Biltmore House outranked on Holiday Historic Home Tour poll: What claimed No. 1 spot?
ASHEVILLE - Biltmore House is synonymous with Christmas and home tours so much so that it inspired a feature holiday film in its honor.
This season, the family home of famed entrepreneur George Vanderbilt shined in the Hallmark Channel’s original Christmas movie, “A Biltmore Christmas.”
This month, USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice poll of the Best Holiday Historic Home Tour included Biltmore House. This tourist destination remains the largest privately owned home in the U.S. and is known as America’s Largest Home.
Architecture, Vanderbilt family history and the themed décor and experiences are part of the estate's attraction. At its center, Biltmore House ― a multiyear construction project that resulted in a 250-room French Renaissance chateau where George Vanderbilt moved into and celebrated the first Christmas there in 1895.
The family home is surrounded by landscaped and natural scenery and breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Biltmore Estate, a National Historic Landmark, welcomes more than 1.3 million visitors, annually.
An estimated 330,000 guests are expected during the current Christmas season, which is Nov. 3-Jan. 7.
Yet, Biltmore House ranked No. 10 out of 10 on 10Best's Best Holiday Historic Home Tour.
What outranked Biltmore House?
The No. 1 spot was claimed by another beloved Southern destination, Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee — the former estate of Elvis Presley that features Christmas artifacts from the Presley family.
Best Holiday Historic Home Tour list for 2023
Graceland. Memphis, Tennessee.
The Christmas Mansion, formerly Stetson Mansion. DeLand, Florida.
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens. Akron, Ohio.
Meadow Brook Hall. Rochester, Michigan.
Glensheen Mansion. Duluth, Minnesota.
Brucemore. Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Newport Mansions. Newport, Rhode Island.
Trail End. Sheridan, Wyoming.
Filoli Historic House and Garden. Woodside, California.
Biltmore. Asheville.
View the full list at 10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-holiday-historic-home-tour-2023/.
Christmas at Biltmore
The Biltmore House features a historic house tour experience that fully encapsulates Christmas.
Christmas at Biltmore offers a 90-minute audio tour through Biltmore House that may be enjoyed during the day or after dark for the special Candlelight Christmas Evenings — an elevated tour of ambiance, music and more surprises.
Biltmore House is decked out with about 45,000 lights, 282 candles and 271 traditional poinsettias with rings of wreaths dotting the walls and mantles — a total of 238 fresh wreaths are featured across the estate.
The live 35-foot Fraser fir Christmas tree in the Banquet Hall is decorated with 500 ornaments and 500 LED Edison bulb-style electric lights and is the home’s main attraction during the season.
A total of 67 Christmas trees are found throughout the home — with an additional 13,870 ornaments — including one in the Library specially decorated for the filming of “A Biltmore Christmas” to fit the 1940s-era theme for the time-travel holiday flick.
A 55-foot Norway spruce tree and 36 illuminated evergreens sparkle at the center of Biltmore House’s front lawn.
The festive sights and spirit flow through the 8,000-acre estate from its illuminated Lodge Gate entrance to the Conservatory and Biltmore Gardens, Winery, Antler Hill Village, Deer Park, and estate hotel properties, shops and restaurants — which includes another 45 decorated Christmas trees and an estimated 850,000 lights.
More than 1,960 traditional poinsettias, plus another 4,265 seasonal plants, adorn the estate.
Christmas at Biltmore ends on Jan. 6 and Candlelight Christmas Evenings on Jan. 7. To schedule a visit to Biltmore, visit biltmore.com.
For more Christmas at Biltmore by-the-numbers, visit biltmore.com/blog/biltmores-christmas-decor-by-the-numbers/.
Stories you may have missed:
Behind the scenes of Hallmark's 'A Biltmore Christmas,' filmed in Asheville
Answer Woman: Will Biltmore's Christmas tree-raising ceremony reopen to pass holders?
Christmas at Biltmore kicks off with 35-foot-tall tree raising, holiday lights, decor
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Biltmore House outranked on Holiday Historic Home Tour. What's No. 1?
