Christmas at the Biltmore

This morning we leave New Philadelphia and make our way to Asheville, NC. Relax on the deluxe motorcoach as we travel south through the Smoky Mountains which lie between Knoxville, TN, and Asheville, NC. Tonight, we check into the Biltmore Village Hotel for our 4-night stay followed by a welcome dinner. (Dinner)

After breakfast this morning we will head over to the Biltmore House which will be beautifully decorated and illuminated for the holidays, with a daytime experience that dazzles and an evening spectacle that will leave us spellbound. Our bus will provide transfers to and from the hotel and the Biltmore House throughout the day. We will have plenty of time to enjoy the grounds of the Biltmore along with Antler Hill Village. We will enjoy dinner before taking our candlelight tour of the home this evening. (Breakfast, Dinner)

This morning we will travel along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The parkway is the longest road planned as a single unit in the United States. It is a series of parks providing access to high mountain passes and a continuous series of panoramic views. Our tour guide will provide us with the history of the parkway and highlight various stops along the way. Lunch will be on our own in downtown Asheville. The city center has gorgeous architecture, fantastic stores, a variety of restaurants and interesting museums. The diverse mix of culture, music, and art has led to the city center being dubbed by many as the “Paris of the South.” Tonight, we will enjoy the toe-tapping fun of the Blue Ridge Mountain Opry Dinner & Show. Their amazing Branded Heart Band offers Bluegrass, Country, and Mountain music, along with some down-home humor! We will enjoy the finest southern-style barbeque while delighting in the variety of Appalachian songs and acts. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Today we will drive to Black Mountain and meet our step-on guide for a 90-minute overview tour of Montreat (home of Billy and Ruth Graham) and Black Mountain. After the tour, enjoy free time to explore Black Mountain. We will take a group photo at the Town Square before heading out to explore this quaint mountain town. There will be time to delve into the downtown shops, boutiques, general store, and all the eateries here. After our time here, we will have a guided tour of the Guastavino Estate, the family home of Rafael Gustavino. Rafael, who was born in Spain, immigrated to the United States in 1881. He was known for improving an ancient form of masonry construction and introducing it here where it was used by leading architects in many significant buildings throughout the Northeast. He came to NC to work on the Biltmore House in the early 1890s. Liking the area, he bought land south of Black Mountain where he built a large house and created an estate, which he named Rhododendron, although locals called the house the “Spanish Castle.” He planted grapevines and apple trees, created ponds, and built workshops and kilns where he experimented with making the tiles he needed for his construction. A walking tour of eleven sites on the Christmount property offers a view into his working estate from the late 1800s into the 1940s. Our day will end back at the Biltmore Village Hotel with time to stroll the grounds and relax before enjoying dinner on our own this evening. (Breakfast)

We leave North Carolina this morning and start our journey home filled with great memories and maybe even a few Christmas gifts from the wonderful time in Asheville! (Breakfast)