Scottie Davis

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By Scottie Davis

Visiting the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC during the holiday season is pure magic. There is so much to see and do it takes spending 24 hours on the Estate grounds with an overnight stay at the elegant Inn on Biltmore Estate to experience this magic.

A “must do” is the Candlelight Christmas Tour of the Biltmore House, America’s largest private residence, to see the French chateau just as it would have been for the first guests on Christmas Eve 1895. Music fills the great halls and elaborate decorations adorn every room.

Over a thousand poinsettias, miles of evergreen garlands and a 100 decorated trees glow under the warmth of candlelight and fireplaces. You can spend a couple of hours going through rooms filled with 16th century tapestries, a Library with 10,000 volumes and Banquet Hall with a 70 ft ceiling and its own pipe organ. It is hard to believe that at age 29, George W. Vanderbilt was responsible for both building and decorating this 250 room castle. And he was a bachelor, to boot!

The Biltmore House, in all its holiday splendor, only accounts for four acres of the 8,000 acre estate. There is so much more. Visit The Winery, the new Antler Hill Village, stay at the Inn on Biltmore Estate, and take a “Legacy of the Land Tour” around Estate grounds, hearing stories about the Vanderbilt family, the area and making stops at interesting places along the way. It is all part of Biltmore’s magic. The Winery, Antler Hill Village and Inn on Biltmore Estate are located far from the Biltmore House at one end of the Estate grounds. The Winery offers tours and tasting of Biltmore wines bottled on Estate grounds and a popular restaurant, The Bistro, featuring local products.

Antler Hill Village, adjacent to The Winery, opens onto a village green with shops, exhibits, outdoor adventure center, and Cedric’s Tavern serving Biltmore ale and dishes ranging from fish and chips to chicken.

On the hill overlooking Antler Hill Village & The Winery is the four star Inn on Biltmore Estate. Built in 2001, the Inn reflects the ambiance of the Biltmore House and is filled with small replicas of light fixtures, ironwork and fireplaces found in the Biltmore House.

Elegance is everywhere from the lobby with a huge fireplace, views of the mountains and a cozy area for high tea and cocktails to a grand spa and gourmet dining room. Travel + Leisure readers voted The Inn on Biltmore Estate one of The Top 50 Resorts in the U.S. and Canada and AAA gives it Four Diamonds.

One of the perks of being a guest at the Inn is access to the Estate shuttles. Whether going from the Inn to Antler Hill Village & The Winery or to the Biltmore House and shops, the Biltmore shuttle will take you there.

To fully embrace the magic and grandeur of Christmas at Biltmore and leave feeling you really know something about the Vanderbilt family and their legacy means spending 24 hours on Biltmore Estate grounds. It is an extraordinary and memorable experience.

(Christmas at Biltmore tickets, Inn packages and dining reservations can be booked online biltmore.com; or call 1-800-411-3812)

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By Scottie Davis

Brookgreen Gardens is nestled half way between Georgetown, SC and Myrtle Beach, SC. Showcasing 2,000 works of 19th and 20th century American figurative sculpture, the gardens combine the charm of the 200 year-old rice plantation site with the beauty of the sculpture meticulously arranged in landscaped native plantings.

The entire gardens cover 9,127 acres from the Atlantic Ocean to the Waccamaw River. They contain 2,000 species of botanical plants indigenous to the region, a wildlife park with native animals in natural surroundings, 194 species of birds and historic sites from the four original rice plantations which were laid out in colonial times. Many of these sites are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Four hundred thirty artists are represented in the sculpture garden making it the largest permanent outdoor collection of American figurative sculpture. Plaques containing thought provoking poetry and verse are scattered throughout the gardens.

Brookgreen Gardens is truly a place where art, nature, history, literature, mythology, and wildlife meld together and there is something for everyone at Brookgreen Gardens.

The gardens were created in 1931 by Anna and Archer Huntington. A search for a winter home in a moderate climate led them to South Carolina. The couple’s mutual love for art, wildlife and conservation prompted them to create Brookgreen Gardens. Anna Hyatt Huntington was a well-known animal sculptor. Archer Huntington, heir to his father’s railroad and shipyard fortune, was a dedicated scholar and art patron. What began with a few pieces of sculpture from their private collection and a place to display Anna Huntington’s works has now become a Who’s Who of American outdoor figurative sculpture.

Frederic Remington, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Daniel Chester French and James Earl Fraser’s works are displayed along with those of Anna Huntington. The earliest statue in Brookgreen Gardens is dated 1855, Randolph Roger’s “Nydia, The Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii.” Modern day works are continually being added to the collection such as Carl Milles’ outstanding 15 piece “The Fountain of Muses.”

The entrance to the gardens on US Highway 17 South is marked by “The Fighting Stallions.” The powerful statue was created by Anna Huntington as a landmark for Brookgreen Gardens.

There is always something in bloom in the gardens. They are particularly colorful in March and April when camellias, daphne, redbud, yellow jasmine, and five different kinds of magnolias are in bloom. In April, the azaleas, dogwood, flowering cherry, iris, banksia and cherokee roses are added.

The sculpture gardens contain seven different statues of the goddess, Diana, Bacchus in gold patina, huge stone carvings, such as “Youth Taming the Wild” and “Man Carving His Own Destiny” and enough animals to make children’s tours a regular event of the gardens.

The Lowcountry Zoo with native animals, the Creek excursion along with workshops and special programs make this a place to visit often. For more information, visit brookgreen.org or call 843-235-6000.

The Terrace Cafe offers a limited menu of soups and sandwiches. A spacious picnic area with tables under moss laden oaks next to Jasmine Pond is an inviting place for a picnic lunch.

Brookgreen Gardens is truly one of South Carolina’s hidden jewels. It combines art and nature in a way that heightens all of the senses leaving its visitors feeling serene and peaceful.

(Brookgreen Gardens is located on US Highway 17 Bypass between Murrells Inlet and Pawley’s Island, SC. The gardens are opened from 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. daily except Christmas. Cost of admission is $18 for adults and $10 for children.)

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