Biltmore...A Magical Garden

I've talked about different things at the Biltmore House.  Things from the house itself to the winery.  Today, I'm going to talk about the garden.

This garden is the best garden that I have ever seen in my years past.  This past time that I went to the Biltmore House, I didn't get to see it because it was in the middle of February, but the part that I did get to see was greenhouse!

There are a lot of pictures that I took, not only because the flowers that they had, but also because my sister had the camera at some points.

These flowers have a lot of different things about them.  They all have their own uniqueness in them, just like people.  I don't know about you, but for me, flowers always have been known to catch my eye.  These are just a couple of pictures of some of my favorite flowers:

Inside of the greenhouse, on one side, there is what they call the HOT HOUSE. 

On the other side of the greenhouse, they have what they call the COOL HOUSE.

There are many sidewalks that you can take to get down to the greenhouse.  My favorite is the one that has the awning over it.  There is one spot in particular that you can see through the trees and you can see the Biltmore House through it.  This is what it looks like.  Can you see the Biltmore House in the background?

The following are some of my favorite flowers that I found.

This is my favorite.  I think I will call it a pumpkin flower. :)

I thought that this was the prettiest, because they were all lined in a row!!! :)

If you like some of these, don't worry in the basement of the greenhouse is the greenhouse store!  They have people in there that are willing to help you with any of your questions also!!

Hey guys, I won't be back on until March 13, 2013! I hope that you have enjoyed this blog and until next time as always safe traveling!

- Bekah Grace

Biltmore...The Most-Visited Winery in America!!

On Sunday, February 17th, I went to the Biltmore House.  I told you in my last post that I was going to write about the Biltmore the next couple of times I post a blog.  This time I am posting about the Biltmore Winery.

They have over 40 wines that they make there, on the Biltmore Estate.  This winery is the most visited winery in America.

 I am more of a wine drinker than any other kind of alcoholic drink.  I don't drink a lot just an occasional glass after a stressful week (which isn't that many).

I took a tour of the winery, where the tour guide told us that they get 80% of their grapes from California.  Now, don't think that all of their grapes are imported and they just make it there.  The history of it is this.

Seven years before the winery opened, William Cecil (George Vanderbilt's grandson) planted a lot of the vineyards himself.  After the seven years, everything had gone great! There weren't too bad of storms were they were out of business and the grapes were looking wonderful.  Until...there was a bad winter the year before it was suppose to opened.  In May of 1985, it opened with 80% of the grapes imported because the storm of 1984 had knocked down and killed a lot of the grapes.

The tour was very useful (I thought), because it showed me that there are many different things that are being put into the work of the wine making business.  The tour guide also told us that there is a clock tower that is what everyone followed.  Now, I know, if you are at the house and the clock tower is at the farm, how are you suppose to see it.  The Vanderbilts got a clock smith to synchronize all of the clocks together.  The clock only have 3 sides that show that clock.  Why? Because the 4th side of the clock tower faces the pasture, and as our tour guide told us, "They didn't think the cows would care what time it was!"  This is that clock:

Since I am 21, I got to wine taste.  They were all so good! My favorite that I had was the 2011 Chardonnay winner.  It didn't have a bite like all of the others did.  When I say a bite, if you have ever had any type of wine, you know what I'm talking about.  After swallowing my win, I always have the back part of my cheeks that turn up and kind of make me make a face (like a sour face).  I love wine, even though it does make me look weird!

I would suggest that you try the winery.  The people that work there are always kind, and always have great smiles on their faces.  It's an experience like non that I have every had.

Until the next post, have a fun and safe travel!

-Bekah Grace

Great Deals At the Biltmore House!

This past Sunday, my boyfriend's parents and him, and my mother, sister, and I all went to the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC.  For the people reading my blogs that don't truly know who I am, I have a passion for history.

The Biltmore House has just that!  There are different interesting history facts that you can find out.  My boyfriend surprised me this past November, he upgraded our tickets for $30 each and now we get to go to the Biltmore House for free!  

Not only that, we get a certian percentage off at all of the shops, including the winery!  This including 10% off the stable cafe, and other restaurants at the Biltmore!

There is a place where you can stay, called the Biltmore Inn.  Now, these rooms are not too expensive because you get to sleep on the Biltmore land that George Vanderbilts family gets to see and wake up to  the exciting views that he and his family and friends got to wake up to everyday!!

In my eyes, the Biltmore House shows you how the elite of the early 1900's lived.  There was so many things that George Vanderbilt (the man behind the Biltmore House, he built it), wouldn't do for both that house, his wife (Edith), and his daughter (Cornelia).

There are 43 bathrooms in that house, including an indoor heated pool, workout gym, bowling alley, a lot of bedrooms.  A fun fact that the bus driver told me and everyone I went with on our way back, to look behind the house, the tallest mountain was Mount Pisgah.  "Every inch of land from there to the Biltmore House, George Vanderbuilt owned in the early 1900's." That's a lot of land.

Over the next couple of blogs that I do, I will tell you the interesting things that I have either discovered or that I find new every time that I go to Biltmore.  The next three or four blogs I'm going to be posting pictures and sharing my fun experiences.

From now til then, have fun and safe travels!

- Bekah Grace

Welcome to Simply Fun Outings!!!

Welcome! My name is Bekah Grace.  I am currently a senior at Catawba College.  My major is Communication Arts.  I am outgoing, fun, and can be shy.  I try to make friends with everyone.

I am going to be writing on fun outings that are not only simple, but can be very cheap.  Now, not all of the events that I write on are going to be cheap.  I am going to be writing on fun events that me and my friends have done not only recent but in the past too.  Also, I'll be writing on places like the mountains, the beaches, and the Biltmore house.

I love to travel.  I love to tell people about my travels.  If I had it my way, I would travel the world.  Since I am currently in college in North Carolina, I will only be traveling near my schools' hometown and telling you all of the fun and interesting things in Salisbury, NC.

Sometimes, I will have some posts that seem a little out there and sometimes I'll have some posts that seem to be on point.

If there is a place or event that you want me to ever check out, let me know by commenting on a post, and I'll make sure that I try to get to it!

I will post every Sunday and Wednesday by midnight.  So, stay tuned, and come along and enjoy the ride!!!

-Bekah Grace