Looking for a complete change-of-pace? Visit America's largest, most palatial private residence and immerse yourself in the luxurious lifestyle once enjoyed by the very, very rich.

High on a bluff in the Blue Ridge Mountains a few miles outside Asheville, North Carolina, the Biltmore Estate is a spectacularly beautiful piece of living history. Built for George Washington Vanderbilt, the magnificent French Renaissance chateau was completed in 1895 following years of labor by a thousand skilled artisans.

Most homes are measured in terms of square footage. This awesome relic of The Gilded Age covers four acres of floor space. The four-story mansion boasts 34 family and guest bedchambers, 60 servants' rooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, and three kitchens. A bowling alley and an indoor swimming pool are also among its amenities. Early on, a private 100,000-acre forest ringed the house. Later, much of the land was deeded to the federal government to form the nucleus of Pisgab National Forest, but 8,000 acres of grounds , and gardens remain.

More than 90 of Biltmore's 250 rooms are open to the public. What makes a visit to the mansion so fascinating is the fact that not only the elegant public rooms filled with Vanderbilt's priceless collections are on display, but some of the more plebian "below stairs" areas, as well. Also, one can reserve a place on the special guided "Behind-the-Scenes Tour" for an in-depth look at the inner workings of Biltmore.

Main-floor rooms at Biltmore revolve around a spacious, glass-roofed garden court. The opulence of the Victorian age is evident in marble, mahogany, and silken fabrics; in fine bronze statues and original oils by Whisler, Renoir and John Singer Sargent. A scholar with wide interests, Mr. Vanderbilt employed a librarian to catalog the 23,000 volumes of what Henry James referred to as his host's "mile-long" library. A triple fireplace, hand-carved oak panels, medieval Flemish tapestries, and a table designed to seat 64 are among the accouterments of the baronial banquet hall.

Interestingly, a life of privilege at the turn of the last century was hemmed in by ironclad rules and restrictions. Topics considered proper for breakfast-table conversation were rigidly limited, and each activity required a different wardrobe.

Guests at Biltmore routinely changed clothes six or seven times a day. Ladies carried parasols to keep the sun from touching their fair complexions; only gentlemen worked out in the well-equipped gymnasium. While both male and female guests used the indoor swimming pool, they did so at separate hours.

Once the domain of pampered thoroughbreds, carriages and coachmen, Biltmore's stables have been converted into charming shops and cafes. After a delicious lunch, we purchased several exquisite Christmas ornaments and a regional cookbook as mementoes of our visit.

The magnificent gardens surrounding the Estate were created by Frederick Low Olmstead, the landscape architect who designed New York's Central Park. A month-long flower festival is held at Biltmore every spring, when 50,000 tulips burst into bloom in the walled garden. During our Fall visit, vivid masses of chrysanthemums brightened this four-acre space, and late blooms still lingered on many of the 2,000 rosebushes in the adjacent garden.

A stop at the Biltmore Estate Winery is also included in the price of admission. Sample the delicious choices in the Tasting Room, and bring home a few bottles of your favorite vintage.

Ah, so nice to be a member of the Upper Crust ... if only for a day!