In a world that’s constantly changing, there’s something to be said about the comfort of tradition. And during the holiday season, no place exudes Christmas cheer quite like the Biltmore in Asheville, which has celebrated the holidays each year for more than a century. 2020 marked the 125th anniversary of when George Vanderbilt first opened Biltmore House to his friends and family.
“He built the house, moved in in October 1895 and December was the first time people came to visit,” explains LeeAnn Donnelly, Biltmore’s senior public relations manager. “You could think of it as a housewarming party.”
The modern-day celebration, which began in 1976, typically attracts some 400,000 guests between November and January. Despite many changes to keep visitors and staff safe this year due to COVID-19 (including mask requirements indoors), the Biltmore still plans to glorify the festive season this year with a theme of an 1895 Christmas.
“Biltmore and the holidays are a match made in heaven – it’s so lovely and beautiful and peaceful here, and I think that people who visit would agree that it’s just a wonderful tradition,” Donnelly says.
See more: Behind the Biltmore Estate: 7 Things You Didn't Know About America's Largest Home
– Kelsey Ogletree
Admire the Plants
More than 1,200 traditional poinsettias, known for their vivid red and green foliage, adorn Christmas displays around the estate. (Just be sure to look, not touch!) Other holiday plants and flowers around the Biltmore include amaryllises, Christmas cacti, bromeliads, orchids, peace lilies, cyclamen, begonias and kalanchoes. Additionally, there are 225 fresh wreaths made of fresh white pine and Fraser fir on the property; take in a nice long whiff to breathe in the smell of Christmas.
See more: These Three Historic North Carolina Homes Are Architectural Masterpieces
