AACS Upper School Choirs: Day 3. From Roanoke to Asheville: the Biltmore, concert at Black Mountain

We got another early start, gathering for breakfast at 7:15—this time filling the lobby with our luggage as well as our sizable group. We sang the Barocha for the hotel staff, then boarded the buses for our trip to North Carolina. Each bus had their own devotional time, featuring Scripture, sharing, and prayer from the trip leaders. We drove through the rainy but beautiful mountains, and enjoyed the chance to rest and unwind after our busy day yesterday.

As we neared Asheville, enjoying the view of even more mountains, the clouds cleared and the sun came out in full—an answer to many prayers! The sunshine helped us feel a renewed sense of energy and excitement, and we drove through the artsy downtown streets of Asheville before winding our way to the Biltmore estate. We got a sense for the size of this property by how long it took us to drive through just part of it! We drove through beautiful woods, passing among rolling green hills and pastures, and finally arrived at the Deer Park restaurant. This setting blended a rustic feel (lots of wood, twinkle lights, large windows) with an air of elegance, and we were seated at large round tables before enjoying a lovely lunch buffet of meat, potatoes, cooked vegetables, salads, and delicious desserts.

We boarded the buses once again to make our way to the Biltmore mansion—which took another 10-15 minutes. When we finally rounded a curve and caught a glimpse of the large stone structure, we were all impressed (and even more eager to see inside it!). For the tour, we split alphabetically into small groups of 20, which gave the students another chance to mingle and talk with people they might have not spent much time with yet. The tour guides were efficient, knowledgeable, patient, and very complimentary of our whole group. We started outside the mansion, with a mini-history of the Vanderbilt family and an explanation of how the 250-room mansion was constructed, and then had a chance to admire the gargoyles, arches, and other exterior stone carvings before entering the mansion.

From the moment we stepped into the huge entryway, with its elegant winter garden (featuring a display of orchids today!), we knew we were in for a treat. The mansion was built in the style of a French medieval castle, and it was unlike any historical home most of us have ever toured! As we moved from the massive formal dining room with its triple fireplace and bonus organ, to the library with two stories of bookshelves and a little hallway behind the chimney, to the breakfast room with its original Renoir paintings and sort-of ‘secret’ doorway to the butler’s pantry, our sense of awe just kept growing!

Some of the highlights of our Biltmore tour:

-the cantilevered four-story “grand central staircase” (we went up 3 floors)

-the 1700-lb chandelier in the main entranceway held up by one bolt

-the massive Flemish tapestries hanging in the formal living room area

-the tiny spiral staircase leading to the second level of bookshelves in the library

-the various elaborate wall coverings—from hand-tooled Spanish leather to Italian red marble to silk to damask to velvet with actual threads of silver…

-the “Louis XV” suite where several children of the Vanderbilt family have been born

-the “loggia” (fancy new word we learned for “balcony”) with its beautiful views of the mountains

-the many Downton Abbey-esque aspects of the estate, for those of us who are fans!

-the many hallways, staircases, and passages that took us from room to room

-the delicious ice cream at the gift shop

-the formal Italian gardens that we saw from the bus

A favorite area for many of us was the basement, with its many surprises, including…

-the passageway with exposed stone that made us feel like we were in a castle, or a Harry Potter movie

-the “Halloween room” with its walls painted by Cornelia Vanderbilt (our tour guide told us that they had recently discovered through research that the room was decorated for a New Year’s Eve party, not a Halloween party as was previously suspected!)

-the bowling alley—the oldest in the US! (with no pin-setting machine—servants replaced the pins—and its chalkboard for keeping score)

-the elegant swimming pool (another surprise)

-the large kitchen and numerous pantries

-the laundry room with its unique system for drying clothes (basically like a toaster!)

-the servants’ quarters and dining room (very Downton Abbey!)

-the dumbwaiter for sending food up to the main dining room

After a little free time to explore the gift shops and enjoy the sunshine, we returned to the buses and drove back through the beautiful grounds. We arrived at St. James Episcopal Church in Black Mountain around 5 pm, and headed in to rehearse. The church is on a steep hill, so we had to trek up from the buses with garment bags in tow. The sanctuary is situated on the edge of a hill, with a large stained glass window at the front. A cherry tree in bloom was visible out an open side door, and the breeze helped cool everyone down. We set up in the sanctuary to rehearse before enjoying a Pizza Hut dinner (thanks to the men who carried stacks of pizza boxes up the hill for us!) and getting ready for our concert.

The concert went smoothly once again, and we were well-received by the small but attentive crowd. Audience members filmed us, took pictures, and were seen brushing tears away as we closed with the Barocha. One older gentleman (who gave the Men of Note a standing ovation for their performance of “For the Longest Time”) told us that he had been a part of the Duke chapel choir, the East Carolina glee club, and had lost his singing voice two years ago due to a medical procedure. He urged our students to enjoy singing as much as they could, and thanked us for blessing him with our performance.

We wrapped things up and then boarded the buses to head to our next hotel. The girls and guys had separate devotional times tonight, and then a chance to get some rest for our day in Gatlinburg tomorrow.

PTL for:

-beautiful weather today, despite the previous forecast of rain

-a chance to marvel at God’s beauty and the creativity of those who designed and furnished the Biltmore mansion

-opportunities to interact with our tour guides at the Biltmore and those who attended our concert at St. James

-the enthusiasm and support of Penny Rose, our contact at St. James

-safety in our travels, and smooth handling of all logistics

Please pray for:

-rest, energy, and good health

-spiritual protection

-good opportunities for fellowship and mutual encouragement as we sightsee tomorrow

-strength and wisdom for our directors

-continued safety in travel