Heading to Ashville to see the Biltmore House.

We spent the day, Thursday the 25th, driving to Ashville, NC where we stayed at the Ashville Bear Creek RV Park.

Sometimes when you try to get a picture of some color, objects get in the way and if you look closely in the mirror you might see someone.

 

Jane, remember the time I told you that without a GPS I would miss so many interesting sites. How did I end up here?

These pictures are the first look we got of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

 

We spent the day, Friday the 26^th, touring the Biltmore House. It was completed in 1895 by George Vanderbilt who was a 35 year old bachelor at the time. He married 3 years later and died in 1924 from complications following an appendectomy. The estate was originally 125,000 acres, but 90,000 acres were sold to the government for a National Forest in the early 1930’s. Now the estate is only 8,000 acres. The Biltmore has 250 rooms and one of the grandest is the dining room.  It has a 7 story vaulted ceiling, a very large pipe organ and a dining table that would seat over 40 guests. No picture taking is allowed inside the house.  Just believe us when we say it is magnificent. This is the largest house in America.

Entering the Biltmore estate.

 

 

Pictures taken along the road driving to the house, remember this is an 8,000 acre estate.  The entrance driveway is 3 miles long with about 11 miles of road winding through the estate.

 

 

Now this is a burl!!

Our first sighting of the Biltmore.  Too bad the sun didn’t come out much today.

 

The stable which is now restaurants and shops. 

The front entrance.

These balconies follow stairways in the house and we think their purpose may have been to has access for washing and maintaining the windows.

A view looking over the property from the back courtyard.

This is the back side of the house.  The small windows on the lowest level were the kitchen, kitchen staff quarters, swimming pool, bowling alley and gymnasium.

This picture was taken from the side courtyard.  This area would be full of plants in the summer.

We took this picture when walking from the courtyard through the gardens to the conservatory.  It is some type of Holly.

The gardens did not have much blooming this early so we went into the Conservatory.  We took photos of some of the flowers in the conservatory. The orchids were especially beautiful.

  

Finally, a picture of the two of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behind these windows is the Winter Garden.  It’s too bad indoor pictures weren’t allowed.

More road pictures as we drive out on a different road.

The Bass Pond

 

 

This is looking from our campground towards the mountains.

Until next time,

Dave and Sandy

Savannah continued

We had too many pictures for the last post so we had to make two posts for Savannah. 

They had a bomb scare on the river front.  Someone had left a backpack in a restaurant and got everyone shook up so the police need to take precautions.

 

The old Savannah Cotton Exchange building on the upper level of the river front.

This guy better learn how to camouflage himself or he will be bait.

It’s a good thing that I didn’t wear my high heels today to walk on this cobblestone street----

A local entertainer singing for tips.  Actually, he was a very good singer.

A photo to show some of the steep steps leading to the lower level of the river front.

Some of the narrow streets.   At least this one was a one-way street.

Here is a house in a black neighborhood with haint blue doors and shutters. This color was believed to ward off evil spirits and was painted on ceilings, under tables and under chairs.  The color has also been found painted on floor joist during building restorations.

An interesting entry.

Some more slave and free black’s houses. About 20 percent of the blacks were free and owned property and businesses as did some slaves. This area did not have the stereotypical slave situation as some slaves owned their own homes and had businesses.

This church’s steeples are so tall you can’t get them all in one picture. 

 

Approaching a tree canopy street.

More stairways and ornamental iron work.

 

 

 

Below is the Mercer Williams house made famous most recently as the filming location for the movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” which was based on events that happened in the house.  This house was built on a trust lot allowing for the 20 foot setback (or as we would call a front yard).

 

 

Another tree lined street.  They are so beautiful.

A fountain in Forsyth Park. 

 

 

Another way to tour the city is by horse drawn carriage.

 

Until next time,

Dave and Sandy