Asheville, NC is where tourists in October find a plethora of autumnal sights, including phantom ones. Not only is it peak-leaf season in the Blue Ridge, it’s also peak-ghost season at Biltmore Estate.

Biltmore House in Autumn. Image courtesy of R.L. Terry via Wikimedia Commons.

Biltmore House

Biltmore Estate, home to what is considered to be America’s largest residence, sits amidst the stunning grounds designed by famed landscaper Fredrick Law Olmstead. The curated gardens and rolling hills are the perfect backdrop for the home itself, which is truly a work of art. The home is an enormous, stately French Renaissance mansion designed by Richard Morris Hunt (New Yorkers will recognize Hunt as the genius behind the pedestal of the Statute of Liberty and the façade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art). Hunt outdid himself at Biltmore in the number of rooms behind its the grand exterior. No fewer than sixty-five fireplaces, thirty-four bedrooms, forty-three bathrooms, and one indoor pool can be found inside.

Hunt also made sure to create special spots for the family-in-residence to privately retreat. Specifically, for the man of the house, Mr. George Vanderbilt, Hunt inserted a large, luxurious library. This grandiose space housed 10,000 tomes, which George likely pretended to have read. There were many lively distractions on-tap at Biltmore, which may have prevented him from really digging into the books (these felicitous diversions will be explained below).

George’s Library at Biltmore House

Whether or not George actually read any of the books, the library was a favorite retreat for him. In modern parlance, it may be referred to as his “man-cave.” The library today feels a bit spooky, and with good reason. George’s ghost is reported to visit the room with alarming frequency.

Library at Biltmore House. Image courtesy of Warren LeMay via Wikimedia Commons.

Before George died his untimely death in 1914 from complications from illness (not COVID), he was known to take his leave in the library when he heard a thunderstorm approach. His ghost seems to have kept up the habit. When late-summer and autumn storm clouds gather over the Blue Ridge, it’s a safe bet George’s ghost is high-tailing it to his sacred library. Who knew ghosts were afraid of thunder and lightening? It’s a shame thundershirts only come in “living dog”-sizes.

George’s ghost is not the only paranormal presence to haunt the historic halls of Biltmore. Remember the raucous fun this post alluded to earlier? Biltmore was famous for throwing outrageous parties in its prime. With each party, the national press had a field day. It’s hard to detail what happened at these soirées without disclosing embarrassing information about the over-served guests. Suffice it to say that these get-togethers put Gatsby’s parties to shame.

The guests so enjoyed themselves at Biltmore parties in life, that many have returned posthumously to keep the fun going. Modern-day guests report hearing clinking glasses, bits of dance music, and glittering laughter in the halls. Ghosts getting handsy with their ghoul-friends? Sounds likely.

Halloween Room at Biltmore House

Biltmore contains another spooky secret, apart from the ghosts. The creepy and mysterious Halloween Room is aptly named for this time of year. It’s a room in the basement that regularly creeps out modern-day guests. A dark, damp tunnel opens into a dimly lit, cavernous room. Adorning the walls are not the luxurious fabrics and intricate tapestries seen upstairs. Down below, the walls are covered in murals of black cats, witches, and gross-looking bats.

Halloween Room at Biltmore House. Image courtesy of Warren LeMay via Wikimedia Commons.

For years, no one – not even the living heirs of the Vanderbilt and Cecil families – knew where these painted scenes came from. The room was simply called the Halloween Room, because it was assumed that the creepy paintings were leftover decorations from a Halloween party. An autobiography of a local man revealed the truth and solved the mystery: they were leftover decorations, but the party wasn’t for Halloween – it was for New Year’s!

This new source gave all the details. On December 30th, 1925, the theme for Night One of the New Year’s festivities was “vaudeville.” Evidently, vaudeville comedic acts and European cabarets were all the rage in Manhattan. The idea was to bring a piece of the mystery and glamour down South.

What resulted was a truly legendary bash – the Charleston Daily Herald reported that over one hundred guests attended, and partied either until they dropped, or till dawn (whichever came first). One guest went on the record and called it “The best party I’ve ever attended.” If that’s the case, no wonder he and other ghosts return to Biltmore. The living dead are still killin’ it on the dance floor in the Halloween Room (but no one was actually murdered there).

Music Room at Biltmore House

As if ghosts and creepy bat paintings weren’t enough, Biltmore houses an even more spectacular secret. Modern-day tourists learn this secret back on the first floor of the home, in the Music Room. It’s here that the National Gallery of Art hid the nation’s artistic treasures during WWII.

Music Room at Biltmore House. Image courtesy of Warren LeMay via Wikimedia Commons.

Fearing a Nazi air-raid attack on the nation’s capital, David Finley – then director of the National Gallery of Art – called Edith Vanderbilt to ask a favor. Finley had been a guest at Biltmore (lucky him!) and recalled both its remote location and fireproof construction features. This winning combo made it the perfect hideaway for some of the most precious works of art in the United States. Botticelli’s The Adoration of the Magi and Rembrandt’s Self-portrait were among the sixty-two paintings and sculptures tucked neatly behind steel-enforced doors.

Guests at Biltmore in 1942 had no idea that they were sleeping under the same roof as the nation’s most valuable pieces of art.  It was only after the war that the secret stash at Biltmore was made public knowledge.

Biltmore House and grounds. Image courtesy of Don Sniegowski via Wikimedia Commons.

The Story Continues at Biltmore Estate

To learn more about Biltmore House, its secrets, and all of its haunted happenings, visit Biltmore Estate in-person this season. Go for the peak fall foliage and stay for the hard-partying ghosts. There’s even a famous winery on-site –  and we hear the Boo-ze is free-flowing.