ASHEVILLE – The Biltmore House is synonymous with Christmas and home tours, so much so that it was the inspiration for a holiday feature film in its honor.
This season, the family home of famous entrepreneur George Vanderbilt shines in Hallmark Channel’s original Christmas movie, “A Biltmore Christmas.”
This month, the Biltmore House was included in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice poll for Best Holiday Historic Home Tours. This tourist destination remains the largest privately owned residence in the United States and is known as “America’s Greatest House.”
The architecture, Vanderbilt family history, themed décor and experiences are part of the home’s appeal. At its heart is the Biltmore House, a 250-room French Renaissance-style castle that became the result of a multi-year construction project. George Vanderbilt moved here in 1895 to celebrate his first Christmas.
This family home is surrounded by beautiful natural scenery and breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Biltmore Estate, a National Historic Landmark, welcomes more than 1.3 million visitors annually.
An estimated 330,000 guests are expected during the current Christmas season (November 3 to January 3). 7.
Still, the Biltmore House was ranked #10 out of 10 on 10Best’s Best Holiday Historic Home Tour.
What’s better than Biltmore House?
The number one spot went to another beloved southern destination, Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. This Graceland is Elvis Presley’s former home and displays the Presley family’s Christmas artifacts.
Best Holiday Historian Tours List of 2023
- Graceland. Memphis, Tennessee.
- Christmas Mansion, formerly Stetson Mansion. DeLand, Florida.
- Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens. Akron, Ohio.
- Meadowbrook Hall. Rochester, Michigan.
- Glensheen House. Duluth, Minnesota.
- Bluesmore. Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
- Newport Mansion. Newport, Rhode Island.
- trail end. Sheridan, Wyoming.
- Historic homes and gardens in Filoli. Woodside, California.
- Biltmore. Asheville.
A complete list can be found at: 10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-holiday-history-home-tour-2023/.
christmas at biltmore
Biltmore House offers a historic home tour experience that completely encapsulates Christmas.
Christmas at Biltmore offers a 90-minute audio tour of Biltmore House. This tour can be enjoyed during the day or on a special candlelit Christmas evening after sunset. This is an elevated tour with atmosphere, music and even more surprises.
Biltmore House is decorated with approximately 45,000 lights, 282 candles, and 271 traditional poinsettias, and wreaths of flowers dot the walls and mantle. A total of 238 fresh wreaths are displayed throughout the grounds.
A 35-foot live Fraser fir Christmas tree in the banquet hall, decorated with 500 ornaments and 500 LED Edison bulb-style lights, is the home’s centerpiece during the season.
There are a total of 67 Christmas trees throughout the house, along with 13,870 ornaments. That includes one of his libraries specially decorated for the filming of “A Biltmore Christmas,” in keeping with his 1940s theme for the time-travel holiday film.
A 55-foot Norway spruce tree and 36 illuminated evergreens shine in the center of Biltmore House’s front lawn.
From the illuminated lodge gate entrance to the conservatory, Biltmore Gardens, winery, Antler Hill Village, Deer Park, estate hotel, shops and restaurants, the sights and atmosphere of the festival flow across 8,000 acres. There are 45 more Christmas trees there. and an estimated 850,000 lights.
More than 1,960 heirloom poinsettias and an additional 4,265 seasonal plants adorn the grounds.
Christmas at the Biltmore ends on January 6th and Candlelight Christmas Night ends on January 7th. To book a visit to Biltmore, please visit: biltmore.com.
To learn more about Christmas at Biltmore in numbers, click here. biltmore.com/blog/biltmores-christmas-decor-by-the-numbers/.
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Tiana Kennel is a food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow us on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this kind of journalism. Citizen Times subscription.