George Vanderbilt moved to Asheville, North Carolina in 1888 and accumulated a little over 125,000 acres to build a home for himself. His 250 room Château, which officially opened on Christmas Eve in 1895, is now famous for being the largest house in the United States. The Biltmore is also known for holding the Vanderbilt family collection of art, furniture, and more, which was accumulated during their travels. The collection consists of more than 92,000 items including works by Monet, Renoir, and much more.
The Christmas Decor at Biltmore
In the Château, there are over 100 hand-decorated Christmas trees with a 35 foot tall Fraser fir centerpiece located in the Banquet Hall. Over 25,000 ornaments and 100,000 holiday lights are used to decorate the Estate in order to provide a magical ambiance. 1,960 live poinsettias and over 1,000 feet of fresh evergreen garland are used to give the Estate a holiday feel and aroma!
The Christmas celebration doesn’t stop in the Château. The festivities continue all over the property with special seasonal flowers in bloom in the beautiful gardens, an illumination display at Antler Hill Village, and a commemorative Christmas wine at the on property Winery.
Although Christmas at Biltmore references the late 19th century’s Golden Age and the home’s French-Renaissance style architecture, the decorations have a different theme and color scheme every year to ensure that each and every holiday season at Biltmore is unique.
How Christmas at Biltmore Began
On Christmas Eve 1895, when the Estate opened, George Vanderbilt threw a holiday celebration for family and friends. Records show that he wanted no detail overlooked to ensure that the holiday would be a memorable experience for his guests. Vanderbilt even had a special grand celebration with gifts for the Estate’s employees, which is a tradition family descendants still carry on today.