Biltmore

We had so much fun on our New England Road Trip last fall we decided to spend our anniversary on another road trip down south. In 10 days we traveled 2300 miles through 8 states and have officially been to all the states on the eastern seaboard. That brings us up to 32 of the 50 states together. One of these days we hope to visit them all.

We started our trip with a full 8+ hour day of driving from Baltimore to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Since we never seem to drive for very long without seeing something we want to check out our first pit stop was in West Virginia where we loaded up on Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper and Caffeine Free Mountain Dew. For some reason every store in West Virginia has tons of Caffeine Free soda. (Tom used to work just a few miles from the Maryland/West Virginia border and found this out on a random stop for a snack one day).

Next we headed to Virginia through the lush green Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains that still had lots of late spring blooms. It was a really pretty drive. We made a quick stop in Buena Vista, VA to check out Southern Virginia University. We had heard things here and there about a non-church operated LDS University and wanted to see it for ourselves but we had no idea it was so tiny. It was hilarious to hear everybody saying things like "Frikin" and "Flip" again. This was one of the few buildings on campus:

After SVU we drove through Tennessee then on to Asheville, North Carolina. We had our first southern BBQ at the Fiddlin' Pig Bluegrass BBQ. The pulled pork and hush puppies were our favorite but the best part was the live Bluegrass Band that played as we ate. Here's a little sample:

The next morning we headed to Biltmore - the Vanderbilt's home built in 1895. I knew it was a large home with vast gardens but I was blown away by just how big it really was. At 175,000 square feet I felt like I was touring a palace.

(Yes that is a full sized bus to the right)

A closer look

First we checked out the Gardens:

Italian Garden

South Terrace

Views of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the Estate

Walkway to the Walled Garden and Bass Pond

We were lucky enough to be there during their Festival of Flowers the tulips were in full bloom in the Walled Garden.

Here are some of my favorite flowers and plants from the Conservatory:

After wandering around the gardens for several hours we took the trail to Bass Pond. It was a gorgeous day to enjoy the grounds.

We couldn't take pictures inside the actual house but everything was magnificent and so well built that even over 100 years later everything is pristine. There are over 250 rooms, 65 fireplaces, and 40 indoor bathrooms (at a time when most houses didn't even have one indoor bathroom). Not to mention a huge indoor swimming pool, bowling alley, and two story library. Some of our favorite things were: the Atrium/Music Room, the Wood Paneled Game Room, Napoleon's chess set, and the Banquet Hall with 70 foot ceilings.

We trekked 6 miles around Biltmore that day and decided to end the day with a late lunch at the Stable Cafe. We had to try some southern favorites so we ordered Hush Puppies and Fried Green Tomatoes.

Slow-vannah (Savannah, GA)

After hiking around Biltmore all day long we got back in the car and drove 5 more hours to Savannah, GA. "Slow-vannah" as the locals call it is a charming little Southern town on the Savannah River that still seems like it did 50 to 100 years ago. Here's an ariel view:

One of the first things you notice in Savannah is all the "stuff" hanging from the trees. It's Spanish Moss - related to pineapple - or so said our tour guide. It's everywhere and it's another thing that gives the entire city a small southern cozy feeling - like things never change.

Another really unique thing about Savannah was that when they originally planned the city they created squares/plazas EVERY OTHER block. The abundance of all the well manicured and welcoming squares all over the city really give Savannah the charm and southern hospitality we were hoping to find. Most of the squares had fountains or statues of prominent citizens in the center with lots of benches to sit on and relax or paths to wander.

Downtown Savannah and the Riverfront:

Paula Deen's Restaurant - Lady and Sons (the Banana Pudding and Butter Cake were to die for!) Apparently Savannah is known for it's Banana Pudding. Who knew?

Most of the Riverfront was lined with the original seawall made from rocks brought from England in ships to weigh down and stabilize them while crossing the Atlantic.

One of the things I was excited to do was ride on a real paddle boat in a real river - since the only other paddle boats I had been on I had to paddle or were at Disneyland. The tour itself wasn't that exciting as most of Savannah's harbour is still a working harbor - but it was fun to ride on the paddle boat.

Some views from the Paddle Boat:

Riverfront

Tug Boats

Talmage Memorial Bridge

Turning around on the river

Some great shots from all around Savannah:

Tree lined streets with well kept up restored homes

Neat old building downtown

Savannah's City Hall

Churches of Savannah:

Forsyth Park

Forsyth Fountain

In the Savannah and Charleston areas the beaches are not on the mainland - there are tons of small islands protecting the shore where people go to the beach. So from Savannah we checked out Tybee Island and Hilton Head Island.

Tybee Island is like a small beach community. But with the entire island protected from the beach by structures that look like they can survive a war and signs all over to gauge what category the storm is - it's obvious that hurricanes are a common occurrence around here.

Tybee Lighthouse

After Tybee Island we headed to Hilton Head Island. Tom had great memories of Hilton Head from a family vacation they took there years ago. We were surprised by how many fancy pants golf courses and hoity-toity hotels and shops there were. You can tell the people who live/vacation there have money and only want the best. But having said that - they had some of the nicest public beaches I have ever seen - complete with walkways on the sand, swings, water fountains to mark the entrances to the beach and plenty of public bathrooms and showers.