The Cradle of Forestry is a 6,500 acre National Historic Site within the Pisgah National Forest, set aside by Congress to commemorate the beginning of forestry conservation in the United States. The Cradle of Forestry celebrates a century of conservation with an array of educational activities for family and friends. Inside the Visitor Center is the place to begin your journey through time. George Vanderbilt, Gifford Pinchot, and Dr. Carl Schenck-pioneers in forestry conservation. The exhibit room tells the story of the begiining of forestry and gives examples of how forestry conservation has advanced in the past century.
Small children enjoy the Forest Fun exhibit with puppets, puzzles, and costumes.
Touch-screen video monitors let you select more information on important conservation topics of today. The Cradle of Forestry transports you to the turn of the 20th century for an experience of life in the Appalachian mountains. Local crafters recreate the skills needed for survival by the mountaineers who used the gifts of nature to carve out their homesteads in the great forest. On the one-mile long Biltmore Campus Trail you can talk with spinners, weavers, quilters, woodsmen and blacksmiths while they work their magic. For a preview, you can take the Virtual Biltmore Campus Trail , which we have put together to give you more of the history and sights along the trail.