Here’s what’s new at the Biltmore House for the 2023 Christmas season

Kimberly Cataudella
·4 min read

The holiday season at the Biltmore House and Estate has begun, and Asheville’s famed 25-room mansion — dripping with Christmas spirit — offers visitors a chance to experience Christmas opulence from around the turn of the 20th century.

The Biltmore Estate, which includes “America’s largest home,” opened its doors for the first time on Christmas Eve on 1895, when owner George Vanderbilt invited 300 guests for a holiday housewarming gathering.

The Christmas traditions continue, with dozens of Christmas trees and hundreds of candles adorning the house for the yuletide season. Visitors can enjoy both daytime and nighttime experiences, touring the home and property decked out in lights and decor.

Here’s what to know about the Christmas festivities at Biltmore and how you can experience them for yourself:

When is Christmas at Biltmore?

The Christmas season at Biltmore runs from Nov. 4 to Jan. 7.

• Christmas Daytime: Visit at daytime to see the sun-strewn house decked out with dozens of Christmas trees and too many ornaments to count.

• Candlelight Christmas Evenings: Evening experiences at the holidays let you see the house’s larger than life decorations under the soft glow of candlelight and burning fireplaces. Live music is also featured during the special evening tour.

Learn more at biltmore.com/things-to-do/events/christmas.

Note: Candlelight Christmas Evenings are not offered on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Rooms on the Biltmore Estate tour, like the Tapestry Gallery, are trimmed for Christmas.
Rooms on the Biltmore Estate tour, like the Tapestry Gallery, are trimmed for Christmas.

Christmas at Biltmore tickets, packages

Tickets to Christmas Daytime start at $110 each, while Candlelight Christmas Evenings start at $115 each.

New this year, a ticket to the Biltmore House also includes free next-day grounds access, giving visitors two days of access to the estate. According to the Biltmore website, ticket prices range as follows:

  • Daytime ticket price: $110 to $145

  • Candlelight evening price: $115 to $145

Both the daytime and Candlelight evening basic packages also include:

  • Access to Antler Hill Village & Winery

  • Complimentary wine tastings at the winery

  • Free parking

You can add on tickets to the “Italian Renaissance Alive” immersive exhibition on the grounds.

  • Daytime ticket price: $140 to $175

  • Candlelight evening price: $145 to $175

A VIP-esque ticket also gives you a 90-minute guided group tour called “Guests of the Vanderbilts,” which boasts a more intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the famous home.

  • Daytime ticket price: $375 to $410

  • Candlelight evening price: $385 to $415

Forgo a house tour and get daytime grounds access to the estate for $85 through the holidays. (After New Year’s, grounds access tickets dip as low as $40.)

Are there ticket discounts to Christmas at Biltmore?

• Buy online: Save $5 per ticket when you buy your Biltmore House admission tickets online.

• Senior discount: Seniors save $8 on daytime admission tickets every Tuesday and Wednesday.

• Military discount: Show your Military ID at the Reception & Ticketing Sales Center to save $8 on daytime admission any day of the week.

(Source: biltmore.com/visit/tickets-pricing/special-offers)

Spring and Christmas are the peak visiting times at The Biltmore Estate, a remarkable French Renaissance castle built by George Vanderbilt in 1890 in Asheville.
Spring and Christmas are the peak visiting times at The Biltmore Estate, a remarkable French Renaissance castle built by George Vanderbilt in 1890 in Asheville.

What’s new at Christmas at Biltmore for 2023?

• Longer access: A ticket to tour the decorated home includes a free second day of access to the grounds this season.

• Gingerbread display: The Biltmore’s pastry team will replicate the Banquet Table inside the Biltmore House out of gingerbread.

• Documentary: View the Biltmore’s 10-minute documentary on YouTube or Facebook called “Behind the Magic” to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into decorating the mansion and the rest of the estate for the holiday season.

• Hallmark movie: “A Biltmore Christmas” premieres on the Hallmark Channel on Nov. 26 as part of their annual Countdown to Christmas event. The movie was filmed at the Biltmore House in January, and the film’s plot features time travel and romantic comedy themes.

For more about the movie, visit biltmore.com/blog/by-the-numbers-a-biltmore-christmas.

How many trees, candles, ornaments are in the Biltmore house for Christmas?

A blogpost on the Biltmore’s website tells of Christmas decor by the numbers in the Biltmore House and on the estate this holiday season.

If you visit in 2023, you can soak in the:

  • 400 luminaries, which are lit by hand daily and line the Esplanade in front of the house each night for Candlelit Christmas Evenings

  • 67 Christmas trees

  • 35-foot tall Fraser fir tree in the home’s Banquet Hall with 500 ornaments and 500 Edison-style electric lights

  • 55-foot tall Norway spruce on the Front Lawn adorned with 55,000 lights

  • 282 candles

  • 13,870 ornaments and 271 poinsettias

  • 238 fresh wreaths

  • 1,600 feet of fresh and faux garland

(Source: biltmore.com/blog/biltmores-christmas-decor-by-the-numbers)

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