Biltmore House, the main residence at the Biltmore Estate, is a Châteauesque-style mansion built for George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895 and is the largest privately owned house in the United States, at 178,926 square feet of floor space (135,280 square feet of living area). Still owned by George Vanderbilt's descendants, it remains one of the most prominent examples of Gilded Age mansions.

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We visited the “Season’s Greenings: America’s Gardens!” exhibit at the United States Botanic Garden, featuring plant-based recreations of conservatories, fountains and sculptures from around the country, with model trains running around and above the displays. It's become an annual event for us, and we always enjoy the holiday creations as well as the traditional DC landmarks display (most of which I didn't photograph again this year) as well as the 3,000-plus varieties of pointsettias gracing the various halls.

Best to view in "Original" because other versions resized by Pbase are decidedly unsharp.

The cormorants are back! posted earlier: