Sightseeing at Biltmore

"Photography, videotaping, sketching, and cell phone use are not permitted within Biltmore House."  -- Printed on the admission ticket

We arrived at Biltmore at around 10:00 this morning, ready to tour the massive 178,926 square foot mansion and its 8,000 surrounding acres.  I was amazed at how many people also showed up to do the same, considering that today is just an ordinary Tuesday -- not a holiday, not a weekend ... so why was the place heaving with people just like us?

We toured the grounds first, on the advice of a volunteer.  The gardens are absolutely lovely, the greenhouse was to die for, and it was stuffed to the gills with all manner of things exotic and rare.  (See extra for a particularly ravishing orchid in my favourite colours!)  We then stood in line in the blazing sun for about 45 minutes before finally gaining admission to the mansion.  I was immediately surrounded by countless people wielding their cell phones, iPads, and cameras in every direction!  You could barely see the interiors for all the digital screens being thrust in front of you.  No one working there seemed to care one bit, despite the stern instructions printed on the admission tickets!

This image of some of the rooftop gargoyles reminded me of my fellow tourists, craning their necks and gawping at all the finery within. 

Extra shows the mansion's front exterior -- quite a pile!