America’s Largest Home gets Ready for the Holidays

The delivery of a towering 35-foot Fraser fir tree at America’s Largest Home was the finishing touch after weeks of decorating Biltmore House for the holidays. Christmas at Biltmore, the estate’s holiday celebration, begins Friday, Nov. 4, 2022 and runs through Jan. 8, 2023.

The 35-foot Banquet Hall tree is Christmas at Biltmore’s star attraction. It took more than 50 staff members to hoist the tree onto their shoulders and carry it into the Banquet Hall, where a system of ropes secured the tree in place.

Throughout 2022, Biltmore has been part of the national celebration of the 200th birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted, the estate’s landscape architect. Biltmore’s team of designers planned décor around a “Winter Landscapes” theme that brings the outdoors inside and honors Olmsted’s grand achievements.

Décor in Biltmore House includes 67 hand-decorated Christmas trees, more than 14,000 ornaments, 45,000 holiday lights, 250 candles, 1,000 feet of garland, and 150 traditional poinsettias.

Two Christmas experiences at Biltmore

• Christmas at Biltmore daytime celebration, Nov. 4, 2022 – Jan. 8, 2023
  This tradition includes a daytime tour of Biltmore House while the estate is adorned with holiday decorations.
• Candlelight Christmas Evenings, Nov. 4, 2022 – Jan. 7, 2023
  Biltmore House glows with candlelight and firelight during this nighttime tour, changing the daytime visit’s mood and experience. Musicians stationed throughout the house perform seasonal favorites.

Estate happenings

• Leonardo da Vinci: 500 Years of Genius: This digital art exhibition requires a separate ticket and will be on view through Feb. 20, 2023.
• The Conservatory: Hundreds of holiday poinsettias warm up the inside of the Conservatory along with an array of tropical plants.
• Christmas pop-up shop at A Gardener’s Place: Stocked with everything needed to celebrate the season.
• Wine tastings at Biltmore Winery and estate-wide dining
• Antler Hill illumination: The estate’s European-inspired village is a constellation of holiday lights that illuminate trees, buildings, and the Winery.
• Bonfires in Antler Hill Village: Purchase ingredients for S’mores for bonfires at The Creamery.
• Visits with Santa: Santa makes a visit to Antler Hill Village Bandstand for pictures and wish lists.

Overnight accommodations

Holiday packages are offered at the luxurious Four-star Inn on Biltmore Estate and at the cozy Village Hotel, both decked out for the holidays. Historic cottages from Biltmore’s agricultural past accommodate overnight guests too.

Christmas at Biltmore 2022 By the Numbers

• There will be 67 decorated Christmas trees inside Biltmore House for Christmas at Biltmore 2022.
• The largest tree inside Biltmore House is the traditional Vanderbilt fresh 35-foot-tall Fraser fir in the Banquet Hall. The smallest is a tabletop tree found in the Moreland bedroom.
• It takes around 50 Biltmore staff members to carry in, raise and secure the towering tree into place in the Banquet Hall. The tree is replaced mid-holiday season to ensure a fresh tree for guests to enjoy and for the safety of the house.
• A lit 55-foot-tall Norway spruce encircled by 36 other illuminated evergreens decorates the Front Lawn of Biltmore House for Candlelight Christmas Evenings.
• A total of 45 additional decorated Christmas trees are at other estate locations, including the Winery, The Inn on Biltmore Estate, Antler Hill Village and the estate restaurants.
• The Conservatory is decorated with “trees” made of potted plants and other natural materials.