Biltmore Estate!

Today we toured the Biltmore Estate. At 175,000 sq.ft.,Biltmore is the largest home ever built in the US and has some 250 rooms. It was built in the late 1800's by railroad magnate George Vanderbilt, whose fortune is estimated at roughly 96 billion (2005)dollars. The family still owns it and has turned it into a profitable museum($50 entry fee.)
The place is immense. To give you an idea, on the property there is a winery, a horse farm,a few lakes, a river, and acres of crops. The road from the front gate to the house is three miles long. To exit the grounds there is another six mile long road. Pics were hard to come by because they wouldn't allow any indoor pics. But I have a few.
Vanderbilt also had an exquisite summer home built in Newport, Rhode Island. That was called "The Breakers" And it was by far the nicest among all the mansions in Newport. After Biltmore, we hit the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few miles.The road was nice but real slow. After about 20 miles, we found out the parkway ahead was closed due to storm damage, so we had to turn back and ride the interstate.Then we rode 400 miles and ended up in Winchester, Va. Tomorrow NYC!