In the 1890s, George Vanderbilt decided to build a country home in the mountains of North Carolina.
His grandfather, Cornelius, and his father, William Henry, had become wealthy industrialists in the early 19th century.
George, however, was more interested in books and travel, visiting Europe, Asia or Africa every year from the age of 10.
With the help of architect Richard Morris Hunt, he modeled his mountain home in the French Renaissance style and used elements of three 16th-century French chateaux. It boasts 250 rooms, including 34 bedrooms and 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces, all covering four acres of floor space.
Vanderbilt used the home, called Biltmore, as a private residence and a place to entertain friends. His only child, Cornelia, opened the home for public tours in 1930, at the request of Asheville city officials, who hoped it would spur tourism during The Great Depression.
The 8,000-acre estate has remained in the family and draws thousands of visitors every year.
Biltmore's Web site, biltmore.com, offers tips for first-time visitors. With the house, gardens, Antler Hill Village, shops and outdoor activities, you might want to give yourself a couple of days to see everything.
You start with a self-guided tour of the house - give yourself at least two hours - or for an additional fee, take the guided tour to learn more about the family.
The first and second floors and the basement feature new displays of clothing and accessories owned by the Vanderbilts.
Among four newly restored rooms is the Louis XV Room. Decorated in the Rococo style that was popular during much of the French king's reign, it is where Cornelia was born, and where she bore her two sons.
The care in the design of the house is matched by the surrounding gardens. Vanderbilt hired landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to create gardens that are still maintained much the way he designed them.
If you visit between Friday and Sept. 12, you can see the flower carpet, a garden designed to look like a stained-glass window when viewed from the second floor.
End the day with an elegant dinner in The Dining Room at the Inn on Biltmore Estate, an ice cream cone from the estate's creamery or a glass of wine from the Biltmore Winery, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
- Lisa Kaylor, staff writer

Where: Asheville, N.C.
Cost: $60, adult one-day ticket, second day available onsite for additional $10; $30, ages 10-16, free, ages 9 and younger. Specialty tours are available for an additional fee.
Getting there: Take Interstate 20 East to Columbia. Take Interstate 26 West to Exit 31A to Interstate 40 East. Take Exit 50, then turn left on U.S. Highway 25. Turn left on Lodge Street to reach the gate.
Learn more: biltmore.com