The Biltmore is the largest privately-owned house in the United States: a 250-room French Renaissance chateau finished in 1895 for George Washington Vanderbilt II. Richard Morris Hunt designed it on the model of the great Loire Valley chateaux, and Frederick Law Olmsted laid out the surrounding 8,000 acres. The result is something that looks like it was lifted out of central France and dropped into the Appalachian foothills.
A full visit takes the better part of a day. The self-guided tour through the main floors and bedrooms is about two hours. Beyond that, there are formal gardens, an estate winery in the old dairy barn, miles of trails, a working farm, and a riverfront village. The Christmas season is the busiest time of year — the house is decorated with dozens of trees — but it is also the most atmospheric. Book tickets well in advance.