Whether your perfect holiday is loud and lit up, quiet and cozy, or somewhere in between, the Asheville area invites travelers to a holiday season that bends to fit them.
Iconic traditions like Christmas at Biltmore, Winter Lights at the North Carolina Arboretum, and the National Gingerbread House Competition at Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa are back, alongside new ways for travelers to experience the holiday season in Asheville. This year the whole country gets a sneak peek of the holiday magic when Hallmark premieres “A Grand Biltmore Christmas” on Saturday, Dec. 5. The movie was filmed on location at Biltmore and follows 2023’s “A Biltmore Christmas,” giving viewers a look at Asheville as it appears every December, with a Gilded Age estate dressed for the season and a glowing, historic city just beyond the gates.
What's the best way to enjoy holiday magic in Asheville?
Experience holiday traditions
Asheville is home to plenty of traditions that are worth returning to year after year.
- Christmas at Biltmore returns for its 131st year with 36 decorated Christmas trees, 45,000 lights, and 442 candles inside Biltmore House alone. Candlelight Christmas Evenings add live musicians and choral performances to the after-dark glow.
- Warren Haynes’s Christmas Jam returns for its 34th year on Saturday, Dec. 12, at the ExploreAsheville.com Arena, with Greta Van Fleet, The War on Drugs, and Gov’t Mule, all benefiting local nonprofits.
- For a more classic take on holiday music, Asheville Choral Society’s Yuletide Candlelight performances fill Central United Methodist Church Dec. 4-5.
- On New Year’s Eve, the Avett Brothers return for a second year to ring in 2027 with Mountain Grass Unit and Homeboy Sandman.
- Families can catch Asheville Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts Dec. 11-13, or “Frozen” at Asheville Community Theatre Dec. 4-20, a great first trip to the theater for younger visitors.
- The Asheville Holiday Parade fills downtown with floats, costumes, and performances on Nov. 21.
- In Black Mountain, about 20 minutes from downtown Asheville, Peri Social House claims the tallest lit Christmas tree in North Carolina and celebrates with a tree lighting on Nov. 27, complete with an outdoor concert, a letters-to-Santa station, a scavenger hunt, and a hot chocolate bar. Holly Jolly lights up the small mountain town on Dec. 4 with late-night shopping, carolers, and a visit from Santa, followed by the Black Mountain Christmas Parade down State Street the next afternoon.
- The Grove Arcade’s Holiday Tree Lighting Block Party on Nov. 28, bringing live music, dance performances, and a holiday market to downtown.
- The YMI Cultural Center one of the oldest Black cultural centers in the country, hosts its annual Kwanzaa celebration in downtown Asheville with drumming, music, storytelling, and candle-lighting led by local artists and community leaders.
Gather with loved ones, and still get time to recharge
The holidays are about being together, but a busy season also calls for a little breathing room. The Asheville area has both, with activities that bring generations together and plenty of ways to unwind when the moment calls for it.
At Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa, the National Gingerbread House Competition returns for its 34th year, on display Nov. 17 through Jan. 3. After marveling at the creations, slip away to the award-winning subterranean spa, then settle in by one of the Great Hall’s massive stone fireplaces, built for 12-foot logs, with a holiday cocktail or a mug of house-made hot cocoa.
For a different kind of reset, Wrong Way River Lodge & Cabins, Asheville’s A-frame hotel for outdoor lovers, is adding a fireside sauna starting Nov. 1. Book the cedar-paneled space overlooking the French Broad River, then cool off with a cold rain shower before heading back to the campfire.
Prefer a slow stroll? Start with family brunch at Corner Kitchen in Biltmore Village, with favorites like shrimp n’ grits or fried chicken and waffles, then wander the village to take in the holiday decorations. Afternoon treats are close by at Affogato Gelato & Espresso and Lake Norman Cheesecakery.
Holiday cheer hits the road with Gray Line Trolley’s Holly Jolly Christmas Trolley Tour, running Nov. 13 through Dec. 30 with local lore and carols led by an onboard musician. LaZoom’s Hey Asheville Holiday Comedy Tour runs Nov. 24 through Dec. 27 with 90 minutes of laughs and a beverage break at a local brewery.
When the day winds down, adults can raise a glass at a bar dressed for the season. Hemingway’s Cuba offers heated, enclosed rooftop cabanas with mountain views November through February. The newly renovated Pillar Rooftop Bar becomes a winter hangout with festive cocktails. Tiki Easy Bar, the South Slope speakeasy behind Hi-Wire Brewing, serves up Sippin’ Santa, a tropical twist on the holidays with island decorations and a “Secret Santa” menu from Nov. 17 through December. And in West Asheville, The Golden Pineapple presents Miracle on Haywood Road, a holiday pop-up with seasonal cocktails like the “Christmas Cricket.”
Shop, make, and gift something handmade
Asheville’s creative community turns holiday shopping into an experience, with workshops, pop-ups, and markets that put local makers front and center.
Roll up your sleeves at one of the area’s hands-on studios:
- At the North Carolina Glass Center, sign up for a glassblowing class and leave with a one-of-a-kind creation.
- Ignite Jewelry Studios offers jewelry-making workshops for every level
- Local Cloth teaches weaving, natural dyeing, and eco-printing with local plants
- Waxon Batik & Dye Studios covers everything from batik to ice dyeing to classic tie-dye.
- Carolina Flowers, make a dried-flower wreath to take home.
- Find more ideas in our guide to making your own holiday gifts.
If you’d rather shop, holiday pop-ups are a great way to meet a new local maker. Show & Tell Holiday Pop Up Shop brings together more than 100 vendors selling jewelry, ceramics, clothing, and ornaments Nov. 6 through Dec. 24 inside the Asheville Mall. Downtown, local retailers Fields Outfitting and NANAI have turned a vacant storefront into “Fields and Friends,” open through November. It features handmade clothing, ceramics, textiles, and home goods from independent artisans in Latin America and the U.S., plus events with local artists, including custom embroidery and DJ sets.
The Asheville-area creative community comes together at markets throughout the season. The Big Crafty returns to the ExploreAsheville.com Arena Dec. 5-6 with more than 100 local and regional makers, plus food, drink, and live music. In Fairview hosts a Holiday Market Social Nov. 29 with a live bluegrass Christmas jam, hayrides, and crafts on a farm decked out for the season. The North Asheville Tailgate Market’s Holiday Bazaar brings local produce, baked goods, and handmade gifts like wreaths, pottery, and jewelry.
While searching for the perfect gift downtown, don’t forget to check out the Asheville Downtown Association’s Winter Window Display Contest and cast a vote for your favorite.
Discover an Appalachian twist on the holiday season
Crackling fires, misty ridgelines, and cozy cabins set the scene, and classic traditions pick up an Appalachian twist. Across the Asheville area, the holiday season feels distinctly Blue Ridge.
Winter Lights at the North Carolina Arboretum runs Nov. 13 through Jan. 3 with more than one million lights along a one-mile walk through the gardens. Highlights include a 50-foot Tree of Light and the illuminated Quilt Garden set to holiday classics, plus live music, hot cocoa, and s’mores.
For a beer lover’s celebration, Highland Brewing marks 30 years of Cold Mountain Winter Ale Nov. 12-16. It kicks off with a beer dinner by James Beard Award-winning chef Taylor Montgomery of Montgomery Sky Farm, followed by live music, specialty food, anniversary beer releases, and the Cold Mountain Classic Volleyball Tournament Nov. 13-15.
Hop aboard The Polar Express Train Ride with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, running Nov. 6 through Jan. 3 from Bryson City, about 75 minutes west of Asheville. The trip to the “North Pole” comes with hot cocoa and a visit from Santa.
At Chimney Rock State Park, Santa on the Chimney on Dec. 5 sends Santa rappelling down the 315-foot rock with Fox Mountain Guides, plus a hike with an elf, holiday crafts, and live music.
Small-town holiday spirit shines too. The Weaverville Candlelight Stroll fills Main Street just north of Asheville on Dec. 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. for its 21st year, with shopping, storytelling, music, and kids’ crafts, and the town tree is lit at 6 p.m. In Leicester, Storytime with Appalachian Santa at Montgomery Sky Farm on Dec. 20 pairs a Christmas story with a chocolate charcuterie board, warm refreshments, and cookies, and families are encouraged to wear pajamas.
For a full list of holiday events, visit ExploreAsheville.com/events.