In just over a two-hour drive, you can be transported back in time more than 100 years. George Vanderbilt’s estate, constructed over six years and opened on Christmas Eve 1895, is situated among gardens, park land and forests. It was modeled after three French chateaus and includes 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces. The house itself is magnificent and worth the tour (which through Sept. 7 is free for everyone 16 and under, with each adult admission), but you’ll miss out if you don’t also stop by the winery for a taste, or visit the Farm Village to see how the estate workers lived in the late 1890s. Other attractions: rafting, hiking, a corn bale maze, the gardens (featuring 2,300 roses), fine dining and more wine.
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