Despite being over a century old the extravagant Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina remains both the largest privately-owned residence in America and one of the greatest examples of the Gilded Age’s opulence and architecture. Even though the estate is no longer the private residence of the Vanderbilt family it still remains under their careful ownership and is yours to explore if you attend Continuing Education Company’s National Hospitalist conference.

The idea of constructing a summer estate first came to business tycoon George Washington Vanderbilt II in the 1880s while taking trips to Asheville to visit his mother.Vanderbilt quickly began to fall in love with the scenery and the solitude calling the landscape his private mountain escape which is a reputation that Asheville has kept to this day. Work on the home first began by the mid-1880s with Vanderbilt’s purchase of over fifty farms and other privately owned lands in the area. At the height of construction, he employed over a thousand construction workers, carpenters, and stonemasons. The mansion was built to resemble the country chateaus of the French nobility and remains one of the greatest examples of nineteenth-century architecture. To furnish his new estate, Vanderbilt took numerous trips to Europe where he bought thousands of pieces of furniture, rugs, works of art, and other pieces of decor. The estate was officially opened on Christmas Eve, 1895 and named Biltmore after De Bilt, the place in the Netherlands where the Vanderbilts emigrated from and moor meaning rolling lands. The party was attended by former US presidents, celebrities, and author Henry James. Despite its original purpose to be a summer home the mansion quickly became the Vanderbilt’s main residence with Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt being both born and raised there. After George’s unexpected death in 1914, his widow found it nearly impossible to run such a large estate and began selling off the surrounding land some of which would eventually become Pisgah National Forest. Despite this initial setback the mansion continued to be occupied by the Vanderbilt family. After Cornelia married John Francis Amherst Cecil they continued to live in the home with Cornelia giving birth to her two sons in the same room where she was born. Biltmore would receive its second shortcoming during the Great Depression when managing the estate would become even harder. In order to keep their home, the Vanderbilts opened up their estate to tourists who flocked to the home to admire its beauty. The home was occupied by the family until 1956 when it was formally transformed into a house museum. In 1963 the Biltmore Mansion was officially designated as a national historic landmark where it is enjoyed by over a million guests every year.

If you attend a CME primary care conference in Asheville then don’t miss your chance to explore this beautiful home. The estate is still owned by the Vanderbilt family and they invite you to come to be a part of their legendary hospitality, explore their home, and learn the history of their family. Your day ticket to the estate will include tours of the mansion, Italian gardens (designed by legendary architect Fredrick Law Olmsted), and a visit to the winery for free tastings of award-winning vintages. When you visit Biltmore you’ll really feel like a guest of the Vanderbilts with the extravagance and fun to match!

Upcoming CME Conferences & Online Learning

Want to attend a live CME conference in a beautiful locale or complete an online course from the comforts of home? At Continuing Education Company, we provide you with options to make your medical continuing education fun, engaging, and relevant. Check out our conference calendar to view the dates and locations of upcoming conferences as well as the online learning courses and live streaming that are currently available. And, for a limited period of time, take advantage of our Special Offer! Attend one of our LIVE conferences in person and you will receive a FREE online 15 credit CME course from CME365™.