The Vanderbilts

While we were in New York we took a day trip up to Hyde Park to see one of Frederick Vanderbilt's homes. It is also called Hyde Park. It has a fire place in every room, but some were never used as it had central heating. Unusual for that time. It also had electricity and it's own generating plant for it. It was built of steel and stone, to help make it fire proof. No pictures could be taken inside, so just believe me when I say it was NICE. This home, one of three, was used in the spring and in the fall. It was a working farm.
An interesting fact of this house is that it was built in two years and that all the outside stone carving was done after it was in place.

On our way from New York to Tenn. we stopped in at Biltmore House in South Carolina. It was built by George, younger brother to Frederick. It is way more elaborate and much larger.
Unlike the other one, which is owned by the government now, this one is still owned by his descendants. He only had one daughter. It is four floors with a basement, about 4 acres inside.

Some of the rooms weren't finished when they moved in. It is also a working farm and at one time owned land as far as 19 miles away to the distant peak.

The grounds were designed by the same person who designed Central Park in NY. There is always something blooming in the summer. There are also several green houses that we went through as well as down to a pond. The plants are all labeled. There were just a few starting to bloom. In another two weeks, or now, it would be beautiful. If you lived in the area it would be good to have a season pass and go see the grounds often.

They were just starting to put some flowers in the formal gardens.
I enjoyed the orchids in the green houses.

I also enjoyed the other flowers too. We ate our lunch in what had been the stable but you can get a picnic lunch from there and eat it on the grounds or in the green house area.
There was a some huge holly trees with their berries still on.

There was also and interesting tree called a baldcypress. It was in a very moist area and there were roots sprouting around it. Some were a foot or more high.