Carolina 2020
This trip: The Biltmore Christmas experience
After visiting Asheville and the Biltmore Estate in the summer of 2013, we have been very interested in seeing the Biltmore Christmas decorations during the season. Of course, 2020 has been a crazy year... we had planned an April trip to Carmel in order to do part of the Big Sur Marathon, but that was cancelled. As it turned out, we were able to keep our November trip to enjoy Christmas at the Biltmore. We picked Hendersonville, NC as our home base, and it was a good decision. We were about an hour north of the Greenville, SC airport, and about 30 minutes south of Asheville. Nice central location.
Things to do
Hendersonville turned out to be a good choice. We could get to several hiking destinations as day trips and were still within easy driving range of the Biltmore Estate. BONUS: We added web sites below for all the attractions we visited.
Eating out
On this trip we didn't even attempt to do group activities, plus most of the restaurants (the ones that were open) seemed to focus on take out. We went to the Harris Teeter grocery store daily (It would do very well even competing in a big city) to find things to cook at our VBRO house. Did get a couple of yummy take out meals from Moe's BBQ. https://www.moesoriginalbbq.com/lo/hendersonville/
Activities
During "normal" times, it seems like there is a nice variety of activities, but even with the COVID lock down, we found plenty to do. The Carl Sandburg house is near by in Flat Rock. Look for photos below.
Our next trip to Carolina
At this time, we enjoy the "small town" feeling of Hendersonville (since we already live in a big city), so that is where we will make our "home base" for the next vacation. ALSO, there is a LOT we didn't do ... like drive the Blue Ridge Parkway and see the Smoky mountains. Due to COVID, most of downtown Hendersonville was locked down, but it seems like there is plenty to see and do when things get back to normal.
Videos and photos below
Remember the photos include captions; just click on each photo for a description. Also, look for websites.
Carolina 2021
This trip: Small town comforts
We decided to stay in Hendersonville, NC again. After all we already live in a big city! We stopped by the tourist center every day to plan our day with the help of a friendly local. They really helped!
Things to do
This trip we took a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I'm sure Ellen enjoyed it more since I WAS DRIVING! LOL. I still got see some of the view - of it was fine on our stops. Every day we drove in a different direction and waterfalls; taking hikes when we could.
Eating out
There were lots of places open (unlike 2020), so we made our way around the area. They seem happy to take of us tourists.
Videos
Mt Mitchell, NC This is one of the highest peaks east of the Mississippi https://vimeo.com/647306506
Water fall (and a dog) in Pisgah National Forest https://vimeo.com/647497270
Moore Cove Fall in Pisgah National Forest https://vimeo.com/647501780
Collage of NC views and waterfalls: https://vimeo.com/654793268
On our next trip
We might try a spring time vacation to enjoy that season. And we know summers will NOT be blazing hot.
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Local Photo Gallery
We found a nice VBRO w/ full kitchen, TWO bathrooms and a fireplace. Bonus this time: they have a horse shoe pit!
Pano of Jump off Rock, in a suburb of Hendersonville. Nice view even after the leaves have fallen.
1818 Laurel Park Hwy
Hendersonville, NC 28739
Carl Sandburg lived here for some years at the end of his life.
81 Carl Sandburg Lane
Flat Rock, NC 28731
Ellen shows why this place is called "Flat Rock"
Photo of Carl Sandburg's chair out in the woods.
"It is necessary now and then for a man to go way by himself and experience loneliness, to sit on a rock in the forest and to ask of himself, 'Who am I, and where have I been, and where am I going?'"
Pano of John at the Carl Sandburg goat farm
Some of the goats who still live here. The Sandburgs became "experts" in raising goats, so many people traveled to Flat Rock, NC to learn more - not realizing that the farm owner was Carl Sandburg!
Pano of John on a trail above the Chimney Rock lookout. It was a VIGOROUS hike!
Chimney Rock lookout w/ Lake Lure below. Lake Lure was the location of the movies Dirty Dancing and The Last of the Mohicans.
One of the falls at DuPont state park
Photos from the Biltmore Estate
We started our tour with a walk through the gardens next to the estate. https://www.biltmore.com/
Inside the "Winter Garden". This room allowed the Vanderbilts and their guests to experience a garden even in the winter months.
Looking down into the dining room from the 2nd floor. The dining room is about 100 x 40 (they had up to 68 chairs) and the ceiling is 70 feet high! You can see the 35 ft tall Christmas Tree (and ropes to keep it up). George Vanderbilt wanted 500 lights (made by Thomas Edison), 500 ornaments, and 500 gifts every year.
When the Vanderbilts traveled (just 3 people) they took UP TO 27 trunks. Here is a 100 year old Louis Vuitton trunk. Oh, George Vanderbilt only lived to 51, but guess how many transatlantic ocean voyages he took? Sixty one!
In the Tea Room. This chess set was owned by and played by Napoleon.
George Vanderbilt read 7/8 languages and spoke 4 languages. His library was more than 22,000 books. He kept journals of all the books he read (averaged 2 per week). This is from the last week of his life, # 3159, History of the U.S, part 3
This is a life sized painting of landscape architect Frederic Law Olmstead, who designed the entry road forest and the gardens. He also designed Central Park. Our docent said this life sized painting showed how much George Vanderbilt thought of Olmstead.
1993 painting of the Cecil family at the Biltmore Estate. (George Vanderbilt and his wife Edith Stuyvesant only had one child, Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt (1900–1976), who married John Francis Amherst Cecil (1890–1954), son of Lord William Cecil and Mary Rothes Margaret Tyssen-Amherst, 2nd Baroness Amherst of Hackney. Note the paining in the background (see next photo).
This 1873 painting was copied into the 1993 family painting. The boy seated in the red chair (center-left) is George Vanderbilt.
Early painting of George (pink bow tie) and 2 of his siblings.