![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2qWSAmhXRwQ6wj4FNg2oSspSBeevrNrbLjc97E5RldcDV7pv9MtQBZyWF7qlXD0rOtzK3b6LqMwJozX7rGcj_3DMrrmFgMwovowu3vOqYny2JRvxy0hkidk3EUYNbub-ez77Sw-bLznJ/s400/me+in+front+of+biltmore.jpg)
Ever just take a drive and not know where you are going... with four days to spare? Of course not! Who does that?! Well, I do. I mean, my friend wanted to work for me... I end up with four days off... what's a guy to do? Well, I had been to New York recently, and I didn't want to get stuck in any snow, so I went south. Charlotte, NC was my first stop. It was largely uneventful, so with the good advice of a friend, I went to Asheville to see the Biltmore Estate. I thought I was just going to check out some house; you know - half hour, 45 minutes... tops. You need several hours to fully enjoy this, the largest home in the United States. It is the Vanderbilt home/"getaway" on acres and acres of land in the hills of western North Carolina. Built on turn-of-the-century railroad profits, this huge place is meticulously detailed and a wondrous creation. You have to see it for yourself because they do not allow photography inside.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQb4J9jGr4DaiqGwYQRCR5OfG9uk3ezYUKXWYmaswodzRvFVN05MzVgXmwKK6Xz_PGfzhpCNd5F_PylXlA2h4LKMNHqLEUl7RMA6UfTf3X_BcW8QtsnmvpHXzvWChxm7w8OB-Gc4RC_Cr/s400/on+the+pond.jpg)