A Night at the Opryland Hotel – Dec 2023

Hey Guys!

My husband and I recently booked a weekend trip to NYC to meet up with my sister and her husband.

We had everything booked…airfare, the hotel, tickets to see the Lion King, Statue of Liberty and more!

However, we ended up cancelling our trip just 20 mins before we were supposed to board the plane because they were calling for bad weather all weekend in New York.

I’m talking 1-2 inches of rain and gale force winds!

I don’ know about you, but I’m not interested in feeling like a drowned rat when I’m on vacation!

We had even received an email from the airlines saying our flights could be affected by severe weather so, that was a sign that we shouldn’t go!

I had already dealt with cancelled flights earlier in the year and had to rent a car and drive home from Buffalo, NY ….so, I wasn’t interested in taking a chance of having that happen again!

It was a tough decision to make but one we felt was best because we didn’t want to spend that kind of money on a trip and end up sitting in a hotel room all weekend!

Thankfully, I had booked our airfare with points so we didn’t lose any money but sadly, I wasn’t able to sell our Lion King tickets!

Since, my hubby and I were celebrating our 35 year anniversary that same weekend, we decided to book a room at the Opryland Hotel.

We had never stayed at the Opryland Hotel but we had been there a few times during Christmas to see their beautiful Christmas decorations.

We booked a room for a Sunday since we both had already taken off work on Mon for our New York trip.

When I booked the room online, I requested an early check in at 2 pm. The normal check in time is 4 pm.

So, we arrived to the hotel a little before 2 pm.

You have the option to valet park or to self park. If you valet park, you will pay approx. $52 plus tip and if you self park, you will pay $38.

Read here for everything you need to know when staying here

Since it was our anniversary, we decided to splurge on parking so we used the valet.

After giving the valet the keys to our car, we headed inside the hotel to check in.

The hotel was fully staffed so there was no wait to check in.

The process was very quick and our 2 pm check in time was honored!

Believe me when I say, request an early check in…you will want to spend as much time as possible at this hotel!

However, you can also arrive early and leave your luggage at the front desk until your check in time.

Tip: You can download the Marriott Bonvoy Mobile App and check in on the app and be able to access your room with the Mobile Key.

After getting checked in, we headed to our room.

We had booked a room with an atrium view. I highly recommended if you stay here that you book a room with a balcony!

Our room had one king bed, a huge bathroom, a chair & ottoman and a balcony overlooking the atrium!

The views were incredible!

Tip: You can even purchase the same sheets, comforters, pillows, etc that the hotel uses in their rooms

The only thing I would have changed is having a room on a higher floor because our room was on the 2nd floor and the balcony was right over a sidewalk so we could see people walking below our balcony.

A selfie on the balcony!

After getting settled into our room, we decided to go check out the beautiful hotel and Christmas decorations!

This hotel is truly one of a kind!

Our room was in the Cascades area of the hotel.

See a map of the hotel here

Tip: You can visit this hotel without being a guest…just park at the Oprymills shopping center near the Regal Cinema and walk over to the hotel.

The Opryland Hotel has nine acres of indoor gardens complete with multiple waterfalls, restaurants, an indoor boat ride, dancing fountains, and lots more!

You could spend a week here and have plenty to keep you busy!

Tip: Click here to see all of the activities the hotel offers

The gardens are incredible and you will not find anything like this at any other hotel!

During the Christmas season, the hotel puts up over 5 million lights!!

And tons of Christmas decorations!

Be prepared to walk…A LOT!

This hotel has over 3.3 million square feet of total space; 2,888 guest rooms; six ballrooms with the largest event space having a capacity for 10,000; 106 conference and break-out rooms; and a 260,000 square foot exhibit hall!

So, put on those comfy shoes and check it out!

Tip: You can download the hotel’s app and it will give you step by step directions on how to navigate the hotel as well as the ability to make reservations at the hotel’s restaurants, purchase tickets for events & more!

The Cascades area alone is 2 acres that offer lush gardens with water features and more!

It was crowded but never felt crowded because it’s so big!

We took our time checking out every part of the hotel.

The decorations and lights were so beautiful!

We loved this gorgeous water feature right in the center of the Cascades area!

There are restaurants scattered all throughout the hotel.

This one is called the Cascades American Cafe.

Just look at this place!!

It’s hard to believe you’re inside a hotel!

As we continued our walk, we entered the Delta Island Shops where a few of the shops, fast food restaurants, and market is located.

After passing through the shops, we entered the Delta area.

The Delta area encompasses 4.1 acres and a one-third-mile river equipped with six 20-person boats. A 15-story glass dome soars above full-grown trees, flowers, and other foliage.

You will find restaurants located in each section of the hotel.

A few shots of this area….so incredible!!

Purchase tickets here for each of the activities offered at the hotel

One of the many beautiful Christmas trees inside the hotel!

Of course, we couldn’t pass up having our picture taken in front of it!

Walking around the Delta area

This area is so cool!

You can get a room overlooking this area as well as each area of the hotel!

You will also find the dancing fountains here.

A few times each night, the hotel puts on a choreographed fountain show featuring lights and music.

As we continued our walk through the Delta atrium, we spotted another beautiful Christmas tree!

This one was made up of poinsettias.

One of the restaurants in this area is called Old Hickory Steakhouse.

We tried making reservations here for our anniversary but the earliest reservation they had available was 7:45 pm and I can’t wait that long to eat dinner!

This is the nicest restaurant in the Opryland Hotel.

After walking around for a while, we headed into the market store to purchase some bottled water.

The store also has a Starbucks located inside as well as lots of snacks and drinks.

After purchasing our water, we continued our walk through the hotel.

We headed to the Garden Conservatory where you will find water features, the crystal gazebo, restaurants, shops and more.

The Christmas decorations in this area were so cool!

They had huge guitars and musical notes hanging from the ceiling!

A shot of our balcony…the one with the tree in front of it!

Walking through the gardens

After walking around for a few hours, we headed back to our room to get ready for dinner.

Sitting on the balcony relaxing before dinner.

After getting dressed, we headed out to dinner.

We decided to eat at the Jack Daniel’s restaurant inside the hotel.

We showed up around 5 and were seated right away.

After being seated and looking over the menu, we both decided to order the NY strip steak.

But first, we started off with a half order of the Jack’s honey rolls.

So good!

Then our steaks came out and they were delicious!

Mine came with mashed potatoes and Brussel sprouts and my hubby opted for the mac and cheese since he doesn’t like Brussel sprouts.

After dinner, we walked outside to check out the beautiful lights.

As soon as we exited the hotel, there were Christmas carolers singing!

The hotel is so magical during this time of year!

The lights on the outside are not to be missed!

Every inch of the trees is wrapped in lights!

We headed to see the life size nativity scene which is one of my favorite displays!

You can stand and listen to the story of Jesus’s birth…it’s such an awesome display!

The hotel also offers horse carriage rides.

We had thought about buying tickets but the ride only lasts 12 mins and costs $90 before tip!

As we were walking around, we had a couple that offered to take our picture so, of course we took them up on their offer!

We don’t get many “couple” pictures so, we take advantage when people offer.

They had these cool fire pits outside so you could stay warm while you waited for your carriage ride!

After walking around the outside for a while, we headed back inside to check out the lights.

Since it was now dark, we knew it would be even prettier than during the day!

And, we were right!

It was so beautiful!

We decided to take a ride on the riverboat.

The cost was $22 pp.

Purchase your tickets here

The line wasn’t too long so we didn’t have to wait very long.

The boats hold approx. 20 people.

You are taken on a 1/4 mile journey while the 12 days at Opryland are playing on the boat.

You pass lots of beautiful Christmas decorations along the way!

We went under the dome that was draped in lights…the lights would change colors every few seconds.

The boat ride was so cool….we really enjoyed it!

After our boat ride, we were ready for dessert!

So, we headed to a little store called Bravo Gelato that offered all kinds of baked goods, ice cream and more!

We both decided on a slice of the brownie cheesecake.

It was so good!

After dessert, we continued our walk through the hotel checking out all of the lights, decorations, gardens, fountains and more!

We had another couple walk up to us and offer to take our picture!

In the lobby of the hotel, they had a beautiful glass sculptor on display.

As we continued our walk, we spotted this cool looking Christmas tree made from round, lighted balls….it cast a beautiful reflection in the water.

The hotel was full of gorgeous flowers!

After walking around for a while, we decided to head back to our room and relax on the balcony before calling it a night!

The next morning, we enjoyed our coffee on the balcony.

Later, we decided to order room service.

You had to scan a QR code on a card that was in the room in order to see the breakfast menu.

We both decided on the pancakes with a side of bacon.

It only took 10-15 mins for our food to arrive.

The pancakes were really good!

After breakfast, we decided to walk around the hotel before having to check out.

I was truly mesmerized by the beauty of this hotel!

The gardens were so incredible!

We saw several families headed to the Soundwaves water park inside the hotel.

Soundwaves is the newest addition to the hotel.

It’s a unique indoor water park for hotel guests that offers energetic rides, winding wave pools, immersive music and more…. but it costs extra even if you’re a guest at the hotel!

Tip: If you’re a TN resident, you get a discount on a one night stay with access to the Soundwaves pool!

We took so many pictures of the inside of the hotel! It was hard not to!

We decided to stop at Starbucks and grab a coffee!

As we were walking around, we saw signs for the ICE display so we decided to purchase tickets.

The earliest we could get in was 12:15.

So, after purchasing our tickets online, we headed back to the room to grab our luggage and checkout.

Tip: You can checkout 3 ways: on the hotel’s app, on the TV in the room or at the front desk

After getting back to our room, we took a few pics on the balcony before leaving.

We then grabbed our luggage and headed to the lobby to drop off our luggage at the luggage stand.

The hotel will hold your luggage for as long as you want to enjoy the hotel.

After dropping off our luggage, we continued our walk around the hotel until it was time for our tour of ICE.

We found a little spot behind a waterfall and sat and relaxed for a while.

After sitting for a while, we started our walk towards the ICE exhibit which was outside of the hotel in a separate building.

We made a few stops along the way to take pictures.

A little while later, we made it to the building where the ICE exhibit was located.

As you enter the building, the first thing you will see is a gift shop.

So, you can browse until it’s time for you to enter the exhibit.

They also had hot chocolate that you could purchase.

Tip: You need to dress very warm for this exhibit…they keep it 9 degrees inside so the ice won’t melt!

Once it’s your time to enter, you will go to the entrance and have your ticket scanned.

You will first see several screens showing how the ice sculptures are made.

Every year there’s a different theme …this year was from the movie, the Polar Express.

Once you walk past the screens, you will enter a line where they will give you a parka to wear.

I’ve often wondered if they clean them after each use…that really grosses me out thinking about it!

Anyways, after you get your warm parka, you will then enter the exhibit.

This exhibit is truly amazing!!

They take 2 million pounds of ice and carve it into 9 incredible scenes from the movie!

Opryland brings in over 40 world-renowned master artisans that spend over 6-weeks hand-carving approximately 6,000 blocks of ice to create this one-of-a-kind Christmas attraction!

There is no time limit for this exhibit so you can spend as long as you want…it typically takes about 20-30 mins to get through it depending on how long you stay at each piece.

The first exhibit was the train parked in a Christmas themed town.

It looks so real!

As you continue walking past the train, you will come to the hot chocolate scene.

It was so hard to believe that all of this was ice!

In this same area is the inside of a train car where you could sit on chair and take your picture!

After taking our pictures, we continued our walk through the exhibit.

These reindeer were so cool!

This exhibit took 40 artists more than 12,000 hours to carve all of these scenes!

As you walk past the reindeer, you enter the area where the ice slides are….you can walk up the stairs and slide down one of 5 ice slides! Kids love this…as well as adults!