Hello friends! Hope all is well! I’ve been really enjoying this holiday season this year with my family. I have both boys in school and I feel that I can finally think straight and be a better parent when they come home from school. Since both of them had the entire week off of Thanksgiving we decided to take a quick trip to Biltmore. And, it was just wonderful!

We stayed at the Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate. It was absolutely adorable!

The boys loved the room, can you tell?

After checking in, we went straight over to the estate. They offer a shuttle service that will drop you off right at the front door which is so nice!

This home is beautiful, inspiring and one of the best ways to take yourself back in time. I cannot even imagine what it would have been like to live here. For someone, such as myself who loves homes and history, this made me so happy!

After our tour we had lunch at The Stable Cafe, which is located right next to the estate. We ran into our friends, Ann Schwartz (who has painted several items for me), and her family. It was so fun!

After lunch, we did some shopping, the stores are lovely, then headed to do some activities. We visited the farm and were able to pet the animals. My youngest was on a mission to hold a chicken. He was finally successful!

Next, we moved on to the playground, which was a nice break for us to sit and let the boys continue burning energy.

Then, it was time for the best surprise, meeting Santa! He was an amazing santa. We had him all to ourselves which was really nice. The boys took photos and spent at least 5 minutes talking to him.

We had dinner at Cedrics Tavern, named after the Vanderbilt’s dog.

The next day was check out day. We started our morning with a delicious breakfast at A Village Social. The biscuits were amazing! The boys loved the grits and waffles.

After, we rented tandem bikes, rode the paths and toured the estate. We had such a blast and it was the easiest way for the boys to ride bikes the entire time without being overly tired. My husband and I definitely had one heck of a workout, but it was awesome!

We stopped to see the beautiful wooden boat and take a break.

We also stopped at the Inn on Biltomore Estate and wrote letters to santa.

Once we were finished, we loaded the car and had one more stop. We couldn’t leave without stopping at The Grove Park Inn.

We had our hot chocolate on the back porch over looking the mountains. We enjoyed the big fireplace and looking at the decor.

Going to the mountains was a great last minute idea! We had the most wonderful time with the boys and it put us all in the Christmas spirit. We are thinking that this will be an annual trip for our us. I encourage y’all to visit, especially during the holidays!

If you have any questions please leave comments I will try and answer them the best I can.

Wishing y’all a magical start to your holiday season!