The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina is not far from Cameron's grandparents' home. We explored some of the indoor and outdoor visuals today. It was built for George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895. It's the largest privately owned house in the US and it's still owned by Vanderbilt's descendants. Opened on Christmas Eve, 1895 this Gilded Age mansion cost $5 million (today's equivalent of $180 million) to construct. After Vanderbilt's death in 1914, his wife carried out her husband's wish that the property become part of the Pisgah National Forest. Overwhelmed with running the large estate, she sold much of it in 1921. To balance the estate's finances during the Great Depression, the Biltmore opened to the public in 1930 to bring tourism to Asheville, but it closed during World War II. Since 1956 the Biltmore House ceased to be a family residence and has since been a destination museum with magnificent gardens.