Christmas prep begins at Gaylord Opryland Resort

NASHVILLE, TN, July 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid the hottest days of summer, crews at Gaylord Opryland Resort are beginning to hang more than 3 million holiday lights for the hotel's 35th annual A Country Christmas.

You and your family will marvel at more than 3 million holiday lights and acres of magnificent decorations, plus spectacular holiday activities and events that are sure to get you in the spirit of the season and create lasting family memories! Image courtesy of Gaylord Opryland

Presented by Pepsi, A Country Christmas takes place November 9 through January 1.

"This year's lineup of holiday shows and attractions may just be our best yet," said Gaylord Opryland General Manager John Adams. "With the December opening of SoundWaves—our new $90 million indoor/outdoor upscale water attraction, families have yet another way to enjoy the holiday season with us."

The resort's signature holiday attraction—ICE!, presented by DEI—features Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas!. Experience scenes from this beloved 1957 Dr. Seuss classic in 2 million pounds of colorful ice sculptures. Kept at nine degrees Fahrenheit, ICE! is hand-carved by 40 master artisans from Harbin, China and will include scenes of The Grinch, Max, Cindy Lou Who and the rest of the Whos from Who-ville. If you can't get enough of the Grinch, try Breakfast with The Grinch or a Grinch-y themed Scavenger Hunt through the resort's nine acres of indoor gardens.

Back by popular demand, Cirque Dreams Holidaze returns to the Grand Ole Opry House with its electrifying stage spectacular. Broadway Director Neil Goldberg has assembled the world's most unique cast of incomparable cirque artists, singers, dancers and theatrical talent—from candy cane contortionists, wheel-rolling engineers, jingle bell bicyclers, spiraling aerialists, intricate puppeteering and over 300 dazzling costumes. This critically acclaimed Broadway musical, cirque adventure and family show is the perfect holiday gift wrapped in one.

Country superstar and Grand Ole Opry member Trace Adkins joins the festivities this year with a new Christmas show featuring songs from his album The King's Gift. The GRAMMY winner will entertain fans with Christmas standards, Celtic classics and a few of his favorite things. The evening begins with a meal prepared by Gaylord Opryland's award-winning culinary team.

Inside the resort's Holiday Halls, guests will find a 6,000-square-foot indoor ice rink where they can skate and catch a 30-minute ice skating show, hop aboard the Opryland Express kids' train, stop by the Gingerbread Decorating Corner, or take a whirl on the Santa's Spinners tea cup ride!

The Build-A-Bear Workshop® experience lets guests make their very own furry winter friend—a cuddly, cute polar bear plush, designed exclusively for Gaylord Hotels that can be personalized with cozy winter clothing and accessories.

Additional holiday festivities include an extreme ice tubing hill, toe-tapping holiday cruises on the General Jackson Showboat, carriage rides, photos with Santa and an outdoor nativity.

When it comes to ringing in 2019, Big Night Nashville at Gaylord Opryland is one of Music City's hottest New Year's Eve events. Rooms are available now at BigNightNashville.com.

A Country Christmas has been hailed as one of the "Ten Great Places to Catch up with Santa" by USA Today; "The Most Christmassy Hotel in the Nation" by the Travel Channel's "Extreme Christmas;" one of the top 10 places to spend Christmas in the world by Travel + Leisure; and a "Nashville treasure" by Southern Living.

Learn more at ChristmasAtGaylordOpryland.com.

Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, located at 2800 Opryland Drive in Nashville, is the flagship property of Gaylord Hotels, part of the Marriott portfolio of brands. The 2,888-room hotel offers "everything in one place"— diverse dining options, a full-service spa, top-notch entertainment, on-site shopping, an award-winning golf course and more. For more information, visit www.GaylordOpryland.com.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 3 million holiday lights • 1 million visitors to the resort during the holidays each year
• 15,000 poinsettias
• 15 miles of green garland
• 10 miles of hand-tied, red ribbon
• 48-foot-tall Christmas tree
• 2+ million pounds of ice for signature ICE! attraction
• Nearly 7,000 giant blocks of colored ice
• 40 ice artisans from Harbin, China

PEPSI, PEPSI-COLA and the Pepsi Globe are registered trademarks of PepsiCo, Inc. TM & © 2018 Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. All Rights Reserved. © & ® Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Source: Gaylord Opryland Resort

Published July 18, 2018