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Today Gaylord Opryland and Dollywood announced that they will collaborate to open a new Nashville theme park. Dolly Parton herself took the stage (on her birthday!) at the Grand Ole Opry this afternoon alongside Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, and Gaylord Entertainment Chairman & CEO Colin V. Reed to share the news with a large and excited group of onlooking dignitaries and members of the press.
This 50-50 joint venture will develop a 114 acre family entertainment zone adjacent to the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. The attraction will boast both a water and snow park, the first of its kind in the country.
They will break ground on the theme park in 2013 and are expected to open the summer of 2014.
For those of you in Nashville who have lived here long enough to remember Opryland USA (like my husband), this news is both exciting and long-awaited. They have not come up with a name yet and Dolly wouldn’t even joke about it 😉
I was able to snag some great shots of the event that I wanted to share with you all. We also took pictures with Dolly herself after the event, so once they’re mailed to us, you know I’ll be sharing those with you as well! (I do have to say, not only is she ADORABLE, but even funnier than you could ever imagine! She is a genuine entertainer – a rarity these days).
