With lush gardens and sky-high waterfalls inside the resort, plenty of unique shops and fine dining and loads of entertainment, Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tenn., is the perfect vacation destination. From nature to shopping to entertainment, it can all be found in this nine-acre resort, located adjacent to the Grand Ole Opry and Opry Mills Mall. Located an easy five-hour drive from North Georgia, it is a great destination for families and couples and large groups as well as couples.
The resort is known for its gardens and it’s an indoor paradise year-round as the colorful blooming flowers and tropical plants await guests. It’s simply amazing to find these gardens inside the resort where it’s 72 degrees year-round. As soon as entering the Cascades lobby and seeing the waterfalls and gardens, you leave all your worries behind in this relaxing atmosphere.
With special events planned year-round, there is always something going on. This summer, the Poolapalooza and Summerfest are two seasonal offerings. The Poolapalooza offers free weekly concerts beginning at 6 p.m. on Fridays at the Cascades Pool. The Summerfest offers a country street party on weekend nights in the Delta Atrium.
We enjoyed the Poolapalooza at the outdoor pool in the Cascades area of the resort. People of all ages gathered around the pool while a live band played. Kids were splashing around in the pool and adults were watching and enjoying the music. It’s a great family event and there is no charge. You can also order dinner from the outdoor snack bar.
The next night we sent over to the Delta Atrium for the Summerfest and enjoyed the line dancing and mingling with the street performers. It’s a night-time street party with fun for all ages. There is also no charge for this event and it’s great for families.
While in the Delta Atrium, be sure to take a ride on one of the Delta flatboats. It’s certainly a unique experience to go on a boat ride inside a hotel. The guide gives some interesting facts about the resort and you get a close-up view of those wonderful waterfalls and greenery. You also spot a few of the catfish that make the river home.
While in the hotel, take one of the self-guided audio tours of the hotel and gardens. The history of the hotel is presented on the audio as you stroll through the resort.
Another unique opportunity at the resort is “Gibson’s Check-In, Rock Out” program. Guests can rent a Gibson guitar and hand-held portable amplifier with headphones and create their own music in the comfort of their room. There is a wide selection of cool guitars in the Cascades lobby to choose from. What better way to celebrate your vacation to Music City.
PLENTY OF DINING OPTIONS
The Gaylord Opryland Resort offers plenty of dining options, from casual to elegant.
A meal at Old Hickory Steakhouse is something that you will never forget. That may sound hard to believe but I’m still talking about the best steak I’ve ever had, as well as the delectable oyster appetizer and scrumptious desserts. Executive chef Seth Kondor creates some wonderful dishes that have a unique twist on some traditional favorites.
The oyster Rockefeller had fried oysters which is unusual for this dish but was wonderful. I almost went for a traditional salad, but took our server, Sherry’s, suggestion and tried the chop chop salad. It was the best salad I’ve ever had with a great blend of sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic onions, feta cheese and hard boiled eggs with a sherry pommery ranch dressing. In fact, we found ourselves saying throughout the meal that each dish was the best ever.
Our main entrée was the filet mignon with blue cheese au gratin as a side. The steak was perfectly aged and topped with jumbo lump crabmeat, asparagus spears and hollandaise sauce.
While waiting for the main entrée, try a selection of artisanal cheeses. Some of the world’s finest cheeses are presented tableside. Ale came over to our table with a cheese tray and gave us details on the 16 choices, most of which were from Europe. We picked two that sounded good to us and let Ale select the other four. All were very different and delicious.
For dessert, we tried the cheesecake, crème brulee and chocolate crunch. I usually try crème brulee wherever I go, but this was definitely the best I’ve ever had. It was so creamy and light. The chocolate crunch was a nice combination of chocolate and raspberry.
We had a wonderful leisurely meal at Old Hickory House and our experience was one of the highlights of the trip.
Another evening we enjoyed an authentic Italian meal at Ristorante Volare located in the Garden Conservatory of the resort. The menu includes a wide variety of Italian dishes, including freshly made pasta and traditional soups. The atmosphere is also wonderful with festive lights strung above the dining area for a feel of eating outdoors at a sidewalk café in Italy.
We started off with artichoke hearts filled with cheese blend, shrimp and stone ground organic polenta organic spinach. The flavors all blended together for a wonderful start to our meal.
For my entrée, I had lobster and scallop, which is Maine lobster tail and sea scallops baked in Olive Oil and crushed red pepper with Pomodoro Sauce over linguine. It was a great choice, as was the crab stuffed salmon, which was crabmeat and ricotta cheese, baked with garlic, capers and Roma tomatoes over sautéed organic spinach. Both dishes were a delight.
We ended our meal with a light tiramusu which is one of the signature dishes at the restaurant. It was a lovely meal in a beautiful setting.
BREAKFAST OPTIONS
The Waters Edge Marketplace Buffet offers a wonderful buffet for breakfast and lunch. We enjoyed a great breakfast one morning during our stay. There is so much to choose from that it’s hard to know where to start. I started off at the omelet station and the chef, Tre, created a wonderful omelet just as I requested. The buffet also has breads, pastries, fruits, pudding, waffles, a carving station and Southern favorites such as grits and gravy. It was all wonderful and provided plenty of energy for our day of exploring. On Sundays, you can dine with the legends as some of Nashville’s finest country music celebrity look-alikes mix and mingle with guests at the buffet.
Another option for breakfast is the Cascades Restaurant where we started another day. The loaded banana toast is a wonderful treat and went well with the side order of chicken apple sausage links. It’s an open restaurant and you feel as if you are dining in a garden.
UPCOMING EVENTS
There are always special promotions and packages at the Gaylord Resort, so check out the website. Among the promotions this summer are kids eating and staying free at the resort. Some special events coming up this year include the following:
•Sept. 5-7, Southern Gospel Festival featuring Legacy Five
•Oct. 2-4, Bunco Bash.
•Oct. 9-11, Opry’s 84th Birthday Celebration
•Oct. 23-25, First Annual Oak Ridge Boys Rally
•Nov. 1-12 and 16-17, Christmas breakfast show featuring Pam Tillis at the Wildhorse Saloon.
•Nov. 20-Dec. 27, Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes.
•Nov. 20-Jan. 2, ICE featuring A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles Schulz.
•Nov. 21-Dec. 25, Louise Mandrell’s “Joy to the World” Christmas dinner and show.
The Gaylord Opryland Resort is located at 2800 Opryland Drive. For more information, go to www.gaylordopryland.com or call 615-458-2824.
Angela Gary is an editor with MainStreet Newspapers Inc. She can be reached at AngieEditor@aol.com
