Three of these decadent Gilded Age dwellings deck their halls each December for the annual Christmas at the Newport Mansions event, where festival goers can chat with jolly ol’ Saint Nick (eggnog and cookies provided), attend evening concerts, capture pics of the gingerbread masterpieces created by local pastry chefs and more. The town of Newport has multiple properties on the National Register of Historic Places, all of which were once the summer “cottages” of wealthy silver heiresses, senators and the like. Adults pay $20 for evening admission to holiday events. Visitors can also enjoy the hot chocolate bar, snap family Christmas photos and shop in the boutique for ornaments and other gifts.ĭaytime holiday tours are $33 for adults. Daily tours show off the more than 20 designer Christmas trees and other colorful embellishments, with roving carolers, violinists and other performers making select nighttime tours even more joyous. Today, the estate is a popular tourist attraction for both its extravagant design (it boasts 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows and 47 stairways) and the supposed paranormal activities surrounding it.īut each holiday season, it’s the spirit of Christmas that takes over. She continued to add on to the sprawling Victorian house until her own passing 38 years later. In 1884, Sarah Winchester, a New England rifle heiress grieving the loss of her husband and child, started construction on an unusual California mansion she believed would appease evil spirits. Reservations may be required on busy days. In addition to the usual daily self-guided tours of America’s largest home, where you can view the Vanderbilts’ original collection of furnishings, art and antiques, there are special nightly candlelight tours, visits with Santa, holiday decorating seminars led by the Biltmore’s floral and gardening experts, a gingerbread house tea, musical performances and more.Īdult tickets start at $49 for daytime entry in December. But the celebration doesn’t stop at the decorations. Widely considered one of the South’s most beloved holiday destinations, the Biltmore attracts visitors from near and far for its seasonal tribute covering practically every inch of the 135,000-square-foot manse and surrounding 8,000 acres. Here’s the scoop on what Biltmore House and five other historic homes are doing to commemorate this special time of year. ![]() estate that puts on a show come December. The holiday tradition continues to this day at Biltmore House, as the 250-room French Renaissance-style château celebrates the holidays with an elaborate Victorian era-inspired spectacle boasting 56 hand-decorated Christmas trees, 1,000 poinsettias, 300 luminaries and miles and miles of fresh garland.īut the Biltmore isn’t the only grand U.S. ![]() When George Washington Vanderbilt, a descendent of the prominent Vanderbilt family, moved into his expansive new home in Asheville, North Carolina, back in 1895, he invited friends and family over for a lavish party on Christmas Eve.
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