Everyone asks us about October. Fewer people ask about what comes after — and honestly, that’s their loss. When the last leaves come down and the crowds thin out, these mountains settle into their gentlest season. The air turns crisp and clear, the long views open up through bare trees, and Asheville quietly becomes one of the best Christmas towns in the South. If you’ve only ever visited in leaf season, let us make the case for the holidays.
Thanksgiving in the mountains
Thanksgiving week is one of our favorite stretches of the year. The leaf-season rush is over, but the season’s first holiday lights are already up. The Parkway is quiet, the overlooks are empty, and a cold-morning walk followed by a long breakfast feels exactly the way a holiday should. Biltmore is fully decorated for Christmas by Thanksgiving week, so an estate visit that week gets you the full holiday spectacle before December crowds arrive.
Christmas at Biltmore — fifteen minutes from our porch
America’s largest home takes Christmas seriously: more than a hundred decorated trees, miles of fresh garland, thousands of poinsettias, and a 35-foot Fraser fir in the Banquet Hall. The daytime visit is spectacular on its own, but the one we tell guests not to miss is Candlelight Christmas Evenings — the house lit by candlelight and firelight, with live musicians filling the halls. It opens the first week of November and runs into early January, and the prime evenings sell out well ahead, so book your tickets when you book your room. Staying with us puts you about fifteen minutes from the estate gates.
Biltmore is also having a Hallmark moment: A Grand Biltmore Christmas premieres on Hallmark Channel December 5 — the latest movie set at the estate, following 2023’s A Biltmore Christmas, which won the house a devoted fan following of its own. If the movie leaves you wanting to see those halls dressed for Christmas in person, this is the season to do it.
The gingerbread houses at the Grove Park Inn
Every winter, the National Gingerbread House Competition brings hundreds of astonishing edible creations to Asheville — castles, dragons, whole storybook villages, all at least three-quarters gingerbread. The 2026 display opens to visitors on November 17 and runs through January 3, and it is free to see. Our advice: go on a weekday morning, when the resort is quiet and you can take your time. It is one of those things you have to see in person to believe.
Winter Lights at the Arboretum
The North Carolina Arboretum’s Winter Lights is Asheville’s walk-through light show — a half-mile of gardens transformed after dark, best enjoyed slowly with something warm in hand. This year’s show runs November 13 through January 3. Tickets are timed-entry and peak evenings sell out, so reserve ahead.
December at the mansion
No home feels quite like Christmas without carols playing in the background, the fireplaces going, a tastefully decorated tree, and nutcrackers guarding every floor to ensure that a festive time is had by all! Indoor public areas are trimmed and decorated with Dickensian village scenes adorning the mantels in the library, parlor, and dining room. The Pride tree in the dining room is a guest favorite.
Holiday mornings get their own traditions at our table: don’t miss our apple-cinnamon pancakes on Thanksgiving morning, or our Christmas-cake-inspired fruit biscuits on Christmas Day.
Friends and visitors are encouraged to lead the cheer and celebrations by wearing their quirkiest holiday sweater or festive outfit of choice — over the years we’ve had several elves at our breakfast table! If you’re game, we’ll take a picture for our social pages.
We’re open for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s — and if you’re coming to Asheville to spend the holidays with family, a room with us gives you a quiet mountain retreat at the end of a full family day. Staying over New Year’s? Celebrate New Year’s Eve with a glass of bubbles and good cheer for the year ahead.
One planning note for the new year: we’ll be closed for a short winter rest January 7–26, reopening in late January with the fireplaces going.
Give the season: gift certificates
Some of the best holiday gifts don’t fit under a tree. A Reynolds Mansion gift certificate grants friends or family members a stay in a pre-Civil War brick mansion, a four-course breakfast from a classically trained chef, and a morning in the mountains — delivered by email, redeemable toward the cost of any room, subject to availability. If someone on your list has been saying “we should get away” all year, this is how you call their bluff.
Certificates are valid for five years and can be applied toward any available stay; reservations made with a certificate follow our standard cancellation policy. Full details are on our policies page.
Quick answers
When does Christmas at Biltmore start? The estate is fully decorated by early November, and Candlelight Christmas Evenings run from the first week of November into early January. Prime dates sell out well in advance.
Is Asheville worth visiting in December? Yes — it is the region’s quietest, coziest season. Christmas at Biltmore, the National Gingerbread House Competition, and Winter Lights all run through December, with thinner crowds than leaf season.
What are the big holiday events in Asheville? Christmas at Biltmore and its Candlelight Evenings, the National Gingerbread House Competition display at the Grove Park Inn (free, November 17 – January 3), and Winter Lights at the North Carolina Arboretum (November 13 – January 3).
When should we book a December stay? Soon — the popular weekends fill first, especially if you want to pair your stay with a Candlelight evening at Biltmore, since those tickets and rooms fill on the same dates.
The Reynolds Mansion is a pre-Civil War brick mansion at the base of Reynolds Mountain — one of Asheville’s oldest brick homes, on the National Register of Historic Places, and about fifteen minutes from Biltmore’s gates. Check December availability at thereynoldsmansion.com, or call us. We always love a phone call.
— Paul & Mirlin