Christmas at the Biltmore Estate

We had gorgeous weather yesterday for visiting to Asheville, NC, and taking in all the sights of this wonderful city. The 8,000 acre Biltmore Estate is absolutely amazing -- the real draw this time of year are the Christmas decorations in "America's largest privately-owned home." It seems that they decorated every square foot of this 175,000 square foot behemoth for the holidays. The Christmas celebration will continue through January 1st with more than 100 Christmas trees (including a 35 foot Fraser Fir in the Banquet Hall), thousands of wreaths and poinsettias and miles of garland. It's a tad pricey (buy your ticket beforehand online and save money), but you can literally spend all day at the estate (there are gardens, conservatory, winery, hiking, and more). If you're from the area, you might consider an annual pass which basically pays for itself if you plan a return visit. They don't allow photography inside the house, but I found plenty on the grounds to keep my busy.