One of our favorite places to visit this time of year is the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. Opened in 1913, the resort was a summer getaway for Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and Henry Ford, and with its awe-inspiring views it’s not hard to understand why. Today, it still has those views and adds completely updated amenities. For the holidays, the hotel pulls out all the stops. The lobby is decorated with a huge Christmas tree, lights, and a hut that serves hot chocolate and cookies to enjoy in front of the 14-foot wide fireplaces. The main holiday attraction is the Annual National Gingerbread Competition. The competition has been held at the Omni Grove Park Inn for nearly 30 years!
The National Gingerbread Competition
Contestants travel from all over the country to compete for the more than $25,000 in prizes. All entries must be built entirely from edible materials and made of at least 75 percent gingerbread. They are evaluated by a panel of celebrity judges based on their overall appearance, originality/creativity, difficulty, precision and consistency of theme. This year there were 226 entries in four age categories: adult, teen, youth, and child. The houses are on view until January 4, 2020.
These are no cookie cutter gingerbread houses! From the whimsical to the elaborate, be prepared to be amazed at the attention to detail and imagination of these bakers. We’ve seen the competition multiple times and easily spent hours walking through the displays.
The Hotel
The gorgeous Arts & Crafts style building looks out over the Blue Ridge Mountains. Choose from a historic room in the Main Building or a larger more modern room in the Sammons and Vanderbilt wings. Play a round on the Donald Ross-designed golf course or relax in the 43,000 square-foot subterranean spa. There are multiple onsite options for dining— one of our favorites is Edison for casual Southern comfort food. After dinner, we like to go to Elaine’s Dueling Piano Bar for fun entertainment.
Other Asheville Holiday Attractions
Winter Lights at the North Carolina Arboretum features 500,000 LED lights throughout the manicured grounds. There’s a 50-foot animated tree and a lighted Quilt Garden.
Christmas at Biltmore– take a tour of America’s largest home when it’s decorated with 1,000 poinsettias and over 7,500 feet of evergreen garland.
Bonus: For a delicious, laid back breakfast head to Biscuit Head for some of the best biscuits we’ve ever had. Make sure to try a few of their house-made jams and jellies.
Omni Grove Park Inn
290 Macon Avenue
Asheville, NC 28804
