On Christmas Eve 1895, George Washington Vanderbilt first opened Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, to family and friends. The 250-room French Renaissance chateau took six years and 1,000 men to build and is a National Historic Landmark open to the public today.
We hope you enjoy this glimpse of the grandeur of Christmas at the Biltmore House. All of these photos were taken (with special permission) on the first floor - just a small portion of the tour.
To plan a trip, see our Christmas at Biltmore Guide.
Photography/video is not allowed inside during tours.
Billiard Room: Based on traditions from more than 100 years ago, Biltmore House is elaborately decorated every year for Christmas, offering a glimpse of what it may have been like to be one of Vanderbilt’s guests.
 
Biltmore House’s yuletide centerpiece, a 34-foot Fraser fir, in the 72-foot high Banquet Hall, adorned with hundreds of lights and ornaments, and surrounded by gifts.
Known for being one of the largest holiday displays in the Southeast, guests will see dozens and dozens of decorated Christmas trees and nearly 500 wreaths around the estate; 30,000 lights and 125 candles in Biltmore House with another 125,000 lights around the estate. Around 45,000 lights illuminate the Front Lawn tree in front of the house, and “up” lighting accents the poplar trees lining the front lawn. Three hundred luminaries line the driveway and Esplanade in front of Biltmore House.
 
Left: The massive stone spiral staircase rises four floors. Right: Winter Garden.
Music Room
There are two ways to experience the holidays at Biltmore;
1. Daytime tours of Biltmore House, the Gardens, the Winery with complimentary wine tasting include visits to Antler Hill Village, the Farm and Barnyard. A solo musician will perform in the Third Floor Living Hall of Biltmore House from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, Thanksgiving Day, Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
2. Candlelight Christmas Evenings, with luminaries and a brilliant display of twinkling lights on the Front Lawn, requires separate entry. Guests tour through rooms lit by twinkling lights and firelight, reflected in thousands of ornaments. Local choirs and small musical ensembles stationed in the Winter Garden perform music of the season. You may visit Antler Hill Village as part of their candlelight evening.
Tapestry Gallery
The nativity in the Tapestry Gallery
 
The Library
Christmas displays this year center on the countries that the Vanderbilts visited at the turn of the century. Throughout Biltmore House, the gardens and grounds, see influences of the Vanderbilts’ travel experiences.
George Vanderbilt introduced his new home to family and friends on Christmas Eve 1895 with a wonderful celebration that we continue today. Enjoy America's largest home decorated with dozens of Christmas trees, hundreds of wreaths, bows, and poinsettias, miles of evergreen garland, and thousands of ornaments.
See our Christmas at Biltmore Guide to plan your trip!
Also see our Top 10 Holiday Outings and Christmas Events in and around Asheville
More info for you about the Biltmore House:
See more photos of inside Biltmore House during Festival of Flowers.
Take a guided tour of additional areas of the house not opened for the self-guided tour.
See our Biltmore Intro for details on visiting, including information on the Winery, Gardens, Events, Antler Village, hiking and the outdoors and more!
Download a PDF of the Biltmore House Room-by-Room Guide.
Go to the Biltmore Estate Web site to buy advance discount tickets! |
