Biltmore

On our way to Virginia, we were excited to be able to take my mom to Biltmore for the first time!  Mr. GV and I had been twice before.  Once on our honeymoon (I remember standing on the porch and thinking "Oh, we've been married for 24 hours now!")  The second time was on an anniversary trip a few years ago. 

If I lived near Asheville, I would have a season pass to Biltmore for sure.  I would go at least once each season to admire the gardens.  None of our trips has been exactly the same either, as there are different exhibits set up, new rooms that have been opened to the public, and extra tours you can take. 

Mom had a good time, even if she was worn out (we all were) by the end of the day.

Mr. GV enjoyed himself too, even if I did make him do a lot of posing for my camera.

While were there, a model was posing for a photographer.  The whole thing was kind of fascinating.  She put on her "model face" when the camera started clicking.  If you make the picture bigger, you can better see what she was wearing.

Mr. GV, myself, and my mom posing at the front entrance.

The architecture is really stunning.  If we go back, I would love to take the tour that explores the design more closely. 

After our tour of the house, we went into the gardens and the greenhouse.  If you do it right, you'll be touring the gardens alone for a couple of days. 

Can you tell how big these leaves are?  I have seen some really big ones before, but these are the largest.

We went down the trails (which meant we had to come back UP the steep trails and stairs, and it almost did us in.)  But the beauty of it all was so worth it. 

We met this sweet girl, Smiley, along one of the paths.  She looks almost exactly like my dad's dog, Sparky, only she's a bit smaller and her nose is longer.  She had the same smile and personality though.