Biltmore House (2024)

FAQs

What's so special about the Biltmore House? ›

Its scale continues to be astounding: the house contains more than 11 million bricks; the massive stone spiral staircase rises four floors and has 102 steps. Through its center hangs an iron chandelier suspended from a single point, containing 72 electric light bulbs.

The estate is still family-owned. George Vanderbilt's great-grandson, Bill Cecil Jr, is the current CEO of Biltmore Company. His father (and George Vanderbilt's grandson William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil) was responsible for most of the dramatic growth of Biltmore.

Bottom line: "Anderson Cooper does not have any ownership in, or get any special privileges at, Biltmore Estate," Sims said, "although we would love to have him visit." In case you're wondering, Gloria Vanderbilt also was married to Pasquale DiCicco, Leopold Stokowski and Sidney Lumet.

Their eldest son, George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil, occupied rooms in the wing until 1956. At that point, Biltmore House ceased to be a family residence and was operated as a historic house museum. Their younger son, William A. V.

The county tax department also says the approximately 2,194-acre property is valued at more than $64 million. With hotels, restaurants, outbuildings and private residences, the total value of public areas of Biltmore Estate is nearly $300 million.

The old Forestry Compound that once was the Biltmore Forestry School was the site of a prostitute's murder. The spirit of the woman, along with a few others who were executed by hanging inside the old building, is said to be haunting the halls of the old compound.

Hidden gems: explore a world of outdoor sculpture at Biltmore, like this cherub in the Italian Garden. Hidden gems: a winged dragon carved into the base of a stone fountain near the Front Door of Biltmore House. Hidden gems: the booths inside Stable Café are the original horse stalls from the estate's stable complex!

It's worth it. Yes, the ticket is spendy, but we had a great time learning about the Biltmore Estate and touring the grounds. Make sure you have enough time to wander through the gardens and drive around the entire estate. Between the tour, lunch and the gardens, we were at Biltmore for 5 hours.

The Los Angeles Biltmore is known for being an early home to the Academy Awards ceremony—the Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded at a luncheon banquet in the Crystal Ballroom in May 1927, when guests such as Louis B.

Complimentary tickets are valid for one daytime visit and include a self-guided visit to Biltmore House (advance reservation required) and access to our gardens and grounds, Antler Hill Village & Winery, shopping, dining, outdoor activities, and more.

Why did the Vanderbilts lose their fortune? ›

The Vanderbilt family began to lose their wealth when the sons of William Henry failed to manage the company business. Their lack of attention to changing transportation needs caused their firms to lose market share. Their extravagant lifestyles depleted the wealth accumulated by their father and grandfather.

But within just 50 years of Cornelius's death, the Vanderbilt family fortune was completely gone. Even if you're not wealthy beyond imagination, like the Vanderbilts were, there's a lot to learn from their story of boom and bust.

A Life of Her Own

Like her father, Cornelia was passionate about arts and culture, and her continued interest in becoming an artist motivated her to relocate to New York. Following this period of separation, the Cecils divorced amicably in 1934, with Cornelia moving to Europe and John remaining at Biltmore.

Before she passed away in 2019, Gloria Vanderbilt, heiress to the Vanderbilt fortune (or at least what remained of it) that was created by her great-great-grandfather, railroad and shipping tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt, made it clear to her three children that they should not expect a trust fund from her.

Today, the company is still run by descendants of George Vanderbilt; the president and CEO is currently Bill Cecil Jr. The company employs over 2,400 people who maintain the 8,000 acres of the Biltmore Estate, hotel, winery, restaurants and shops. Biltmore House is the largest privately owned home in the United States.

The vast majority of Vanderbilt's fortune will go to her youngest son, Anderson Cooper. The only exception is that her eldest child, Leopold Stanislous Stokowski, was left with his mother's apartment in a co-op in Midtown Manhattan.

The door is covered in marble slabs and is rarely opened except to allow for ventilation in the employee break room below it in the summer. This hidden door leads to the Smoking and Gun Rooms inside Biltmore House.

George Vanderbilt III built one of the world's largest private residences at the height of the Gilded Age and filled it with fascinating details, including clandestine doors, underground passageways, a gentlemen's only smoking room, and a private reading den.

Speaking of ghosts, the entire second floor of the hotel is closed off and never used due the presence of spirits (the ghost kind…the other types of spirits can be found in the hotel's two bars).

It took nearly 20 years, and in 1903, Moore finally sold his land to Vanderbilt for $2,250 – significantly higher than Its estimated value of $75. Biltmore House was constructed of hand-tooled Indiana limestone at a cost of $6 million (more than $200 million today).

How many bedrooms are in the Biltmore House? ›

George Vanderbilt officially opens Biltmore to family and friends. On Christmas Eve, the country retreat George Vanderbilt has spent so long planning is marvelously decorated and full of festivity. The finished home contains more than four acres of floor space, including 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces.

The Biltmore Estate is home to the largest privately-owned house in the United States. George Vanderbilt, a prominent businessman from the late 19th and early 20th century, began constructing the Biltmore House in 1889. Located in Asheville, North Carolina, the 250-room home took six years to build.