It’s no secret that we love spending time at Gaylord Opryland and it’s also no secret that I am a huge fan of traditions, especially this time of year. That’s why we choose Gaylord Opryland as our Christmas staycation each year. I grew up going to Gaylord Opryland each Christmas for all the holiday festivities and it was important to me that my kids experience the same Christmas magic as I did at this amazing resort.
We love a good staycation and love spending the night at the resort. While I know not everyone has a chance to spend the night at Gaylord Opryland, you can still visit the resort during the day or evening and be put in the Christmas spirit just by visiting the attractions and walking through the magical 4 million lights they have on property. So, what do we recommend you see and do at Gaylord Opryland if you only have a short amount of time to visit?
Mission: Save Christmas featuring Elf
Each year there is a new theme at Gaylord Opryland. Usually ICE! is the main attraction for many, but with Covid they’ve had other attractions in its place – this year it’s Mission: Save Christmas featuring Elf. Everyone loves Buddy the Elf, and the all-new Christmas experience at the Gaylord Hotels is fun for the entire family! It’s everything you love about this movie in one interactive experience. We thought it was so great for all ages — yes, even the adults.
Travel through 8 iconic scenes completing a list of fun-filled challenging activities in order to bring enough Christmas cheer to power the Kringle 3000 and Santa’s sleigh. There are so many interactive experiences in this multi-sensory attraction. We recommend taking your time and experiencing it all. Our family LOVED all the photo opps they had, too.
Ice Skating and Tubing:
We always love the tubing and ice skating at Gaylord Opryland and suggest it for both those spending the night as well as those who are just at the resort for a short period of time. We love that if you come early enough in the day, you can skate and tube all day long. It’s a come and go thing and makes for a great all day activity. We experienced zero lines and the kids (and adults) could just walk right up to tube and skate.
You can bundle the different activities to save money. Click HERE to check out all the bundle options here.
Other activities worth checking out if you’re only at the hotel for a short time:
Gingerbread Decorating Corner & Bakery – This fun and sticky experience is a Christmas tradition for so many and we love doing our annual gingerbread house and cookie decorating each year at Gaylord Opryland. It’s always fun to see what creations they come up with and is always a chore to remind the kids (even the almost 16 year old) to not eat the candy, but instead use it for decorating.
Delta Riverboat – It’s an amazing way to see the Delta atrium and is especially pretty at night with all the lights lit up. It’s an inside activity so if you need a break from the chilly temps outside, you can come in and take a ride around the hotel.
Walking around the resort looking at all the lights – I’m telling you, there’s nothing quite like the lights at Gaylord Opryland this time of year. So many lights – like 3 million lights and I’m not exaggerating. The Magnolia Lawn has an amazing display of the nativity and is beautiful at night when it’s all lit up.
The Christmas Fountain Show – Located in the Delta atrium, watch the breathtaking synchronized show of lights, water, and Christmas music. Best part? It’s FREE and everyone in the family will enjoy it.
Live Music – Everywhere you turn you’ll find live music – both Christmas and country music. Two of our favorites.
As always, we love helping others plan their trip to Gaylord Opryland, so if you have any questions about planning or what to do at the resort, please let us know and we would love to help! Also, check out all our Christmas at Gaylord Opryland stories & posts over on Instagram under the “Opryland” highlight.
Merry Christmas!
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