A Look Inside the Gaylord Opryland Grand Re-Opening

by Sami

This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission when you make a purchase at NO additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our site in this way!

sami-rick-gaylord-reopening

Ricky & I at the Grand Re-Opening Celebration

While the Gaylord Opryland Resort officially opened on November 15th, Ricky & I got to be part of the Grand Re-Opening Celebration November 18-21.

It’s been reported that the hotel spend somewhere between $5-7 million on the weekend’s festivities designed to win over conference and event planners, so I was thrilled beyond words to be the only “mommy blogger” invited to take part.

Read my quote in The Tennessean about what Opryland means to families

Yes, we ate amazing food. Yes, they treated us to star-studded private concerts. Yes, we experienced all the holiday splendor Opryland has to offer.

But more than that, we were frequently moved to tears throughout the weekend because of what the Re-Opening of Opryland means to so many of us, especially here in Nashville. Beyond the jobs being replaced and the economy restored, Opryland and its Stars (employees) embody a spirit of pride, determination and values that is second to none. From the VP all the way down to the room attendants, we personally benefited and grew from the experience they created for EVERYONE on property (not just the VIPs).

What we love about Opryland is that whether you stay overnight in their luxury accommodations or go visit the 2 million lights for free with your family, they are committed to helping your family make memories that will last for a lifetime.

I know you all want to see a glimpse of the inside, so let me share just a piece of the beauty that is the newly renovated Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Resort:

Opryland General Manager, Pete Weien, gave members of the media a walking tour through the hotel and shared his first-hand flood experience with us. You’ll also notice the set-up for the Grand Re-Opening celebration behind him in the picture below.

Pete-Weien-opryland

General Manager, Pete Weien, overlooking the new Delta Atrium

The resort also added a new Mexican restaurant (Solario), moved the Jack Daniels Bar to “The District” area of the hotel (due to noise complaints from guests) and created the Conservatory Bar & Ravello in its place. If you saw any of the media coverage during the flood, you’ll recall these areas were under 10 feet of water:

Ravello-Opryland

The new Ravello outer dining area

One of our favorite new features in the hotel: interactive maps that not only help you know where you are, but will print directions to tell you how to get where you’re going! You can also use the touch screen to check weather, attractions and so much more.

Pete-Weien-interactive-directory

Pete Weien in front of the new Opryland interactive directory

A rare photo of me and my husband together, in front of the gorgeous poinsettia tree inside the Magnolia lobby

Pointsettia-tree-opryland

A quintessential Opryland photo

We got to experience some great food while staying at Opryland. One of our favorite experiences was at Cascades, where my husband enjoyed a traditional American lunch (including their famous Crab Bisque) and I enjoyed some yummy Japanese food from Wasabi’s:

Opryland-restaurant

Sushi, Tempura & Edamame from Wasabi's

The Grand Re-Opening Ceremony was a cross between Cirque du Soleil and the Olympics, all performed right in the center of the Delta Atrium:

Gaylor-grand-re-opening-celebration

The Finale of the Grand Re-Opening Celebration

We even ran into Nashville Mayor Karl Dean on our way to the Keith Urban concert! Ricky has actually been mistaken for him here (well, we were in Cracker Barrel after all), but I don’t see the resemblance. What about you?

Nashville-Mayor-Karl-Dean

Separated at Birth?

I may be one of the only women in the world who is not a fan of Keith Urban, but after seeing him perform live, I must say he puts on an amazing show. He has a big heart and plays a mean guitar. Plus I appreciate that he circled the crowd while still playing and singing – Nashville loves you, Keith:

Keith-Urban-concert

Keith Urban wows the crowd at Opryland

guy-fieri-live

Guy Fieri cooks live (& entertains)

Guy Fieri even came in to cook for us on Saturday. He made great food, kept us laughing, and even brought me up on stage to play a version of “Minute to Win it” (again, I know, shocking to all of you that I got on stage in front of all these people 😉

cascades-atrium-lights

The lights in the Cascades Atrium from our balcony

There’s so much more I could share with you, but I’ll have to post more pictures later of some of the other fun things we did.

Make sure you don’t miss my video of Santa arriving to the Opryland Lighting Ceremony too!

You may also like

1 comment

General Jackson Showboat Review - Country Christmas on the Cumberland | Sami Cone December 20, 2010 - 10:00 pm

[…] from him whenever he reminisces about his experience. Then when we had the privilege to attend the Grand Re-Opening of Opryland Resort in November, we got a sample performance from the GJ’s performers during the lighting […]

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Privacy & Cookies Policy