As I looked around, I realized why Biltmore Estate is popular as a destination vacation spot.

FORBES: Biltmore Estate Connects History and Families

The real amazement however, is the effect the Biltmore Estate has on its visitors.

FORBES: Biltmore Estate Connects History and Families

Unveiled on Christmas Eve 1895, after six years of construction, Biltmore Estate today remains imaginatively compelling.

WSJ: Biltmore Estate | King of the Castles | Masterpiece by Julia M. Klein

Surrounded by 8, 000 acres of land, the Biltmore Estate is a picturesque castle hidden away in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

BBC: Top 20 royal wedding destinations

Creating the estate must have consumed a significant chunk of his inheritance, but Darren Poupore, Biltmore's chief curator, says the archives are silent on financial details.

WSJ: Biltmore Estate | King of the Castles | Masterpiece by Julia M. Klein

George Washington Vanderbilt, who built the estate, was an ardent traveler, art collector and bibliophile whose interests are embodied in Biltmore's furnishings and design.

WSJ: Biltmore Estate | King of the Castles | Masterpiece by Julia M. Klein