Not only is Biltmore visited by more than 400,000 people each year at Christmas, but it is also the exclusive filming location for The Hallmark Channel’s new holiday movie “A Biltmore Christmas!” Shooting began in January 2023 and takes place entirely on location at the iconic Estate. Biltmore has actually been a shooting location for other movies, but this is the first time the Estate plays itself in a movie.
Biltmore’s connection to Christmas has been a significant one since Christmas 1895 when George Vanderbilt finally welcomed family and friends into his newly finished 250-room French Renaissance chateau in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Read more about Biltmore’s fascinating history.
Since shooting for “A Biltmore Christmas” began in January 2023, Biltmore was already decked for the holidays from their 2022 Christmas at Biltmore season. However, the staff had to change out the decor to ensure all Christmas decorations matched that of traditional 1947 decor.
The movie will showcase the first floor of the house and feature the grand Banquet Hall, Winter Garden, and George Vanderbilt’s library, where he showed off his love for travel and books. The Conservatory and Gardens and The Inn will also be featured.
“A Biltmore Christmas” Movie Plot
Starring Bethany Joy Lenz and Kristoffer Polaha, the plot features a screenwriter named Lucy Collins (Lenz) who’s tasked with recreating the script of a classic holiday movie "His Merry Bride!," which was originally filmed in 1947 at the Biltmore House. She travels to Biltmore to research its history and location and finds herself transported back in time.
When will “A Biltmore Christmas” be released?
The film will be one of 40 holiday flicks featured during Hallmark’s 2023 “Countdown to Christmas.” Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas begins the last week in October and runs through January 1. So don’t miss the premiere of Biltmroe on screen!
Fun facts:
- Over 8,000 Asheville-area locals applied to be extras on the film- the most The Hallmark Channel ever had to apply for any set
- Biltmore remained open during the January filming by carefully
- 12-15 hour days for actors and extras
- The film was also shot at other undisclosed locations in Western NC, one of which was the train depot in Hendersonville.
- The film schedule lasted 15 days on the estate and included a week inside Biltmore House and the rest shot in the gardens, along the Estate’s exterior, and on the outskirts of the 8,000-acre property.
What movies have been filmed at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina?
- 2011: The Odd Life of Timothy Green
- 1998: Patch Adams
- 1996: My Fellow Americans
- 1994: Richie Rich
- 1994: Forrest Gump
- 1992:The Last of the Mohicans
- 1956: The Swan
See other movies that were filmed on location in Asheville and Western North Carolina here.