Sherman College is located in one of the coolest areas for those that like to get out when they are not busy with school work. The school is about 45 minutes away from downtown Greenville, which can fulfill those that like to shop and eat out. It is also about an hour away from a multitude of mountain ranges which host many natural beauties like waterfalls and rustic trails. It is also an hour away from Ashville which hosts some very special historic areas.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting one such place. I went to Biltmore House with Melinda Hallam, a fellow blogger on the Sherman website. When I laid eyes on the house for the first time, I was near speechless. I was mid-conversation as Melinda and I rounded the corner to the behemoth of a front yard and then all I could say, “Wow that is a big house.”
The house is 178,926 square feet with 250 different rooms. (We only toured the house, but is also has a large grounds that is a couple square miles) Melinda and I went on an automated tour. The rooms were lush with bright colors and textures. It would be impossible to completely describe the rooms with words. I also couldn’t take any pictures while on the campus, but I will say some personal highlights.
The first link at the bottom show several of the rooms featured on the tour.
I loved the dining room. I believe it was supposed to be modeled after a European style castle. It had three large fire places which fed into a large cement chimney which had engraving of a favorite opera of the original owner and builder, George Vanderbilt. It also featured a large table that could become forty feet long. Opposite the fire place, there was an organ loft which also featured scenes from the same opera as the fire places. There were some of the largest European game I have ever seen hanging from the walls, but they were dwarfed by the 70 foot ceiling. The room also featured 4 tapestries that had to be 20 feet tall depicting the story of the love affair between Venus and Mars.
I also enjoyed the tapestry hall which features 3 of the remaining “Triumph of the Seven Virtues,” which display biblical, historical, and mythological stories and figures. The hall spans 90 feet and has the three tapestries hanging separated by fire places. Biltmore House features the last known Triumph of Faith. I think the other two tapestries were triumph of Charity and Prudence. Other copies would be in museums. I could just imagine George Vanderbilt smoking a cigar while enjoying the room with his greatest trophies.
Biltmore House also featured a large library since George was a very well read man along with being a great entertainer.
One of the final things that really struck me was his indoor entertainment options. He had an indoor bowling alley as well as an underground, indoor swimming pool which was light with under water lights and heated.
George Vanderbilt made a grand estate before dying in 1914. Thankfully, the family has made a commitment to make the house open to the public and preserve the art and history for us to look at today. I was blown away at the size and history of the house along with the commitment to keep it in the family. Being close to history like this is one of the reasons I chose to come to Sherman
College.
For those that are interested in seeing some pictures of the rooms, I found a link that gives a rough outline of the tour I took.
http://www.theblueridgehighlander.com/Biltmore_Estate/a_legacy_in_stone-3.php#library at Biltmore Estate
Also, if anyone has any interest in visiting the house, here is a link to their website where you can purchase tickets:
http://www.biltmore.com/visit/explore.asp
Most of the information provided on this blog was received during the tour, but I did double check with Wikipedia. Here is my citation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biltmore_Estate
