most elaborate fabrics found in America’s Largest Home®.
The cut and uncut silk velvet in beautiful shades of ivory, red, and green has been reproduced for use in this room. Prelle, a silk workshop in Lyon, France that has been in the same family for more than 250 years, wove this fabric on century-old Jacquard looms in the exact same manner as the original fabric purchased by George Vanderbilt.
The Louis XV Room features mesmerizing views of the gardens and terraces to the east and south as well as a balcony overlooking the Esplanade.
Louis XV Room
The suite’s namesake and perhaps the grandest guest room in Biltmore House, the Louis XV Room takes its name from the French king. During most of his reign (1715–1774), French interiors were characterized by rococo design elements, including rounded forms, C-shaped curves, bright clear colors set off by white and gold, and light fanciful carving of foliage, shells, and other naturalistic motifs. Many of these same motifs were incorporated into the architectural scheme and furnishings in this room, as the Louis XV style was still very popular in the late 19th century.
Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil and her husband John Francis Amherst Cecil with their oldest son George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil as an infant, ca. 1925.
Amid the elegant surroundings of the Louis XV Room is where George and Edith Vanderbilt’s only child, Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt, was born in 1900. Cornelia then chose this room to give birth to her two sons, George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil and William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil in 1925 and 1928, respectively.
From large pieces like wall coverings to small accents like furniture trim, our Museum Services team handles every element of restoration projects with loving care.
Restoration of this room included the reproduction of the original gold and red silk cut velvet, which was hand-woven by Tassinari & Chatel in Lyon, France. Like Prelle, Tassinari & Chatel has specialized in the manufacture of fine silk fabrics for more than 200 years and has an international reputation for the quality of its fabrics. This fabric is used for wall covering and drapery. In addition, Biltmore’s conservation staff conserved all of the furnishings in the room, including Louis XV-style seating furniture and a Louis XV-style bed, as well the marble mantel, gilded rococo wall sconces, and an elaborate gilt mirror hanging over the fireplace.
Watch to Learn More
Biltmore’s Chief Curator, Darren Popoure, reflects on one of the estate’s largest preservation projects to date.
Moving into America’s Largest Home would be a work in progress for George Vanderbilt as Biltmore House was not quite finished for his October 1895 move-in date.
Have you ever moved into a custom-designed new home? If you have, you know that the punch list never seems quite buttoned-up on moving day. Little details seem to linger even after the last box is unpacked—and it was no different for George Vanderbilt’s magnificent new house in Asheville, North Carolina.
A ground-breaking project
Archival image of Biltmore House under construction, May 8, 1894
Ground was broken in 1889, and during the course of the six years that followed, George Vanderbilt remained in close touch with Biltmore House lead architect Richard Morris Hunt, supervising architect Richard Sharp Smith, and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Hunt passed away in August 1895, just months before Vanderbilt moved in, but Sharp Smith was able to complete the plan.
Archival image of the Brick Farm House, circa 1889
When he came to stay for periods of time at the construction site, George Vanderbilt stayed in what was called the Brick Farm House, a property he purchased from Asheville entrepreneur B. J. Alexander in 1889. Sharp Smith renovated the property, which included a mill and farm buildings, so that it was comfortable enough to accommodate Vanderbilt and his project team when they visited to check on the estate’s progress.
In the months leading up to the official opening, carpentry and cabinetry were among the final touches. With George Vanderbilt’s move-in scheduled for October, archival information shows that Richard Sharp Smith hired 16 additional cabinetmakers to speed up progress.
Biltmore House contractors, including Richard Sharp Smith (second from right), circa 1892
Finishing the last details of America’s Largest Home
On his first night at Biltmore, George Vanderbilt slept in the Bachelors’ Wing because his bedroom wasn’t finished. There was another issue, too, described in the papers of Frederick Law Olmsted:
When the water was turned on in the stable… to get ready for the servants to occupy, it was found that it would not go up to the second floor where the servants [sic] rooms are.
The problem was soon fixed and water flowed a few days later, but there were still a few outstanding details to hammer out. With family and friends expected for Christmas 1895, Sharp Smith hired an additional 10 cabinetmakers in December. While almost all the carpentry was finally completed in 1896, additional cabinetry projects extended into 1897.
View of front façade of Biltmore House
Plan your visit today
Today, when you visit Biltmore Estate, you can see first-hand the incredible attention to detail that went into every aspect of America’s Largest Home. But as you might imagine, even this architectural masterpiece was subject to the challenges faced in any home-building project. By seeing the vision of the project through until the end, George Vanderbilt and his design and construction team created a landmark with enduring quality that we still enjoy today, more than 125 years later.
While our curators work mostly behind the scenes, their efforts are evident throughout every inch of Biltmore House and beyond. A vital part of preserving the estate, this team is responsible for researching, documenting, and interpreting the collections, historic interiors, and history.
Our curators have tons of fascinating information to share, so we’ve put together a round-up of some of our most frequently asked questions for them to answer.
The Biltmore House Guest Book is an invaluable resource for our curators as it tells who visited and when. Shown here is a page from December 22, 1895, which includes signatures from many Vanderbilt family members who visited for the first Christmas at Biltmore.
Did any royalty ever come to visit Biltmore?
“The Biltmore House Guest Book includes signatures from an assortment of noblemen and women including barons, baronets, an earl, a countess, and a baroness. No true royalty visited Biltmore, however, until His Royal Highness Charles, the Prince of Wales, came here for his architectural school which took place at Biltmore House in July of 1996. If you count American royalty, presidential visits to Biltmore have included William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama.” – Lauren Henry, Associate Curator
The recently restored Oak Sitting Room, the living space that connects Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt’s Bedrooms, was an extensive project that took our Museum Services team nearly 15 years to complete.
How many rooms in Biltmore House have not been restored?
“All of the rooms on the main tour and a few rooms on the behind-the-scenes tours have been restored over the last 50 years. I would estimate that there are close to 100 rooms that have never been restored, and there are many rooms that were restored that need revisiting since we continue to make new discoveries in our research. Our most recent restoration project was the Oak Sitting Room.” – Darren Poupore, Chief Curator
Associate curator Lauren Henry inspects books in the Biltmore House Library. Topics in George Vanderbilt’s personal collection range in subject from American and English fiction to world history, religion, philosophy, art, and architecture.
How many books are in the Library, and how many are first editions?
“Today, there are 10,285 books housed in the Biltmore House Library. Because many first editions are not labeled as such, it is hard to know which are without researching every single one. One of my favorites is a first edition of On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (1859).” – Lauren Henry, Associate Curator
One of the most eye-catching works in the Biltmore House collection is Ignacio Zuloaga’s Rosita. Displayed in the Louis XV Hallway, this piece represents George Vanderbilt’s interest in Spanish art, which gained popularity at the end of the 19th century.
Is there a list of all the paintings in Biltmore House?
“Yes, the collections managers use a database of every object in Biltmore House and this includes 213 paintings on display and in storage. The paintings on view are primarily located on the first floor and in common rooms on the second and third floors.” – Lori Garst, Associate Curator
If you look closely to the right of the fireplace, you’ll see that Renoir’s painting Child with An Orange does not actually hang on the wall of the Breakfast Room, but rather on a hidden door used by household staff.
Are there any secret rooms, doorways, or passageways in Biltmore House?
“Though none are truly ‘secret,’ there are many hidden passageways and concealed doors in Biltmore House. Some were designed for the convenience of guests, while others gave domestic staff a way to move about without disrupting the household.” – Darren Poupore, Chief Curator & Lauren Henry, Associate Curator
George Vanderbilt’s friend James McHenry gifted him a chess set made of natural and red-stained ivory that once belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte, former emperor of France. Photo credit: @Kristen.Maag
What is the story behind the chess set in the Library?
“The chess set is one of my favorite objects because it reflects George Vanderbilt’s studious personality. Can you imagine receiving Napoleon Bonaparte’s chess set for your 21st birthday? After Napoleon’s death, his heart was sealed in an urn and temporarily placed on this chess table!” – Darren Poupore, Chief Curator
Woven in rich reds, blues, and golds, this 15th-16th century tapestry depicts the Christ child with the Madonna and Saint Anne.
What is the oldest piece in the Biltmore House collection?
“It is impossible to say what the oldest object in Biltmore House is with certainty, as George Vanderbilt collected many antiques, but one of the oldest is the biblical tapestry displayed by the Grand Staircase which dates to the late 15th or early 16th century.” – Lauren Henry, Associate Curator
After remaining a mystery for many years, our curators discovered that most of the brightly colored murals in the Halloween Room were drawn directly from the set designs of an avant-garde Russian cabaret and theatrical troupe called La Chauve-Souris.
What’s the most rewarding part of being a curator?
“For me, the most rewarding part of being a curator is the never-ending process of discovery. Just when you think you ‘know’ an historical figure, you find something that reveals another layer of significance. My favorite discovery was the unexpected history of the Halloween Room.” – Leslie Klingner, Curator of Interpretation
The courtship of George Vanderbilt and Edith Stuyvesant Dresser was a transatlantic romance. The two shared a love of learning and travel. On the decks of ships, in shared opera boxes, in the artist studios and bookshops of the Parisian boulevards, their romance blossomed.
The Tower Bridge in London, c. 1900. Many reporters speculated that the London was where George and Edith Vanderbilt’s courtship first began, though it is likely they met prior.
A London Introduction
In June 1897, George rented an apartment on London’s Pall Mall for the celebration surrounding Queen Victoria’s 60-year reign. London marked the occasion with a royal procession that wound its way around both sides of the River Thames. George and his guests viewed the event from their balcony above the splendid parade. Among the group was Edith, his future bride.
While reporters speculated that this was when the couple first became acquainted, it’s more likely the pair met through match-making family members as Edith was friends with some of George’s sisters and several of his nieces.
William B. Osgood Field with one of George Vanderbilt’s Saint Bernards, c. 1900. Willie played a significant role in the courtship of George and Edith Vanderbilt.
A Transatlantic Romance
In December of 1897, George Vanderbilt boarded the ocean liner SS St. Paul and began the adventure of his lifetime. Bound for England, Egypt, and India, the 35-year-old bachelor set sail with his friend William “Willie” B. Osgood Field. Also on board was Edith Stuyvesant Dresser, accompanied by her chaperone. George, Edith, and Willie spent time together on board, reading books aloud to each other and playing cards.
Willie wrote of the trip: “I soon saw that he [George] was rather smitten.”*
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, c. 1890. George and Edith Vanderbilt’s transatlantic courtship led the pair to wed in a Parisian civil ceremony with a religious ceremony the following day.
A Parisian Wedding
Smitten he was, for just six months later, after a whirlwind courtship abroad, George and Edith were married in Paris in a 15-minute civil ceremony on June 1, 1898. The wedding was presided over by the mayor of Paris at the Town Hall of the Eighth District in the Rue Anjou. An understated religious ceremony was held the following day at the American Church of the Holy Trinity, attended only by family and close friends.
Villa Vignolo on the shores of Lake Maggiore near Stresa, Italy, c. 1898.
An Italian Honeymoon
Following their Parisian wedding, the Vanderbilts stayed near Stresa in the Lake District of Italy for the much of the summer. A peaceful villa served as the couple’s home base as they explored the area’s spectacular Alpine scenery and took short trips to visit some of Italy’s finest museums and galleries.
It wasn’t until after their transatlantic courtship, their Parisian wedding, and their Italian honeymoon that Edith first saw Biltmore, her new home.
*William B. Osgood Field Papers, Manuscripts and Archives Division. New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.
In the past, we’ve shared the story of the 1940 Azalea Garden ceremony honoring Chauncey Beadle, an estate horticulturalist who later became superintendent, for his lifetime of service to the estate. Thanks to this new research from our Museum Services team, we now know that nine other employees were also honored for their many years of service in that ceremony, including four Black men affiliated with the Landscape Department.
There is limited information on each of these men, with some scattered archival references to their work throughout their years of service. By its very nature, our archival collection is fragmented—consisting of various payroll records, correspondences, and other documents that have fortunately been preserved over the estate’s more than 125-year history. Our effort to process these materials and learn more about these individuals is ongoing—yet we are eager to begin shedding light on them as well as many other notable employees.
Photograph of the Azalea Garden ceremony on April 1, 1940. These men are presumed to be the four Black men recognized for their service on this day: Charlie Lytle, Jimmie Rutherford, Benjamin Perry Hemphill, and John Robinson. Donated to Biltmore by Ione Rudolph Shine, Chauncey Beadle’s niece.
Charlie Lytle
Though he was employed by Biltmore the longest of the group, there is the least amount of information about Charlie Lytle in our archives. He is only mentioned in construction-era payroll records, some incident reports, and a few employee Christmas gift lists, but he is generally listed as a laborer for planted areas in these documents. Lytle was honored for 51 years of service in the Azalea Garden ceremony. According to his death certificate, he was still a laborer for the estate when he died in 1943 at age 72.
James “Jimmie” Rutherford
Like Lytle, most archival mentions of James “Jimmie” Rutherford are incident reports and employee Christmas gift lists, though several letters confirm that he was working as a lineman for waterworks, sewers, and drains from at least 1914 to 1937. In 1931, an incident report reveals that he also laid bricks in a furnace for the estate, which tells us he wore many hats. Per census information, he was a superintendent for a private estate water worker in 1940, indicating a more managerial role later in his career. Rutherford was honored for 49 years of service in the Azalea Garden ceremony. He was 70 years old.
Archival document compiled in preparation for the Azalea Garden ceremony. As the longest-serving employees, Charlie Lytle, James “Jimmie” Rutherford, Benjamin Perry Hemphill, and John Robinson were listed first of the nine total employees recognized in addition to Beadle.
Benjamin Perry Hemphill
The picture of Benjamin Perry Hemphill’s contributions to Biltmore is a bit more complete. The first mention of him in the archival records is an 1896 letter in which Beadle writes that he hired Hemphill to assist him “in caring for the greenhouses and formal gardens.” By 1903, Hemphill was head gardener in the Walled Garden and Conservatory, reporting to Chauncey Beadle.
It was uncommon for most employees to be in direct communications with the Vanderbilts about estate operations; these conversations were typically relayed through a chain of command. However, a 1906 correspondence shows Edith Vanderbilt conveying directly to Hemphill her wishes for specific varieties of azaleas to be sourced and brought to Biltmore, demonstrating how trusted he was as a Biltmore employee.
Hemphill was honored for 47 years of service in the Azalea Garden ceremony. According to his obituary in January 1948, he retired from working at Biltmore in March 1947, at around the age of 82.
John Robinson
John Robinson began working for the estate in 1893 as a water boy in the brick yard during construction. Correspondence from 1902 indicates that around that time, he was a road sweeper, primarily over the Approach Road and the Service Road. He became an office messenger, similar to a mail carrier, by the 1910s, assisting Chauncey Beadle with a variety of requests from the family.
Like Hemphill, Robinson’s direct communication with the Vanderbilts demonstrates what a trusted and valued employee he was. In 1924, he was one of two people that Edith Vanderbilt personally requested to hand-deliver invitations for her daughter Cornelia’s wedding to John F.A. Cecil.
Robinson was honored for 47 years of service in the Azalea Garden ceremony. According to his 1957 death certificate, he was employed by Biltmore for “some 60 years.”
Workers stand with a locomotive on the Esplanade during the construction of Biltmore House, 1892. The stories of various members of the diverse workforce that created America’s Largest Home® are highlighted in our new exhibit: Building Biltmore House.
An Ongoing Effort
Charlie Lytle, James “Jimmie” Rutherford, Benjamin Perry Hemphill, and John Robinson all started their employment with the estate during the construction-era of Biltmore House. Additional employee stories from this research are shared in our new permanent exhibit: Building Biltmore House,on display in the Halloween Room beginning February 4.
We are committed to learning more about the contributions of these and other employees at Biltmore. If you have any family connections to the estate’s history, you can reach us at museumservices@biltmore.com.
Feature image: Crowd gathering for the Azalea Garden ceremony. Photograph donated to Biltmore by Ione Rudolph Shine, Chauncey Beadle’s niece.
At each year’s end, we reflect on the events of the past year before looking forward to the promises of a New Year. If we were to look further back, into the last century, we would discover that the Vanderbilts and their friends celebrated the holiday in many of the same ways as we do today!
In 1901, George and Edith Vanderbilt invited a large party of friends and acquaintances to Biltmore to ring in the New Year. The house party—twenty guests in all—included diplomats, lawyers, authors, and military officers.
The only photo in the Biltmore collection from the Vanderbilts’ 1901 celebration. The woman is believed to be Elizabeth “Bessie” Beers-Curtis de Talleyrand-Périgord, Marquise de Talleyrand, who was an American heiress that married into the French aristocracy. The man is unidentified.
The Guest List
George B. Dorr, a conservationist known as the “father of Acadia National Park”
Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., son of Biltmore’s landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted
Elizabeth “Bessie” Beers-Curtis de Talleyrand-Périgord, Marquise de Talleyrand, an American heiress who married into the French aristocracy
Anna Roosevelt Cowles, the older sister of Theodore Roosevelt
Joseph Howland Hunt, one of the sons of Biltmore House architect Richard Morris Hunt
Giovanni del Drago, a socialite from an old Roman family (often mistakenly identified as a prince)
Eliot Gregory, a painter and essayist
Frederick Jesup Simson, a lawyer, author, and later the Ambassador to Argentina
Larz Anderson, an American diplomat who served at the London and Rome Embassies
One of the most notable guests was Joseph Hodges Choate, a prominent New York lawyer and the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain.
Ambassador Joseph H. Choate as depicted in an Asheville Citizen-Times article from December 30, 1901.
How They Spent Their Days
The house party stayed at Biltmore for about a week. Due to bad weather, the guests stayed inside for the first couple of days. Ambassador Choate made use of the Library, which appealed to him as “the most charming part of the house.” Others exercised in the Gymnasium and swam in the “vast swimming tank.”
When the weather improved, they went hiking, hunting and horseback riding. They also took garden strolls and went on carriage drives to see “the farms and the wonderful stock.”
The event was highlighted in an article from The Philadelphia Inquirer published December 31, 1901.
Ringing in the New Year
On New Year’s Eve, the party “sat up to greet the New Year and were very merry indeed,” Choate remarked in a letter to his wife. “There were games and dancing, hot punch served at the stroke of 12 and quite a revel even after that. Mrs. Vanderbilt fills her great place with the utmost fitness.”
Just as the Vanderbilts celebrated with friends and family, we hope you and yours enjoy the holiday just the same.
Happiest of New Years from your friends at Biltmore!
While winter is Biltmore’s most peaceful season, it still offers plenty to do for overnight guests! Whether you’re interested in escaping the cold or exploring the estate, here are our top 5 winter activities:
Enjoy a specialty experiences like our Red Wine & Chocolate Tasting offered daily at the Winery
5. Red Wine & Chocolate Tasting
One of Biltmore’s most popular Specialty Wine Experiences, our Red Wine & Chocolate Tasting is a lovely opportunity to stay warm. Sip your way through a number of our red varietals paired with locally produced artisan chocolates from French Broad Chocolate and discover why each is a heavenly match.
Explore the thrilling art of falconry at Biltmore
4. Falconry
Discover the ancient art of falconry on Biltmore’s historic grounds. Learn how to handle a trained hawk or falcon, then experience the inimitable thrill of a raptor flying to and landing upon your gloved hand. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind opportunity to interact with one of these majestic birds of prey–it’s sure to become one of your favorite winter activities.
Guided Hikes take place Thursday–Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
3. Guided Hikes
If you’re feeling adventurous despite the lower temperatures, bundle up for one of our Guided Hikes—offered exclusively to overnight guests. Choose from the moderate to fast-paced Trail Blazers or the more relaxed River Stroll and spend time enjoying the long-range views that winter brings to Biltmore.
Blacksmith Demonstrations are offered Thursday–Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
2. Blacksmith Demonstrations
While strolling through Antler Hill Village, be sure to make your way to the Barn to see our incredible Blacksmith Demonstrations. Not only is it fascinating to watch our blacksmith work—it’s also quite cozy in the Smithy Shop. For a memento of your visit, check for hand-forged items at The Barn Door shop located next door.
A guest explores Van Gogh Alive, created and produced by Grande Experiences
1. Van Gogh Alive
And finally, the must-see event at Biltmore this winter is Van Gogh Alive, created by Grande Experiences and hosted at our event center on the grounds of the estate.
Described as “an unforgettable multi-sensory experience,” Van Gogh Alive is a powerful and vibrant symphony of light, color, sound, and scent that compels you to leave the world behind and immerse yourself in Van Gogh’s paintings. Simultaneously enchanting, entertaining, and educational, Van Gogh Alive stimulates all the senses and opens the mind.
Explore Biltmore this winter!
Stay overnight at one of our distinctive properties to ensure you have enough time to experience all of the top winter activities the estate has to offer. For the ultimate escape, consider one of our special overnight packages.
For America’s Largest Home®, Christmas decorations must be scaled to the maximum to transform a home of this magnitude into the magical, sparkling experience that awaits guests year after year. Here are facts about the décor that is on display for this year’s Christmas at Biltmore celebration.
There are a handful of trees just in the Tapestry Gallery alone—the longest room in Biltmore House.
Christmas Trees
Biltmore’s Floral team will design and hand-decorate 62 Christmas trees for Biltmore House.
The largest tree inside Biltmore House is a fresh, 35-foot-tall Fraser fir in the Banquet Hall. It takes around 50 Biltmore staff members to carry in, raise, and secure the tree into place.
The smallest is a tabletop tree in the Moreland bedroom.
A lit 55-foot-tall Norway spruce encircled by 36 other illuminated evergreens decorates the front lawn of Biltmore House for Candlelight Christmas Evenings.
A total of 45 additional decorated Christmas trees are located at other estate venues, including the Winery, The Inn on Biltmore Estate, Antler Hill Village, and our restaurants.
Biltmore staff members carefully string lights on the Banquet Hall’s 35-foot-tall Fraser fir.
Lights & Candles
There are around 45,000 lights and 250 candles inside Biltmore House. 135,000 LED and mini lights are found around the estate.
There are 55,296 lights illuminating the Front Lawn tree, with 33,280 more on the surrounding trees and shrubs.
About 250 luminaries line the driveway and Esplanade in front of Biltmore House. Biltmore staff members place and light the luminaries each day at dusk to prepare for guests arriving for Candlelight Christmas Evenings. They come back to extinguish them at the end of the night.
The Christmas tree in the Salon boasts beautiful rose gold and slate blue ornaments.
Ornaments
The Banquet Hall Tree boasts 500 ornaments and 500 LED Edison bulb-style electric lights along with an abundance of gift boxes.
There are 13,870 ornaments used on the other trees inside Biltmore House, and that many again around the estate to add sparkle and seasonal interest.
Between seasons, the ornaments are housed in a large warehouse, where they are sorted, labeled, and stored in hundreds of boxes.
Blooming poinsettias surround Karl Bitter’s “Boy Stealing Geese” in the Winter Garden.
Poinsettias & Other Holiday Blooms
More than 1,200 traditional poinsettias are found in the Christmas displays around the estate.
There are 175 poinsettias in Biltmore House which are refreshed and replaced mid-season.
Seasonal plants include around 963 amaryllises, Christmas cacti, bromeliads, orchids, peace lilies, cyclamen, begonias, and kalanchoes.
The five golden wreaths in the Banquet Hall represent five golden rings from “The 12 Days of Christmas.”
Wreaths
We place 200 fresh wreaths and sprays along with 90 faux pieces around the estate during the season.
Wreaths are made of fresh white pine and Fraser fir, ornamented with golden arborvitae, holly, or other natural materials such as twigs and cones. Artificial bases are decorated with ornaments, berries, faux flowers, and ribbon.
Festive garland and stockings line the fireplace mantel in George Vanderbilt’s Library.
Garlands & Swags
We cut fresh evergreens on the property every week and create handmade swags to decorate the Grand Staircase in Biltmore House. The swags are replaced weekly to maintain a fresh look and fragrance for our guests.
Around 1,000 feet of fresh and faux garlands decorate Biltmore House, and around 1,200 feet are used in other areas.
Even some ornaments get their own bows, like this oversized bauble for the Banquet Hall tree.
Ribbons & Bows
We use 9,130 yards of ribbon to create hand-tied bows for Biltmore House and the estate.
We use everything from narrow cording to 8-inch-wide ribbon. We decorate with velvets, metallics, satins, burlap, and printed cottons.
It takes 10 yards of ribbon to create the festive red bows worn each year by the marble lions at the front door of Biltmore House.
The amount of ribbon required to make a tree-topper bow for the 16-foot-tall Christmas trees in the Library is 15 yards.
Any ribbon that is used year to year is starched and ironed so that it is wrinkle-free and perfect!
A few of Biltmore’s Floral Designers: Marie Arnold, Kyla Dana, Lucinda Ledford, Joslyn Kelly, and Callan Charron.
Staff
We have 10 full-time Floral Designers and 5 part-time Floral staff members.
Multiple departments across the estate help also help decorate Biltmore each year, including our Engineering, Housekeeping, Museum Services, Horticulture, Guest Services, Security, and Events teams.
Plan your visit today and discover the estate at its most enchanting: Christmas at Biltmore.
On his 21st birthday, George Vanderbilt’s friend James McHenry gifted him a chess set and gaming table that once belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte, former emperor of France.
The story begins a few years earlier when George travelled to England with his parents and sister, Lila. There they visited the famous Holland House in Kensington at the invitation of McHenry, who was also a friend of Lady Holland.
The invitation must have thrilled George, who had just finished reading History of Holland House, a popular title in th United States at the time.
Holland House, circa 1878
He wrote in his travel journal:
“Yesterday I visited Holland House and passed one of the pleasantest afternoons of my life… I could never describe all the things we saw unless I wrote them down on the spot. I saw all the things described in our book of Holland House. The library is on the second floor and like all the other rooms is very interesting… Mr. McHenry has a magnificent set of Holland House all illustrated in twenty-five volumes… besides many other valuable books.”
Indeed, young George and McHenry seemed to have made quite an impression on each other. They remained friends for many years and in 1883, McHenry marked George’s birthday with Napoleon’s chess set and gaming table.
The original chess set is made of natural and red-stained ivory. The gaming table, a beautiful combination of walnut, ebony, acacia, ivory, and brass, features an inlaid chess board on one side with a backgammon board on the reverse.
Ivory figures from Napoleon’s chess set
Following his 1815 defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon was exiled to the incredibly remote island of St. Helena, where he lived the last years of his life reading books, dictating his memoirs, and playing chess on that very table.
When Napoleon was dying of stomach cancer, he ordered his body to be autopsied to potentially save his son from the same disease. After his death in 1821, Napoleon’s heart was removed during this process, sealed in an alcohol-filled silver urn, and placed on the nearby gaming table. (His heart was later interred with his body at Les Invalides in Paris.)
Andrew Darling, an upholsterer on St. Helena who happened to be present during the autopsy, purchased the chess set and gaming table at auction soon after. Historians are unsure how the items then made their way to Holland House.
Napoleon’s chess set on display in the Library (Image by @Kristen.Maag)
George’s fascination with Napoleon persisted thereafter. He collected more than 162 volumes about the former emperor and acquired his snuffbox and breloche, though the latter items are no longer in the Biltmore collection.
