When visiting Biltmore, don’t forget about the lush paradise in the Conservatory
If you’re like me – not a member of the landed gentry or their cousins across the pond here in America – you learned about conservatories via the board game, Clue. And so, I learned from a young age that they were sneaky places. And have a secret passage and a higher-than-average location where you might be murdered by a candlestick-wielding professor.
I was shocked – SHOCKED! – to find that some of my favorite places in the world are conservatories. Lush indoor tropical gardens with high glass walls and/or ceilings that bathe the plants in natural light. Had I been born a Vanderbilt or a Carnegie or a Morgan, I would have whiled away the days inside the Conservatory. I would read my way through the family’s library, and look forward to having steak or lobster for dinner.
Alas, I am not the descendant of robber barons, and my own talents have not been so compensated that I might own a conservatory myself. And so, I must visit the one at Biltmore and continue to dream.
What is the Biltmore’s Conservatory?
It is a wondrous place, far more splendid than anything inside the house, to my way of thinking. Though the views from the house across the mountains are also quite spectacular. The Conservatory shines – and should be visited in any season. But in the late fall, winter, and early spring, it is at its most spectacular. The beautiful outdoor gardens are sleeping, and the colors of spring and summer are dormant, giving way to muted browns and occasional dull greens.
But inside the Conservatory? It is always in bloom, a tropical oasis of brilliant colors – orchids abound in the winter. You could say it is a horticultural oasis. It is located down to the left of the house – if you’re facing it – past the walled garden. There’s parking beside and below, and you can drive down to visit after your tour of the house.
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What’s it like inside the Conservatory?
The pathways in the Conservatory are tight. As a result, there are times you can’t help but brush the vegetation, though you are not supposed to touch it. Unlike the stately room of the Biltmore House, where guests are rightly kept at a discreet distance, in the Conservatory, you feel a part of the thing. There are a handful of metal benches where you can sit, albeit somewhat uncomfortably. But it isn’t exactly a place that invites lingering.
I could spend hours in the Conservatory just being amongst the plants, surrounded by the warmth, the scent, and the light. But it’s not really polite to the other guests and, frankly, the other members of my family would grow impatient.
The Conservatory is built around the central room – aka the Palm House. The Palm House annexes are the Cool House, the Hot House, and the Orchid Room. Smaller rooms include the Sitting Room, the Cactus Room, and the Potting Room. In the summer, the outdoor alleyways between the rooms are transformed into exterior plant rooms.
About the Conservatory
Completed in 1895 – the same year as the house itself – the Conservatory was part of the overall dream of George Vanderbilt. He was the wealthy grandson of Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt, who created a fortune in shipping and railways. George decided to build his own country estate in 1888, purchasing 125,000 acres in the mountains of North Carolina.
The Conservatory was just a part of the massive effort. It was the vision of Vanderbilt, the architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Richard Morris Hunt. The goal was to bring the tropical world to North Carolina, sheltering exotic and tropical plants from around the globe.
The Conservatory’s shining spotlight is the Orchid Room, which houses nearly 1,000 plants in its historic collection. The orchids bloom through the winter, providing bright colors in an otherwise drab estate. Orchids were an obsession of the Victorian Period – 1837 to 1901. For a time the English upper class employed orchid hunters to scour the globe for rare and new – to England – varieties. However, by the time Vanderbilt completed Biltmore, they were more easily available.
If you want to judge the work of the Biltmore construction team, the Conservatory stood for more than 100 years before receiving an extensive renovation in 1997.
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Do I have to buy a ticket to see the Conservatory?
Yes. But not a ticket to see the house. You need a ticket to enter the Biltmore Estate, but there are various types of tickets. A ticket for the House and Grounds starts at $70. However, a ticket to visit the grounds only starts at $45, with discounts for ages 10-16. A ticket to the grounds includes access to the Conservatory. Under the Conservatory is a Garden Center offering plants, books, and garden accessories for sale.
Have you visited the Biltmore Conservatory? Did you enjoy it? Let us know what you think in the comments and on the socials.