Stepping into this room at the Vanderbilt Estate in Asheville, North Carolina reminded me of that glorious scene from Walt Disney’s, Beauty and the Beast. I must add, this just may be my favorite cartoon scene of all time. You know the part when the Beast orders Belle to close her eyes. He blindly leads her into a room. Tells her to open her eyes— magic. She is surrounded by endless bookshelves lining the walls overfilling with beautifully-spined books to her left and to her right; above and below, books, books, and more books.

That is how I felt inside of the Vanderbilt Estate library. It was large, the ceilings were high and not an inch of bare wall space remained.  Floor to ceiling, wall to wall, space was slathered with books.  Every topic that could be named in the early nineteen hundreds could be found in this collection. High and low, gorgeous, leather-bound books glistened with their meticulously ornamented spines.  Rooms filled with books create a magical atmosphere, they give the impression that you are not really breathing oxygen, but rather inhaling wisdom.

Overall, I highly recommend the tour of the Vanderbilt Estate if you ever find yourself in or around Asheville. The house is gorgeous, sitting on a beautiful plot of land where you will find gardens, an operating vineyard, restaurant, café, and a hotel. What else does a tourist need?