Christmas at The Biltmore Estate

I have always wanted to go to the Biltmore House at Christmas time.  This year, Trish and I made it happen.  The visit was much more than the House itself; it was the entire Estate in winter.

We stayed at the beautiful Biltmore Inn, located on a view-wealthy hilltop above Antler Village and the Biltmore Estate Winery.  Our stay at the Inn included bountiful breakfast buffets each morning.  The Inn is only a short walk down the hill from the Winery and the shops at Antler Village.  The afternoon of our arrival was warm and we took advantage of the weather for this pleasant walk.

Mountain View from the Inn.

In the later afternoon we had a behind the scenes tour at the House itself.  This was mostly to learn about ongoing restoration and perpetual preservation.  We also had time for a downstairs walk through the House and wine tasting at the Winery before our evening dinner at Cedric’s Pub in Antler Village.

From the Baltimore House Loggia.

The following day was full!  We started with our tour of the large Downton Abbey exhibit.  This exhibit retraces the history of the Downton Abbey TV series and its characters and includes costumes as well as the entire kitchen, dining room, and Mary’s bedroom from the set.  What fun!

Later we had another tour behind the scenes at the house learning about the life and work of all the servants.  This fit in perfectly with the Downton Abbey experience into real life.

The finale of our visit was the evening candlelight tour of the entire house: main floor with countless Christmas trees and live music in the background, second and third floor bedrooms and living suites, the basement with its bowling alley and swimming pool, all the kitchens and pantries,  we spent nearly three house savoring the beauty and filling our own heads with imagination.

Triple Fireplaces in the Banquet Hall.

We left being deeply grateful to the Cecil Family for their endless efforts at preservation and sharing of George Vanderbilt’s legacy.  Their deep love of the Estate and its history and legacy are surpassed only by their willingness to have their property open to all to enjoy.

Biltmore House by Evening Light.

Merry Christmas!