We spent the weekend in beautiful Asheville, NC to visit Biltmore Estate. We’ve visited before (remember from this Restoration Hardware outlet post) but this time was extra special because the traveling Downton Abbey Exhibition was in town. Spoiler alert: it’s amazing!
The Details
The Biltmore estate is the largest private home in the US owned by the descendants of George Vanderbilt who began building the home in 1889.
We’ve been to Biltmore at Christmas and wanted to do it again. We opted for the Candlelight Christmas evening with a late entry into the house at 10:30pm. Your ticket grants you access to the house at your entry time as well as to the gardens and the Downton Exhibition. Because we had such a late tour, we ended up touring the house late and then doing the rest the next day. We attempted to squeeze the exhibition in but the last time to tour it is 9pm. We then did Downton the next day which turned out to be fabulous.
If you are not a Downton fan, it’s still worth the visit. The house is exquisite especially at Christmas. We found ourselves bouncing between “what a great idea, I would absolutely build this house if I have a chance” and “the upper class is ridiculous, I can’t believe one family needed so much opulence”. You can still enjoy the beauty of the house and the duality even without having seen the show.
The Downton Exhibition at Deerpark Amherst
The Downton Abbey exhibition is in town from November 8, 2019 to April 7, 2020. Access to the exhibition is included in the tickets for a day tour, Candlelight Christmas evening, or overnight stay that includes daytime admission. No part of the exhibit is actually located in the house. Downton Abbey is split into two locations; the exhibition is in Amherst at Deerpark and the costumes are in the Biltmore Legacy building.
The immersive experience of Downton includes information about the characters, country estate life at the time that the show is based on and recreations of the sets themselves. It was so wonderful to see all of the little details that I fell in love with on the show.
The Downton Costumes at Biltmore Legacy
Hands down my favorite part of the Downton Abbey Exhibition! I was so excited to see the costumes in person. As a once theater nerd and avid Downton fan, it was an absolute joy to see the details in person. My favorite costumes were the riding Pinks, which while Red are named after Mr. Pink, and the wedding dresses. Each one was amazing and distinct. I love that much of the day in the lives of Downton and Biltmore revolved around outfits for a particular activity. There lives were very much about living as well as the performance of living.
Tips and Tricks
- Check times for everything- I didn’t realize Downton in Amherst’s last entrance was 9pm. If we were not spending the night, I would have missed the very thing I came for. The ground have many moving parts. Make sure you know what time the thing you are interested in starts and ends. If you want to do the wine tasting, which is included in your ticket, then know what time that ends for the evening.
- Make dinner reservations- If you plan to eat on the grounds, make sure to get reservations otherwise, it’s impossible to get anything to eat with that many people around and hungry simultaneously.
- Wear comfortable shoes- I feel like this goes without saying but there are 35 bedrooms and 43 bathrooms for a grand total of 4 acres. Expect a ton of walking.
- Do the candlelight tour!- I am so bias to the candle light tour. It has my vote over the day time tour. It’s so magical at night especially for the season. There is a live choir in the winter garden of the house and paired with the decorations, it just feels so festive. I would highly recommend.
Sound fun to you? Absolutely snag tickets if you can! Especially if you’re local and can squeeze it in around Christmas time still. It really is a lovely way to spend the holiday season.