house shopping in NC

The next time we are in the market for a house, we'll consider this one.

The Biltmore Estate in Ashville, NC has been on top of my Top 10 US destinations ever since I discovered it a few years ago. Why? Because I'm a nerd and I love architecture, historical buildings and the fascinating Vanderbilt family.

It was designed to compete with the huge "old money" manors in Europe, and man it did not disappoint! We kept saying over and over, "Wow, this is just like visiting Windsor Castle!" And I think I drove Steve nuts with how many times I brought up a Downton Abbey reference, haha.

I was beyond thrilled when the last minute opportunity came up to visit it. Note: this visit was NOT cheap. It's $50 per adult for the day (Say what?! Don't the Vanderbilts have enough?? At least everyone under 16 is free...they're so generous...), so this was definitely a "Carpe Diem" moment. 

How it went down: 

Family vacation set up for Myrtle Beach SC on Aug 16th. 

Steve needing to visit Southern Pines NC Aug 12-14th.

Um, why drive eight hours to NC, turn around and come back, just to turn around again two days later and drive two hours to an airport to fly to a place that was 2.5 hours away from where you were in the first place?? 

(Catch all that?)

Last minute decision to save the FF miles, take an extra vacation day on Friday, and just spend some leisurely time getting to Myrtle Beach to meet the fam on Saturday.

So if you look at a map, Myrtle Beach: 2.5 hours southeast of Southern Pines. 

Ashville: 4 hours west of Southern Pines. 

Myrtle Beach: No direct route from Ashville without going down through Columbia. Fourish driving hours from Ashville.

Long story short, Biltmore was NOT on the way.

Like we went SIX HOURS out of our way to see this house. 

And it was TOTALLY worth it!

The gardens were amazing...designed by the man who did Central Park in NYC.

Seriously, you guys! When were we ever going to have an extra day and a half with nothing planned to do? Not to mention already be in the same state? When were we ever going to justify planning a trip down there if we weren't in NC? It's really not close to much, unless you go through Charlotte, Columbia or Knoxville. Which are areas we don't usually frequent, like ever. 

So we really carpe'd the diem out of that weekend. We had two nights where we didn't know where we were going to sleep. But carpe diem! We figured it out. And it was AWESOME! One of the highlights of my entire year. Is that weird? I just love being (safely) spontaneous and I'm glad we're not too old or responsible to talk ourselves out of being crazy every once in awhile. 

MOUNTAINS! "Not Utah mountains," but the Smoky Mountains have a beauty all their own. We were in heaven.

Plus we got two added bonuses we didn't expect: we got to drive through the Smoky Mountains (which has been on Steve's list) and we spent the night in Columbia SC. My brother served his mission in SC, which is part of why we chose to vacation in Myrtle Beach, but it was so great to unexpectedly get to drive through several of his areas he served in.

The tractor that caused THE most epic meltdown of 2014 when we had to leave.

See? Not even horses could fix it.

The tractor that finally fixed said epic meltdown...until we had to leave that one as well.

North Carolina looks good on us, right? 

Now to just build a railroad so we can afford this house...

Just curious, what cool places are on your Top 10 list for the United States? I couldn't believe I never knew a place like this existed in the US until a few years ago (actually I can, because people from the west generally know very little about the south). I can't help but wonder what places I need to see that I've been missing!

Up next on my list: 

Stay at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan. 

Ideally on the 4th of July. Look it up and see what I mean.

Others:

A Red Sox game in Fenway Park

Havasupai

An airboat alligator tour in the Everglades

Pikes Market in Seattle 

(I went once when I was about eight but that doesn't count)

Beignets in New Orleans 

(We only want to travel there for the food. Steve really wants to experience cajun.)

Harry Potter World

Redwoods

Alaskan glaciers

Hike the volcanoes on Hawaii's big island

Those are mine, but I'm willing to bump some for a better offer! Help me build my list! I know there are endless unique things to do in this country and I want to *eventually* see them all!