Looking for something truly magical this Christmas season? Take a drive to Asheville and experience Christmas at the Biltmore.
This was our third trip to the Biltmore Estate, the first and third trip we toured the Biltmore House and the second trip we just enjoyed the grounds. The first time we visited they were not allowing photos during the home tour, but at this time they are allowing them on self- guided tours.
The Biltmore is approximately 180,000 square feet and is the largest privately owned home in the United States. It is truly breathtaking to see and pictures do not do it justice.
At Christmastime there is a 55-foot spruce tree on the front lawn decorated with thousands of twinkling lights. They do not turn the tree lights on until later in the day, near dusk.
If you visit for the candlelight evenings, the tree is lit and illuminates the whole front yard. They also place bags with tealights all the way around the drive for the evening tours.
Through January 6th there are two general ticket options to enter the Biltmore House, either Christmas Daytime Celebration or Candlelight Christmas Evenings. Since we have visited before during the day, we decided to buy Candlelight Christmas Evenings tickets.
When you book the candlelight evening tour you have to book an entry time, even on weekdays. We planned our trip for a Tuesday but waited to book our tickets until a few days prior. By waiting we only had our choice of entry times at 8:30 PM and later. This entry time was not terrible, as we did get to eat dinner before touring the house. The Biltmore closes about an hour and a half after the last assigned tour time. As a tip, try to book your tickets earlier to get the time you would like. Also, many weekends will sell out of the candlelight tour times.
Self guided tour of the Biltmore House- Candlelight Evenings
As you enter the home they have booklets you can take on your self- guided tour that provide a brief description and history of each room. You can also pay for an audio guide which will provide a more in depth verbal description of each room of the Biltmore for $12.99, the desk to rent these is located on the right once you walk in.
Most rooms will also have a knowledgeable employee who you can ask additional questions to, regarding the history of the home or the room you are currently in.
One reason we chose the Candlelight Evenings was to enjoy the choir and soloists playing within the house. This added to the magical experience. Most rooms had a fireplace that was lit and the sparkling Christmas lights made the night truly special. When you first walk into the house the Entrance Hall is beautifully decorated with garland. My absolute favorite rooms were the following:
Winter Garden
If you walk to the right when you enter the house you will see the beautiful Winter Garden. We spent a lot of time around this room. The choir was singing in the center and there were a few soloists here too. We enjoyed listening to the music as well as touring the rooms around the garden.
Banquet Hall
This room is truly royal and has ceilings that are seven- stories high. The real Christmas Tree is nearly 40 feet tall and adds to the splendor of the room.
Breakfast Room
This room features two paintings by Renoir: Child with an Orange and Young Algerian Girl.
Music Room
This room was completed in the 1970’s and includes 12 apostle figures and 12 candlesticks made in the mid 1700’s.
Library
There are thousands, upon thousands of books that encompass this room. It is about half of the original collection George Vanderbilt had. We stood in this room for several minutes enjoying the marvelous decor and number of books lining the shelves. It makes you want to take one of the myriad of books and sit by the fireplace to read.
These rooms were all located on the first floor, so be sure to take your time enjoying them. The other areas of the home were beautifully decorated too and it is amazing to think about how many staff it took to run this house back in the early 19th century when it was running.
George Vanderbilt’s bedroom
For the size of this home, we were surprised about the size of the bedrooms and closets. While his bedroom was not tiny, we would have expected a larger space and bed considering the square footage of the home.
Edith Vanderbilt’s bedroom
Louis XV Room
This room is decorated in french woven silk velvet wall coverings. Both Edith and Cornelia gave birth to their children in this room.
Main Kitchen
The copper pots hanging are the original.
As I mentioned before this was our second time actually touring the home. I feel like we saw more rooms this time and at the end there was an exhibit we had definitely not seen before.
Halloween Room
This was a very unique room that I do not remember seeing on our last visit. Cornelia Vanderbilt, her husband and other family and friends helped paint the walls in this room for a party. This room also housed various displays of pictures and history further describing the numerous individuals involved in building and designing the home. It’s amazing that George Vanderbilt built a railroad to run directly to the Biltmore for transportation of building materials, along with setting up building on site to produce materials. It’s amazing that in the late 1800’s it only took 6 years to build such a magnificent and beautiful home.
In addition to all of these rooms there are many, many more to see. Hard to believe right? I would allow at least a few hours to tour the home so you will not feel rushed and you can thoroughly enjoy and explore each room.
If you are doing only the evening tour take some time to enjoy the grounds and shops either the afternoon before your tour or the day following. While it is fall/ winter at the Biltmore, unfortunately missing their beautiful springtime gardens, the Conservatory sure is a sight to see! There are so many beautiful and colorful flowers and plants which truly bring life to the winter season.
Conservatory
If you are staying on the Biltmore Estate, which I strongly recommend, they have a shuttle that runs every 15 minutes from the hotels to the other areas on the Estate. The shuttles are great as the drivers are extremely knowledgeable. Every ride we took we learned a lot about the Biltmore history, feel free to ask them questions too! Plan to wait for the shuttle 30-45 minutes before your assigned time to allow time in case you miss the shuttle and have to wait an additional 15 minutes and to allow time for the stops on the way. You also cannot use any of the 43 bathrooms that are in the actual Biltmore house so you will want to use the public restrooms before entering the house.
Tickets for this special time of the year are more expensive than usual entry prices. If you book at least a week ahead of time you can get a discount on their website. Costco was also selling a two day pass (has to be consecutive days) for less than $65. This was for Daytime access, but you could pay an upgrade fee of around $25 to also visit during the Candlelight Evenings.
In addition to the house, Antler Village has restaurants, shops and the winery to visit. I will go into more detail on these activities in my next post. You also get a free wine tasting included with your entry ticket to the Biltmore.
If you have the chance I would visit the Biltmore in the spring to enjoy the gardens and the winter to enjoy Christmas at Biltmore. Merry Christmas!