Christmas in Asheville pairs the grandeur of Biltmore House with the traditions of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Walk through America's largest home beneath towering trees, fresh garlands, and thousands of lights, with rooms decorated in the spirit of the Vanderbilts’ first Christmas in 1895. Visit the estate's gardens and winery, explore downtown Asheville's Art Deco streets, and see Appalachian craft at the Folk Art Center. At the historic Omni Grove Park Inn, view the imaginative edible entries in the National Gingerbread House Competition. This is Biltmore at its most festive, paired with Asheville's art, food, architecture, and Blue Ridge traditions for a complete Christmas journey.
This short film comes from Great Falls Travel's own Christmas journeys to Biltmore and Asheville. Watch it before you plan your group's dates.
Video: Great Falls Travel
Spend your first afternoon in downtown Asheville, where Art Deco landmarks and mountain views share the streets with holiday lights. Enjoy a guided orientation tour of downtown with our Storyteller Guides, then browse independent shops and galleries and get to know the small mountain city that grew up alongside the Vanderbilts' estate.
Spend the full day at Biltmore. Tour Biltmore House at the height of its Christmas season, where more than 100 hand-decorated trees, fresh garlands, and thousands of ornaments recall the home's first Christmas in 1895, crowned by the 35-foot Fraser fir raised in the Banquet Hall. After lunch, follow the Walled Garden to the glass Conservatory, then end the afternoon in Antler Hill Village with the included tasting at Biltmore's winery.
A local guide leads your group through downtown Asheville and into the Basilica of Saint Lawrence, a Spanish Baroque church whose tile dome stands without a single steel beam. In the afternoon, drive a stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the mountain route known as America's favorite drive, then visit the Folk Art Center, the Southern Highland Craft Guild's gallery and shop, where artisans demonstrate their work and you can buy pottery, textiles, jewelry, and woodwork handmade across Southern Appalachia. A group dinner closes the day.
Your morning belongs to Asheville's makers: the city's chocolate shops, craft studios, and its strong coffee and mountain-music culture. In the afternoon, head to the Omni Grove Park Inn, the grand stone resort overlooking Asheville since 1913, for the National Gingerbread House Competition, featured on the Food Network, where elaborate creations rise from gingerbread, icing, and spun sugar. A festive holiday buffet at the Grove Park Inn closes the trip's final full day.
On your final morning, visit the Western North Carolina Farmers Market, where mountain growers and makers sell local honey, jams, and handmade crafts alongside a holiday store stocked for Christmas. Gather a few last tastes and gifts of the mountains, then board the motorcoach for home, carrying the memory of Biltmore, Asheville, and a Blue Ridge Christmas.
Transportation options
Group airfare or motor coach transportation to and from Asheville can be included on request.
Share who's traveling, your preferred dates, and the experiences that interest you.
We build the itinerary, accommodations, transportation, and dining around your group.
Adjust the days, stops, and pace together, then we plan and coordinate the details.
Tell us your group and your dates. We’ll take it from there.
Request a Quote
