Festive Things to Do in Asheville at Christmas with Kids
Are you heading to Asheville during the holiday season? Keep reading for fun and festive tips for making the most of your family getaway to this magical mountain town.
For the past few years in late fall or early winter, my parents and I have made it a habit to take a trip together. We bring whichever of my kids are not yet in school, and explore a new destination.
One year we visited Sun Valley, Idaho in late fall, and we fell in love with the shimmering gold foliage, the majestic Sawtooth Mountains, the cozy lodges, and the charming shops.
Last year we celebrated Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Though we almost got rained out by a tropical storm, we still enjoyed the magical feeling of walking down Main Street USA with the holiday decorations and the festive parades and shows.
This year we made it our mission to find the holiday spirit in Asheville, North Carolina. I enjoyed the mild weather and the picturesque backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and we all felt like it was the perfect place to get in the spirit of the Christmas season.
This cozy mountain town in western North Carolina has so many fun Christmas activities for families!
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Festive Things to do in Asheville, NC for Christmas
Asheville is one of the best places to get in the Christmas spirit with the best Christmas events and amazing holiday traditions, unique gift shops, incredible breweries and restaurants, plus super unique accommodations. These are my top picks for things to do with kids at Christmas time in Asheville.
Biltmore Estate
The first thing that comes to mind when planning a trip to Asheville is the Biltmore Estate. America's Largest Home was built in the 1890s by George Washington Vanderbilt, a member of one of the wealthiest families in the United States.
Nowadays the estate is open to the public as a National Historic Landmark. Guests can tour the home year-round, but it's especially beautiful around the holidays with the Christmas lights and Christmas trees brightening every room.
We visited in early December and purchased the House and 2-Day Grounds ticket with the audio guide. Be prepared for increased prices during the holiday season as the attraction is in high demand! Tickets start at $110 per person from November 3 - January 7 (you can find your tickets here), so plan to spend the entire day at the Biltmore to get your money's worth!
I was skeptical about the Biltmore and wondered if the steep prices were really worthwhile, but I ended up enchanted with the property and was glad we splurged on the tickets.
Tour the Biltmore House during the day, or spend extra for the Candlelight Tour to see the home in the soft glow of candlelight and Christmas lights.
The Biltmore Estate was one of the best things we did on our trip to Asheville at Christmas, and I would highly recommend it for families!
Antler Hill Village
Antler Hill Village is actually part of the Biltmore Estate, but if you don't want to splurge on the house tour, you can pay for tickets (starting at $80) to just have access to the grounds.
Antler Hill Village has restaurants, a winery, a playground, shops, a farmyard, and an outdoor adventure center, so you can easily spend a few hours here. During the Christmas season, you can enjoy the Antler Hill Village Illumination where the trees, buildings, and pathways are decked out in lights.
Another holiday highlight is a visit from Santa Claus at the Bandstand in Antler Hill Village. The line to meet him was never long while we were there, so make sure your kids have their Christmas lists ready!
Next, you can get your holiday shopping done at one of the many shops around the Village or take advantage of the wine tasting included in your ticket. Each guest gets to sample 5 wines, and kids are welcome to come and sip on some grape juice.
There are a few activities that aren't specifically holiday-themed, but that the kids will definitely enjoy:
- playing at Pisgah Playground
- do some hands-on activities at Antler Hill Barn
- brush some goats and see some farm animals at Antler Hill Farmyard
There's something for the whole family to enjoy at Antler Hill Village!
Downtown Asheville
If you're looking for free things to do in Asheville at Christmas, take a stroll through downtown Asheville!
See the Winter Wonderland display at the Grove Arcade (a shopping and dining center), or just wander down the sidewalks of the downtown area and take in the decor and general festive feeling!
We loved stopping at Mast General Store because it was overflowing with holiday cheer! Plus we got some great souvenirs there.
You can also check Asheville's website to see if any special events are going on for the holidays!
National Gingerbread Competition at Omni Grove Park Inn
The Omni Grove Park Inn is one of the most iconic hotels in Asheville, but even if you choose to stay somewhere else, I would still highly recommend spending a few hours visiting!
Each holiday season the Omni hosts the National Gingerbread House Competition, and you don't have to be a hotel guest to check out the displays! The gingerbread houses must be handcrafted and made of at least 75% gingerbread and must be 100% edible. There are 4 different categories of competition: Adult, Teen, Youth, and Child.
The top 10 houses in each category are displayed all around the Omni Grove Park Inn, with the winning gingerbread house in the adult category on display by itself near the coffee shop on the lobby floor.
This was one of our favorite holiday events when visiting Asheville, and I loved that it was just as exciting for my 3-year-old to experience as it was for my parents and me! A truly perfect Christmas activity for the entire family.
If you're not staying at the resort you can visit after 4 p.m. on Sundays, or anytime Monday through Thursday excluding the following dates: December 23, 24, 25, 30, 31, and January 1.
If you visit in the morning like we did, I would suggest arriving fairly early because it gets more and more crowded the later it gets. We viewed the Gingerbread Houses before grabbing a coffee and heading out to the back patio to enjoy the sunshine and the views. If you visit in the evening you could order a holiday cocktail and do the same!
The lobby of the hotel itself is also a wonderland with roaring fireplaces, a life-size gingerbread house, and holiday lights and decor everywhere!
Winter Lights at North Carolina Arboretum
From mid-November until the end of December, you can experience Winter Lights at NC Arboretum. This open-air walk-through light show features millions of lights and a 50-foot Christmas tree. Tickets are priced per vehicle.
There is live music for entertainment, plus hot cocoa and other treats are available for purchase to enjoy along with the light displays.
Visit the Small Towns around Asheville
This isn't specifically a Christmas activity, but it still feels festive to visit some of the smaller mountain towns around Asheville. Seeing how the smaller towns display their holiday decor will get you in a cozy mood thanks to the Hallmark movie small-town vibes.
We loved finding local shops and toy stores to get some Christmas shopping done since we love supporting local businesses and local artists!
Many of these towns are just a short drive from Asheville. A few towns that fit the bill are Black Mountain, Hendersonville, Bryson City, and Brevard.
Holly Jolly Christmas Trolley
The Holly Jolly Christmas Trolley Tour through the Craggy Mountain Line is a 75-minute excursion through downtown Asheville, Biltmore Village, and the Montford and Grove Park neighborhoods. This is a family-friendly activity where you can listen to stories about local legends as well as Christmas Carols, all while sipping on hot chocolate!
This is a great way to see the sights of Asheville in a festive way from the comfort of a heated trolley. Tickets start at $16 for kids ages 5-11, and $31 for adults. Kids under 5 are free if they sit on your lap. You can buy tickets in advance here.
Take a Winter Hike or Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway
Getting out in the fresh air is a great way to celebrate the season, especially when the views are this beautiful!
The Blue Ridge Parkway is open year-round, so hop in your rental car and take in the views from the many overlooks and trails along the route.
We drove south from Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway and we even made a detour through Pisgah National Forest before stopping in Brevard.
There are so many kid-friendly hiking trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway to enjoy, so pack some hiking boots and warm jackets (although the weather was fairly warm during our visit), and see a waterfall or a scenic overlook.
Ride the Polar Express
Hop on the Polar Express train ride at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad that departs out of Bryson City. Enjoy hot cocoa and cookies en route to the North Pole where Santa will board the Polar Express and give each child a gift.
The train ride is just under an hour and a half, and it's highly recommended to book in advance, as spots fill up quickly for this popular activity!
Bring your Christmas jammies to really get into the Polar Express spirit!
Stay in a Mountain Tree House
We spent one night in a magical tree house just outside of Asheville, and it was the icing on the cake (Christmas cookie?) to finish our Asheville Christmas trip.
We booked through Earth and Sky Dwellings and chose the Sanctuary tree house which sleeps 4 guests.
The cozy cottage was decorated for Christmas, and we loved waking up to mountain views from our perch in the sky.
The treehouse has a kitchen and indoor plumbing, plus heat and air conditioning. The kitchen is stocked with coffee and creamer, plus a few snacks and water bottles. I would definitely stock up on some breakfast foods at the Ingles grocery store before you head up the mountain so you can relax and enjoy your morning at the tree house.
All in all, I felt like this was one of the most unique activities we did in Asheville. While you can certainly book the treehouse year-round, the Christmas tree and decor inside the house and the chilly mountain air made it feel especially festive.
Get Coffee at the Coffee Bus
You can actually do this any time of year, but the Coffee Bus feels especially festive around Christmas time.
The Coffee Bus is called Double D’s Coffee & Desserts, and it’s a double decker bus turned coffee bar stationed in the middle of downtown Asheville.
Picture waking up to crisp mountain air and sunshine warming your face. You walk up to a bright red double decker bus and order a creme brûlée latte. You wrap your hands around your festive drink to warm your fingers. I can think of nothing more idyllic to do on a December morning in Asheville!
There’s a small garden area where kids can play, and my parents and I got to sip our drinks and chat while my daughter made an imaginary shop where she sold pretty stones to her customers.
There are plenty of treats and hot chocolate options for kids, and they even offered to lower the temperature of the hot chocolate for my daughter so it wouldn’t burn her tongue and she could enjoy it right away.
Just be aware this adorable coffee shop doesn’t open until 10, so plan accordingly. Oh, and it’s cash only!
Tips for Visiting Asheville at Christmas Time
Most of the activities listed here are very popular, and growing in popularity each year. Be sure to book things as far in advance as possible so you don't miss out on the holiday fun!
Pick a few main Christmas activities. There's no need to fit everything in, so choose a few that you know your family will love and plan your itinerary around those. We like to plan one big outing per day, and we always try to build some downtime in our itinerary to keep the kids happy.
Book a car with 4-wheel drive. We didn't, and everything turned out fine since the weather was in the 50s and 60s during our visit. But if it had been cold and snowy we wouldn't have been able to do things like driving the Blue Ridge Parkway or driving up to the treehouse. Better safe than sorry!
Pack layers. As I mentioned in the previous point, the weather could go either way in Asheville at Christmas time. You'll likely have mild weather with the mornings and evenings being a bit cold, while the afternoons are pleasant with a slight chill in the air. We packed light winter jackets, and though we didn't end up needing them, I was glad to have them just in case.
Pack comfortable shoes. There's a lot of walking involved with most of the activities listed here, so cute tennis shoes or Chelsea boots are going to be your best options. I loved these black Chelsea boots I purchased right before our trip!
Where to Stay in Asheville
Splurge
The Omni Grove Park Inn is a stunning property with one of the coolest spas in United States. Plus you would have the Gingerbread Competition and cozy fireplaces right in your lobby. And the views are incredible.
The Village Hotel at the Biltmore is the most moderately priced option for staying on-property at the Biltmore Estate, while the Inn on Biltmore Estate is more of a luxury experience.
Moderate
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Downtown Asheville which was perfect for our group! Since I was traveling with my parents I was looking for a 1- or 2-bedroom suite, and the Holiday Inn offered that for a reasonable price, plus it included a free breakfast which is a win when you're traveling with kids.
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Emily Krause is a Wisconsin-based travel content creator who writes about exploring the world with kids.
On A Mom Explores you’ll find the best family travel destinations, Disney World tips, and how to make travel with babies and toddlers a little easier.
Emily believes that exploring starts in our own backyards, and adventure can happen anywhere with the right mindset.
