America's largest home just got bigger
Our experts work year round to preserve the dream of George Vanderbilt and the visionaries who helped him create Biltmore Estate. At the heart of everything we do is our mission: the preservation of Biltmore Estate as a privately owned, profitable working estate. Our recent decision to restore and open rooms on the Fourth Floor of Biltmore House is a perfect example.
Our Museum Services staff spent months restoring the Fourth Floor to its original grandeur. Staff conserved frames for prints, repainted walls, repaired tile work, cleaned the rooms' woodwork and floors, installed light fixtures, and more.
The final result was the grand opening of the Fourth Floor on July 1, 2005. Now our guests enjoy more of Biltmore House than ever before. The life of a Biltmore House maid is revealed with a Servants' Hall, Servants' Bedrooms and Bathrooms, and three house closets. The Architectural Model Room showcases architect Richard Morris Hunt's 1889 model of Biltmore House, while the Observatory offers magnificent views of the estate from a central vantage point.
Learn more with our press release.
Beyond Biltmore
Follow these links to visit other web sites and resources that tell of the people, places, and times related to Biltmore Estate.
Biltmore and the Vanderbilt Family
Here's a helpful list of books about the history of the estate and the family who built it. Learn about the period, the architecture, the lifestyles, and more.
Museums and Attractions
Explore the Vanderbilt mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Discover other Vanderbilt-related properties, and learn about mansions from the Gilded Age.
Flagler MuseumNewport Mansions
Shelburne Farms
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
The Vanderbilt Museum, New York
Richard Morris Hunt
This brief online biography introduces the celebrated architect responsible for Biltmore House.
Biography
Frederick Law Olmsted
Not only did Olmsted design the grounds for Biltmore Estate, he was also known as the founder of American landscape architecture. He created environments ranging from New York's Central Park to the Stanford University campus.
Olmsted Biography
Olmsted National Historic Site
History of Central Park
Olmsted in Yosemite
Forestry
Learn more about the history of forestry and see the Cradle of Forestry
in Pisgah National Forest as it celebrates forestry conservation—a
discipline that originated at Biltmore Estate.
Cradle of Forestry
Forest History Society
North Carolina State University: Libraries Special Collections Research Center
North Carolina Forestry Association