The Biltmore at Christmas

Happiest of Thursdays before Christmas!! 

With our birthdays only a few days apart, Babe and I have been all kinds of birthday celebrating around these parts! To ring in 34 and 31 we took two very different tours through Asheville; a brew tour for his birthday and a step back in time for mine. I can't think of a better way to have spent my 31st birthday than checking something off my "30 in my 30s Bucket List"! 

Seeing the Biltmore at Christmas, all decorated in lights and bows, has been on my bucket list since I first went over 15 years ago! I was the literal definition of a kid-at-Christmas kind of happy! Minus, of course, the kid part (unless we are counting at heart)... hello, 31! The Biltmore at Christmas is beyond beautiful. I could gush for hours about the glorious Christmas feel, the hundreds of lights, and dozens of Christmas trees that filled the rooms, but I figure it might just be best to let the pictures speak for me!

Come with me and enjoy a walk through... 

The Biltmore at Christmas

And honestly, these pictures do it absolutely no justice! You really need to experience the Biltmore at Christmas with your own eyes (and heart)! You will not regret it! 

Tips for Visiting the Biltmore at Christmas 

- Go during the week! We visited Biltmore on a Monday and it was still packed, but if you go on the weekends you have to schedule a time in the house and the guides stationed around the house were saying it is much worse on the weekend. 

-Time your entrance! Pay attention to the entrance. Shuttle buses run from one of the parking lots, so people will come in waves from those. If you get there and haven't seen shuttles just drop off people, then go in before they come; otherwise, just linger on the lawn for a few until the crowd that spilled from the shuttles have time to get inside and moving forward a bit. 

- Walk up! There are two lot options. The shuttle lot and the walk up lot. They say the walk to the house takes 8 minutes from the walk lot, but if you are giddy with excitement, like I was, it shouldn't take you more than 5. It's a gorgeous walk too and you get the approach to the house without being in a shuttle with 20+ other people.

- Share an audio guide! I have been to the house twice and this is the first time we opted to pay for the audio guide (an additional $11). We have never thought it would be worth it, but we actually learned quite a few interesting facts that the book they give you doesn't offer. For example: The tree in the banquet room is covered with 500 lights, ornaments and gifts (actually on the tree itself), just as it was the very first Christmas at the Biltmore. It still arrives pulled by horse and wagon, before being ceremoniously taken into the house. We took turns listening (the volume is set low, so it's hard to listen together) or simply shared the information with each other as we were walking through. 

Don't Forget to Visit Biltmore Village  

You can't go to the Biltmore without visiting Biltmore Village, especially at Christmas! One, Santa is at Biltmore Village; you can grab pictures with him and tell him what you want for Christmas (yes, I totally did this)! It is also home to Biltmore Winery. The free tasting that comes with your ticket shouldn't be missed. Biltmore Village also has tons of great dining options. We chose to eat at Bistro and we are SO GLAD we did. We split the beef carpaccio and the pork belly appetizers and both swear by them! We both said we thought they were the best ones we had ever eaten (and we've tried our fair share of both). You should then wrap up your evening with a sunset beverage, on the balcony of the Library Lounge at The Inn on Biltmore Estate. It was the perfect ending to a beautiful day! 

We really can't say more good things about visiting the Biltmore at Christmas! I hope you add it to your Christmas bucket list! Until you can visit, enjoy an even deeper glimpse into Christmas Past and journey with us in this weeks Road Talk Tuesday: Christmas at the Biltmore... 

Happy Holidays!! 
Where are you spending the season?! 

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