Historical Mansions That Are Frozen In Time

The Biltmore Estate, the largest privately owned home in the nation at a jaw-dropping 178,926 square feet, is one of the biggest mansions in America. George Washington Vanderbilt II built the 250-room French Renaissance chateau between 1889 and 1895 as his country retreat from New York City. When completed, it contained 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces. During World War II, the estate protected priceless works of art brought there from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Few houses have such an intriguing history as San Jose, California's Winchester Mystery House. Sarah Winchester, the widow of firearms magnate William Wirt Winchester, bought it as a regular farmhouse in 1886. And from then until her death in 1922, construction on the house never stopped. The farmhouse became a seven-story, 160-room giant maze, complete with stairways and doors that go nowhere. No one will exactly say the house is haunted, though even its official site admits that since 1923, "many guests and employees have experienced strange phenomena while inside Sarah Winchester's beautiful mansion."

Glensheen Mansion is the most-visited historical home in Minnesota, featuring 39 rooms and 27,000 square feet spread across 12 acres of breathtaking shoreline along Lake Superior waterfront. Built from 1905 to 1908, the mansion was once the home of wealthy lawyer Chester Congdon and family, but now is run as a museum by the University of Minnesota. Tour guides take groups through the period-decorated home, but they don't discuss the 1977 slaying of heiress Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse.

Some may know Hearst Castle better as the inspiration for Xanadu, the fictional estate of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane in Orson Welles' 1941 film "Citizen Kane." But sorry, it's not a movie filming location you can actually visit. Just as the character of Kane was satirizing real-life publisher William Randolph Hearst, Xanadu was standing in for the sprawling Hearst Castle. In 1947, the mammoth home comprised 165 rooms and 123 acres of gardens, lavish pools and terraces.

George Washington's famous plantation, Mount Vernon, began as a one-and-a-half story home built by the first president's father. Over 45 years, George himself expanded it to an elegant 21-room residence. The restored front parlor, where Martha Washington presided over tea service, once hosted such acclaimed names as the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson.

The Schuyler Mansion was best-known as the home of Revolutionary War General Philip Schuyler. Then the Broadway blockbuster "Hamilton" came along, and the good general was pushed aside by the fame of his three daughters, Angelica, Eliza and Peggy, subjects of the song, "The Schuyler Sisters." Eliza was married to founding father Alexander Hamilton, and their wedding took place here in 1780. Today, the Georgian mansion has been restored as closely as possible to the way it looked in the Schuylers' day, right down to the wallpaper and carpet.

The Breakers, once the Italian Renaissance-style summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, chairman and president of the New York Central Railroad system, is one of America's most amazing man-made marvels. Built in the 1890s, the 70-room palazzo in Newport, Rhode Island, was inspired by the 16th-century palaces of Genoa and Turin and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. The restored stable and carriage house gives visitors a glimpse into a long-gone world, where 12 grooms and stableboys prepared and provided horse-drawn carriages for the Vanderbilt family.

If you're a "Downton Abbey" fan, Highclere Castle is one of the places you need to see abroad in your lifetime. Indeed, fans will recognize Highclere Castle in Hampshire, England, from its role as the main filming location for the Emmy Award-winning show. Today, the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon live there, and the home is open to tourists. Tours include some of the first floor's 12 bedrooms, decked out with period furniture and art, while what was once the staff dining room and scullery now feature Egyptian artifacts and replicas. Why? The 5th Earl of Carnarvon accompanied famed archaeologist Howard Carter on his discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922.

Period furnishings and artifacts ground Portland's Pittock Mansion in the early 1900s. It was built in 1914 for the family of Henry Pittock, publisher of the Oregonian newspaper. The mansion features panoramic views of Portland, where you can see majestic mountains such as Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Rainier and Mount Jefferson on a clear day.

Go back to the Gilded Age at Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site in Hyde Park, New York. This masterpiece of American Beaux-Arts design sits on a bluff above the Hudson River. The 211 park acres are full of breathtaking gardens.

Edsel Ford was the only child of Ford founder Henry Ford. Edsel and his wife Eleanor had multiple houses, but the Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, is a lakeside estate that was their true home where they raised their four children. Designed to resemble a cluster of charming Cotswold village cottages, this home whisks visitors back in time to the Roaring '20s and features exotic hardwoods, built-in radios and even leather-paneled walls.

The turreted Casa Loma in Toronto looks like a dreamy throwback to the days of armored knights and fair maidens. Built in 1914 by Canadian financier Sir Henry Pellatt, Canada's fairy-tale castle features gothic revival architecture and breathtaking gardens that just may inspire you to grow your own garden.

The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, previously known as Villa Vizcaya, has a stunning tropical setting to go along with the breathtaking estate. The sprawling mansion sits on beautiful Biscayne Bay in Miami's Coconut Grove neighborhood. The main house, completed in 1917, spans 45,225 square feet and contains more than 50 rooms. You may have seen the impressive exterior in "Iron Man 3" and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." As the home to enormous mansions like this one, it's no surprise that Miami is one of the most expensive travel destinations in America.