 1. Christmas at Biltmore Estate: Our biggest holiday event is Christmas at Biltmore. Starting on November 6, America's largest home is decked out in festive finery. Candlelight Evenings are especially magical. Continues through January 3.
See our Christmas at Biltmore Guide.
2. Shop Downtown Asheville: Make holiday shopping more fun and relaxing while finding truly special gifts. Browse through more than 200 shops, 30 art galleries and a dozen antique stores - all locally owned. No cookie cutter chain stores here. And if you need a break, stop at one of the 50 restaurants or many coffee shops. Tour the fascinating Thomas Wolfe Home for only a buck! See our Downtown Asheville Guide. For more great local shops with unique gifts, explore the quaint downtowns of nearby Brevard, Hendersonville and Waynesville.
BONUS: "Seasonal Sizzle" fireworks in downtown Asheville at 7 PM on December 5, 12 and 19, rain or shine. The best view will be Pack Square in the middle of downtown - looking toward City Hall.
3. Gingerbread Houses at Grove Park Inn: For a real treat, see the amazing display of gingerbread houses from the National Gingerbread House Competition at the famous Grove Park Inn Resort on November 18-January 3. Guests at the resort can view the display at anytime. If you're not a guest, visit on Mondays-Thursdays. It's free to tour the display and see the other elaborate decorations at the grand hotel. See our Gingerbread House Competition Guide.
 4. Shop Biltmore Village: What a charming area for holiday shopping! Located across from the entrance to Biltmore Estate, the Village is home to more than 40 unique shops and 10 cafes and restaurants. Most businesses are housed in historic cottages and buildings. Tree-lined streets, brick sidewalks and period architecture make it a delight to stroll through and explore. See our Biltmore Village Guide.
5. And More Art: Asheville is a mecca for artists, so this is the place to find one-of-a-kind gifts. With more than 100 galleries and even more artist studios, you will need plenty of time for exploring. In addition to the galleries downtown and Biltmore Village, head to the Folk Art Center and the River Arts District. See our Gallery Guide.
6. Antiques: The best area in Asheville to find antiques is the Biltmore Antiques District with 13 stores within a mile and a half of the Biltmore Estate. Included is the local long-time favorite, the Antique Tobacco Barn. See our Antique Shopping Guide.
7. Winter Hiking: For the best views of the year, take a winter hike. With leafless trees, cool temperatures, less crowds and frequent bright blue skies, it may become your favorite time of the year to hit the trail. See our hiking guide for our top picks. See a snowy hike on Roan Mountain. And don't forget to find some of our spectacular waterfalls. Most area ski resorts open by early December.
 8. Stay in Holiday Style: Stay in a home away from home, complete with the sights, sounds and smells of the holidays, at one of the elegant bed and breakfast inns. See our complete list of small B&Bs and large B&Bs in the area. Many of them have special holiday packages and specials. For a quiet retreat from the holiday madness, escape to a romantic cabin or cottage.
9. Pick your Christmas Tree: North Carolina is the number two state in the country for growing Christmas Trees! Go to a "choose and cut" Tree Farm to pick the perfect one for your home. Many farms offer hayrides and other holiday-related events. See our Asheville Christmas Tree Farms Guide.
10. Holiday Events: Catch one of the many holiday events in Asheville. Here are a few of our top picks:
November 14-January 3: Folk Art Houses, The NC Arboretum in Asheville hosts America’s largest collection of small folk art houses & structures. Read more.
Saturdays through January 2: Asheville Legendary Inns Gingerbread Tour. Starts at 5 p.m. each at the Asheville Visitor Center, where a trolley ferries participants to four Bed & Breakfast inns. Tickets are $30, includes Gray Line Trolley transportation.
November 20-December 6: The Hallelujah Girls, Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E. Walnut Street, Asheville, Performances Fridays and Saturdays: 7:30pm; Sundays: 2:30pm. Hilarity erupts when the feisty women of Eden Falls, Georgia, rebel against their everyday routines and inspire one another to reach for their dreams, with surprising and side-splitting results. A laugh out loud, joyful comedy written by Asheville Community Theatre's Playwrights-in-Residence, Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten, the same team which has brought us Dearly Beloved, Christmas Belles, Southern Hospitality and ‘Til Beth Do Us Part. Don't miss what is sure to be one of ACT's funniest performances of the season.
November 21: 63rd Annual Asheville Holiday Parade, Downtown, 11 AM. A fun and creative parade that kicks off Asheville's holiday season with marching bands, floats, dance & theater troupes, walking groups and Santa Claus himself. Street closings begin at 12 noon, with some streets closing at 1:30. All public parking lots and decks are open. The Parade will kickoff at Charlotte Street, go up Biltmore Avenue and then down Patton Avenue ending at French Broad Avenue. The parade theme is “Our Appalachian Holidays” and will be led by mountain music greats David Holt and Laura Boosinger as Grand Marshals. There will be lots of horses in this year's parade with a team of Clydesdales from Express Employment Services as well as an old-timey Christmas entry by the Asheville High Riders 4-H club.
November 27-December 20: It's a Wonderful Life by NC Stage Company. Already becoming an Asheville tradition, this new imagining of the uplifting story of George Bailey is the perfect antidote to today's commercialized and stress-fueled holiday season.
November 27-28: Hard Candy Christmas Fine Art & Craft Show in Cullowhee with more than 100 artisans will fill Western Carolina University's Ramsey Center arena
December 4-6: Historic Biltmore Village transforms into a quaint Victorian village on the first weekend of December for Dickens in the Village. Horse-drawn carriages will trot along decorated streets as carolers, storytellers and instrumentalists stroll the village in period costumes. Watch live excerpts from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol performed by the Montford Park Players while enjoying fresh roasted chestnuts.
December 4-6: Toe River Studio Tour, About an hour north of Asheville, tucked in the lush green mountains is one of the finest collections of artists and craftsmen in the world and the acclaimed Penland School of Crafts. A unique blend of contemporary and traditional cultures. More than 100 fine artists and crafts people in every medium open their studios for a free, self-guided cultural adventure.
 Dec. 4-5 and 11-12: Dillsboro Lights & Luminaries. Journey back to the days of yesteryear as Dillsboro presents its annual Festival of Lights and Luminaries. Experience the magic as the entire town is transformed into a winter wonderland of lights, candles, laughter and song! Shopkeepers provide live music and serve holiday treats with hot cider and cocoa.
December 5 & 12: Guild Artist Holiday Sale at the Folk Art Center: This popular event has expanded to two dates this year! The Guild Artist Holiday Sale provides an opportunity for individual members and the organization to sell over-runs, discontinued stock and studio seconds in a festive atmosphere during the holiday season. 10am-4pm.
December 10-13: The Nutcracker. A holiday tradition in Asheville for 35 years by the Asheville Ballet.
December 12: Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, Counting Crows, singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco and jam band Moe will perform at the Asheville Civic Center. Also on the show: Haynes' own band Gov't Mule, with guests Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, Jackie Greene, Kevn Kinney, DJ Logic, Audley Freed, Eric Krasno, Col. Bruce Hampton and Robert Kearns.
December 12-13: Ring in the Holidays! with the Asheville Choral Society at Central United Methodist Church in downtown Asheville. Thrill to both fresh and beloved songs of the season, a unique blend of choral harmonies with bells, brass, percussion, and organ!
December 19: Holiday Pops, Decking the Hall by the Asheville Symphony Chorus &
Asheville Symphony Children's Chorus.
December 20: A Swannanoa Solstice. A warm winter evening of traditional and contemporary Celtic and American holiday music and storytelling with multi-instrumentalists Al Petteway, Amy White, and Robin Bullock, plus storyteller Sheila Kay Adams with guitarist Jim Taylor, Cape Breton-style stepdancers The Twisty Cuffs, fiddler Alex Reidinger, highland bagpipers Steven Agan and E.J. Jones, and host Doug Orr. Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place. Two performances: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Winter Wonderland Hike on Roan Mountain
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