Asheville, NC - Day 2, Part 3

The basement of the Biltmore is so unbelievable! There is way more down there than I ever imagined. It houses the recreation area, kitchen and servants' quarters.

The stone hallway was eerie and cool at the same time...

We entered what is called the "Halloween" room...

The room really has nothing to do with Halloween, but because there are witches and bats on the wall, it earned that name. In 1925, Cornelia Vanderbilt and her husband John Cecil, along with family and friends, painted this room for a New Year's Eve party. The illustrations are scenes based from a Russian cabaret show that the Vanderbilts really enjoyed...

Next up was the bowling alley. Unbelievable. The servants had to set up the pins and roll the balls back every time guests played...

Dressing rooms for guests...

Indoor swimming pool!! Since there was no chlorine at the time, the pool had to be drained and cleaned every few days...

Workout area with showers...

Walk-in refrigerators and pantries...

Servants' bedrooms...

Main large kitchen...

Seeing the servant's dining room made me feel like I was in an episode of "Downton Abbey"...

Main laundry room...

We climbed back up the stairs and visited the "Bachelors Wing." The wing consisted of a billiard room, smoking room, and gun room...

Cornelia Vanderbilt...

We ended the indoor portion of the tour in the Bachelor's Wing hallway. Portraits of John Cecil and Cornelia Vanderbilt hang in this hallway. John Cecil was responsible for opening the Biltmore to the public in 1930.

We turned in our audio tour remotes and headed outside to visit the gardens and the conservatory. More on that next.