The Biltmore in Asheville North Carolina. This is one of the finest examples of the Victorian Era in America the 250-room Biltmore House – America’s largest private home – and magnificent 100-year-old gardens situated on an 8,000-acre estate.
#1 – George Vanderbilt started acquiring land for Biltmore in 1888 in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina.
#2 – The following year construction begins on the 250-room French Renaissance chateau It takes six-years and 1000’s of craftsmen to make America’s largest project in residential architecture.
#3 – On Christmas Eve of 1895, the home is officially opened. The finished home contains over four acres of floor space, 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces.
#4 – Three years later George Vanderbilt marries Edith Stuyvesant Dresser in Paris France. In 1900 they welcome the couples only child Cornelia Vanderbilt is born on the evening of August 22 in the Louis XV Room.
#5 – Tragically in 1914, George Vanderbilt passes away at the age of 51 after complications from appendectomy surgery.
#6 – 24-year-old Cornelia Vanderbilt marries the Honorable John Francis Amherst Cecil in 1924. They have two children George Henry Vanderbilt Cecil and William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil. Both children are born in the Louis XV Room, the same room where Cornelia was born.
#7 – In 1930, the Biltmore House to the public to help the local Asheville economy with tourism during the Depression, and to generate income to preserve the estate.
#8 – In 1942 the Biltmore House is pressed into secret service during World War II. Biltmore stores priceless works from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. 62 paintings and 17 sculptures were delivered to Biltmore by train in a January 1942 snowstorm. The works included works by Anthony van Dyck, Rembrandt, Raphael, and Gilbert Stuart’s George Washington portrait. They stayed secured at the estate until 1944.
#9 – The Biltmore’s basement and some areas of the house contain hidden doors, passageways and rooms.
#10 – The Biltmore has the first private bowling alley. All built by a new company called Brunswick.
The Biltmore is America’s Grand Estate. The house and grounds and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963. It’s one of the largest tourist attractions in North Carolina, with 1.4 million visitors each year.
Owner
7 Great Travel Destinations Those in Michigan Love to Visit in 2021
If you live in Michigan, chances are you have visited some of these great destinations in the Great Lakes state and along I-75 in the southern United States. We explore some of the best to check out as you venture between the Great Lakes and points south.
Here are at least three reasons why you should take a detour through Gainesville the next time you're in Florida. Gainesville, Fl. is not just home to the renowned University of Florida, it is a vacation destination for several . Between the charming downtown with Spanish moss-draped trees, sprawling state parks and quaint towns with a small-town feel, the Gainesville region may be a great escape all year round.
Charity Island history is guarding and dominating Saginaw Bay from Lake Huron. An isle of refuge for generations and visited by few each year. The island was a stop for early European explorers has they crossed Saginaw Bay.
There it sits. A lush tree-lined island on the horizon of Saginaw Bay. Big & Little Charity Islands are ten miles from the southern shore of Saginaw Bay. Except for the seasonal residents who live and host tours at the lighthouse keepers house, the island is uninhabited. These islands are considered by the US Fish and Wildlife Services one of the more remote and least visited islands in the Michigan Island National Wildlife Sanctuary. Visitors are few due to the bolder filled and treacherous shallow waters that surround the island. Charity Island history is one of isolation and remoteness in a busy shipping area.
The Great Lakes contain over 35,000 islands, and many of them are uninhabited. One is a huge and remote National Park. Here are five of our favorite islands on the Great Lakes that you can visit.
When you think of island- hopping, your mind turns to swaying palm trees, seaside tiki huts, and white-sand beaches. However, with over 35,000 islands, the salt and shark-free Great Lakes have some of the most inviting and unique chances for island exploring anywhere in the world. Some of these magnificent island destinations are only accessible by boat or floatplane, while others offer regularly scheduled ferry service. Here are five choice island destinations to explore.
Tawas Michigan is about a full day sail north of Caseville. Plenty to do in Tawas with its modern harbor and charming, walkable town for fun and adventure.
On summer evenings we can see the blinking lights of the Tawas Michigan from our beach. It’s a day’s sail from Caseville but a several hour drive from the Upper Thumb. The bay is clear due to the currents coming in from Lake Huron and the little town nestled near the harbor is a charming mix of tourist town and art colony.
Turnip Rock is a Michigan treasure. The Cable News Network, CNN, deemed the formation "An Amazing Formation in America. Seeing it requires planning and a taking a 2 hour kayak trip along the shoreline of Michigan's Thumb.
Cable News Network, CNN, has declared Huron County’s Turnip Rock one of America’s most amazing, or weird, rock formations. Located on private property at Pointe Aux Barques and accessible only by canoe or kayak. Explorers to the site are treated to an amazing limestone formation just off the beach.
The Biltmore Estate Home in Asheville North Carolina
The Biltmore in Asheville North Carolina. This is one of the finest examples of the Victorian Era in America the 250-room Biltmore House – America’s largest private home – and magnificent 100-year-old gardens situated on an 8,000-acre estate. Built by George Vanderbilt in 1895, the Biltmore estate's true story includes some of the most amazing secrets in American history.
Capt Tom Carriveau started as a scuba diver. Now a professional captain plying the waters to Charity Island in Saginaw Bay.
Charity Island has been part of Great Lakes history for 1,000s of years. In 1819 the future governor of Michigan, Lewis Cass, asked geologist Henry Schoolcraft to accompany him on a voyage of discovery on on the Upper Great Lakes. Their quest was to seek the headwaters of the Mississippi and make geologic and resource observations of this new Michigan Territory. In May the expedition took approximately 40 men in five long voyageur canoes. Their route across Saginaw Bay took a route that went around the Upper Thumb’s Pointe Aux Barques to Point aux Chenes, ( today called Oak Point), then across the bay via island of Shawangunk. This route made a point heading to this green island in the middle of Saginaw Bay in case of a sudden storm that was and still is, a common occurrence. 200 years later one Great Lakes Captain, Tom Carriveau makes that voyage many times a week during the summer season.