Gaylord Opryland Resort – Nashville, TN

As tag-along travelers, the kiddos are I were So So lucky to get to stay at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, TN. If my husband’s work conference hadn’t been here, we would never have splurged on a resort-style hotel accommodation like this. Because the resort was so massive and had so much to do in it, we divided our time in Nashville between resort activities (Day #2 – Tuesday, #5 Friday, and #6 Saturday) and city activities (Day #1 – Monday, #3 – Wednesday, and #4 – Thursday). This post will cover our resort experience.

We arrived Sunday evening just in time for dinner. The restaurant was one of the more casual available and was still way too fancy. We found the resort restaurants to be extremely expensive and with few options that my picky eaters were interested in. We took the free shuttle to The Cracker Barrel for meals whenever possible. In retrospect, I should’ve taken an Uber to grocery shop the first day we were there. I had high hopes of trying southern cuisine that never materialized… 🤷🏻‍♀️

The resort boasts expansive indoor gardens and a man-made river with waterfalls and a boat ride. We had unlimited boat rides on Day #2 (Tuesday) and went 3 times, until no one could handle hearing the “12 Days of Country Christmas” song again!

The resort was totally decked out with Christmas galore. Beautiful lights and trees and decorations were everywhere. The kiddos and I had fun completing the Rudolph themed scavenger hunt on Day #2 (Tuesday). We were wowed by the fountain/light shows, on Day #1 (Monday) we saw the secular Christmas music and water show, on Day #2 (Tuesday) we saw the religious Christmas music and water show. Both were really well done!

The outdoor grounds were fully spectacular and included a gorgeous giant life size nativity scene with audio of the Christmas story playing. On Day #4 (Thursday) the kiddos and I got to hear Dicken’s era carolers after the outdoor lights all turned on at exactly 5pm.

Day #5 (Friday) my husband wasn’t working so we splurged on tickets to the indoor water park, Soundwaves, and spent 5 hrs playing there. The outdoor section was closed but the indoor section had 5 water slides, 2 lazy rivers, a traverse wall, lily pad obstacle course, and a surf simulator.

Day #6 (Saturday) we had time for another splurge and got tickets to ICE featuring Rudolph and friends. All the statues in the photos below were hand carved in dyed ice. The entire exhibit was kept at 9 degrees Fahrenheit and all patrons were required to wear the blue parkas provided.

After ICE, we caught an Uber to the airport and headed home! We had a wonderful vacation at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and we are so grateful for the opportunity and experience. The kiddos and I are looking forward to the next time we can stow away on a work trip!

As always, thank you for following us on our adventures or stopping by for a visit!