When I was younger I would visit my Aunt and Uncle in Raleigh, N.C. when they use to live there. They would try and get me to see certain things, usually it was about what I wanted to do (I was about 11 or 12 years old) but sometimes they would interject and we would do something they wanted. They decided we would go Asheville, N.C. to see the Biltmore Estates. Now, at the time I hated this. I ran through most of the building, as most 11 year olds would at the time. Not fully being able to appreciate it for what it was, I wonder how I would see it now? From what I remember, there were a lot of paintings and old items from hundreds of years ago. The fact that I the opportunity to see something of this magnitude but to not understand the significance is sad.
I am not sure if I would make an attempt to go back here if it wasn't for our preservation class right now. I would like to view the building itself as well as the exterior space. The up keep of the land is beautiful, something that many people never have a chance to see. The detail that was put into this building is astonishing, not to mention the history behind it all. It would be interesting to see how it has played to the visitors. Maybe they updated areas or keep certain information from the truth, not quite sure. I would want to check out every detail of the building and easily be able to spend a full day or two looking at everything. Seeing an estate this big is shocking almost, to imagine somebody lived in this building.
http://www.biltmore.com/
Interesting post related to the environment. I think that Biltmore poses a unique situation as it is the largest single family house in the USA with extensive gardens. Yet the primary way that it is able to be maintained is through tourism. How should we consider the connections between the property and the land and the tourists?
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