 1. Christmas at Biltmore Estate: Our biggest holiday event is Christmas at Biltmore. Starting on November 7, America's largest home is decked out in festive finery. Candlelight Evenings are especially magical. New for 2008 is a majestic forest sparkling with thousands of lights and an enormous evergreen tree on the front lawn of the Biltmore House.
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. During December, enjoy fireworks on three Saturday nights (Dec. 6, 13, 20) at 7:00 PM. 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.
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 19-January 11. Guests at the resort can view the display at anytime. If you're not a guest, visit on 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. And don't forget to find some of our spectacular waterfalls.
 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.
9. Cabin Fever: For a quiet retreat from the holiday madness, escape to a romantic cabin or cottage.
10. Holiday Events: Catch one of the many holiday events in Asheville. Here are a few of our top picks:
November 14-30: Nuncrackers, a Nunsense musical by Dan Goggin, Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E. Walnut Street, Asheville, performances Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 pm and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 pm.
November 22: 62nd Annual Asheville Holiday Parade, Downtown, 11 AM. A fun and creative parade that has kicked off Asheville's holiday season for 61 years 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. This year's Parade will feature new, locally-crafted giant puppets created by Red Herring Puppets and members of the Asheville Puppetry Alliance. After the Parade, check your folding chairs at a "Chair Corral" and follow the map in the Parade Program to enjoy the beautiful displays of businesses entered in the Holiday Windows program. As you walk through town, you will notice many stores and restaurants with Candy Cane Heart posters in their windows. All of these businesses (also listed in your Parade Program) will be giving a gift to patrons on Parade Day so stop in, have a bite to eat, start your holiday shopping early and you'll receive a little gift to start the season of giving!
Saturdays, November 29-December 20: Holiday Market, celebrating harvest and the holidays with mountain crafts and treats at Asheville City Market. The harvest fair is happening now and the holiday bash begins on November 29. The festivities include mountain crafts, community artisans, Christmas trees, wreaths, breads, pies, cookies, and cakes. 10 AM-4 PM. The Asheville City Market is located at the Public Works Building, 161 S. Charlotte St., on the edge of downtown.
November 30-December 21: Holidays with the Guild at the Folk Art Center: On Sundays during the holiday season, the Folk Art Center hosts free musical performances. On Dec. 7 and 21 from 1pm to 4pm the Southern Highland Craft Guild offers free demonstrations and hands-on projects for children on how to make holiday presents and decorations.
December 4-5: 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.
December 5-7: 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 5-6 & 12-13: The town of Dillsboro celebrates a quarter century of holiday fun with the 25th annual Festival of Lights & Luminaries the first two Fridays and Saturdays in December. Each evening at dusk, town merchants line the streets with 2,500 candles in white bags and invite folks to stroll the sidewalks of this walkabout village of shops, studios, restaurants and inns. Shopkeepers provide live music and serve holiday treats with hot cider and cocoa, while Santa visits with children at Town Hall.
December 6: Bargain shoppers receive the ultimate gift at the annual Southern Highland Craft Guild's Holiday Seconds Sale held at the Folk Art Center. Just before the gift-giving season, Appalachian crafters from across the region place overrun, discontinued stock and studio seconds on sale for one day of festive holiday savings. Get up to 50% off pottery, jewelry, woodwork, glass art, furniture and more from some the region's finest artisans.
December 6-7: 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.
December 10-11: Hometown Holiday Jam VIII benefitting The Salvation Army and Manna Food Bank featuring: Marc Keller Band; Mac Arnold and Plate Full 'O Blues; Sons of Ralph with Will Ray of the Hellicasters; Mindshapefist; The Campaign 1984; Lee Whitaker Band; Aaron LaFalce; The Hooligans. Plus Special Guests: Mike Barnes; Johnny Blackwell; Bobby Sullivan; Jack & Jim Mascari; Jim Black; Bill Bowden. AND.....Surprise Special Guests! At the Orange Peel downtown.
December 10-13: The Santaland Diaries is on the Mainstage at Asheville Community Theatre.
This is a true and humorous account of David Sedaris' stint working as an elf in "SantaLand" at Macy's department store.
December 10-14: The Nutcracker. A holiday tradition in Asheville for 35 years by the Asheville Ballet.
December 12-13: The Christmas Jam at the Asheville Civic Center features a long list of headliners. Proceeds will be donated to Habitat For Humanity. The Christmas Jam By Day features daytime concerts featuring many of the headline performers as well as some of the best and hottest new bands in the country, an art show, and movie screenings, we will have the first Christmas Jam Comedy Show.
December 13-14: Magnificent Christmas with the Asheville Choral Society at Central United Methodist Church in downtown Asheville. Performed with an orchestra.
December 20: Holiday Pops, Decking the Hall by the Asheville Symphony Chorus &
Asheville Symphony Children's Chorus.
December 21: 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.
December 22-January 25: The Asheville Civic Center offers public ice-skating sessions. They are still working out exact dates and times for the 75-minute public-skating sessions, which will cost $5. Skate rental will cost $1.50.
December 24, 26 and 27: Bring your Jolly Old Self aboard the LaZoom Bus for their perfectly seasoned Holiday Comedy Tour. Come along on a hysterical tour of Asheville complete with a costumed tour guide, Live music with the Pond Brothers of Snake Oil Medicine Show and a medley of surprises all along the way. Get all the facts with all the fun! $22 per ticket. Tours leave from downtown Asheville. Beer and wine allowed on board for passengers 21 years and up.
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