Christmas at Biltmore House
Christmas has been a lavish tradition at Biltmore House since it opened more than a century ago. The 250-room Biltmore House is the centerpiece of the larger-than-life country retreat built by George Vanderbilt in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains in the town of Asheville. The opulent mansion opened to family and friends with joyful celebrations and decorations on Christmas Eve 1895.
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Today, in keeping with the Vanderbilts' hospitable tradition, Biltmore celebrates the season with lavish decorations inspired by the grandeur of the house and its surroundings.
Fresh natural greenery, berries, and Frasier firs abound. The dramatic 35-foot-tall Banquet Hall tree glimmering with white lights and oversize ornaments takes its place beneath the restored 1916 Skinner pipe organ, just as it did in Vanderbilt's day.
Spectacular decorations are just one aspect of the Christmas at Biltmore Estate experience. Traditional carols from the Banquet Hall organ can be heard throughout the house day or night. A variety of other activities at Biltmore Estate Winery includes self-guided tours, seminars, cooking demonstrations and complimentary wine tastings that all serve to supply visitors with holiday entertaining ideas.
Evenings are especially festive. As twilight falls, Biltmore House glows with the light of hundreds of candles, firelight, and twinkling trees. Evening 
Concerts feature performances by choirs and ensembles.
Special evening dining opportunities are available during "Candlelight Christmas Evenings." Estate restaurants feature holiday menus filled with a variety of delicious culinary creations including appetizers, entr�es, and desserts. Deerpark Restaurant offers a holiday buffet with fresh seafood, roast turkey, pork loin with sun-dried cherry and jalapeno barbeque sauce and holidays sweets including red velvet cake. At the Stable Cafe, guests can enjoy a choice of appetizer, entree and dessert inspired by George Vanderbilt's 1904 Christmas menu.
How about wild mushroom bisque followed by roasted prime rib of beef with Yorkshire pudding and pumpkin tart? The Dining Room at Inn on Biltmore Estate also offers a three-course menu featuring dishes such as she crab soup, seared Atlantic salmon with roasted fingerling potatoes and, for desert, chocolate hazelnut domes or maybe cranberry spice bread pudding.
You can tour the mansion and the grounds (designed by Frederick Law Olmsted), enjoy estate-raised foods, and savor award-winning vintages at Biltmore's winery.
For more information or reservations, contact Biltmore Estate, 1 Lodge Street, Asheville, N.C. 28803, phone 800-411-3812 or 828-225-1333
Website: http://www.biltmore.com
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