You don’t have to travel to a European Christkindlmarkt (or Christmas Market) to experience the charm and ambiance of a small town fully decked out for Christmas.
Conde Nast Traveler’s website recently ranked Asheville among the Best Places to Spend Christmas in the US. With the Biltmore Estate and Biltmore Village gilded with lights and holiday events, you are only 3 miles from one of the best places to enjoy the holidays in the United States!
Visit the Biltmore Estate and the Historic Village
We are only a short drive to historic Biltmore Village, which starting in November/December take on a holiday spirit of a Dickensian Christmas! The first Friday and Saturday in December marks the Dickens Christmas Festival in the Village, an immersive and charming event with carolers and townsfolk in the Victorian garb of Charles Dickens’ time. Complete with the aroma of roasted chestnuts and a hot chocolate competition, this is by far one of the very coziest Christmas festivals around!
The main attraction of Christmas in Asheville is by far when America’s largest privately owned home is blanketed with lights, decorations and way more Christmas trees than you’ve ever seen in a home! Starting in early November, the massive Biltmore Estate decorates for Christmas. They even offer specially reserved evening tours of the house lit up my fireplace and candlelight. We sell their tickets in the office if you don’t want to wait in line at the ticket office! This is the most popular time of year at Biltmore, and reservations are required for almost everything so it’s a good idea to contact them while planning your visit.
Visit the North Carolina Arboretum and take a sweet detour to see other breathtaking houses!
Just a few miles farther from Biltmore (but still within a half hour drive of our cabins!) there are other festive activities to bring the family together. The North Carolina Arboretum enhances the natural beauty of their gardens with thousands of LED lights during Winter Lights. A little past downtown Asheville, the historic Grove Park Inn displays contestant and winner houses from the National Gingerbread House Competition that is held every year. A very convenient part of visiting Asheville during the holidays is that you are squeezed into a narrow window of time to see the displays, as the decorations at the Biltmore, as well as the Winter Lights and Gingerbread display last at LEAST the month of December. The dates vary every year, but for 2019 the schedules were:
Biltmore Christmas: November 1, 2019 – January 5, 2020.
Winter Lights at the NC Arboretum: November 22, 2019 – January 4, 2020, 6 – 10 pm Nightly. Purchase tickets here.
Gingerbread Houses at Grove Park Inn: November 20, 2019 – January 4, 2o2o.
If the article from Conde Nast Traveler wasn’t flattering enough, just last week Travel and Leisure named Asheville as one the 50 Best Places to Travel to in 2020! So even if you can’t make it during the holidays this year, consider visiting us in January, February, or March of 2020. We have a Winter Special that makes that season just as bright!
Asheville Cabins of Willow Winds offers one, two and three bedroom cabins beautifully situated among the nature of the Western North Carolina mountains. With seasonal wood-burning fireplaces and provided firewood, to our soothing hot tubs that can take the chill off any winter evening, experience the cozy relaxation of a cabin nestled in the woods, but just 3 miles to Biltmore and 5 miles to downtown Asheville.
