One of the best parts about Christmas (outside of Santa) is all of the beautiful decorations and festive activities you can find in your area. If you live in Nashville or will be close by Tennessee during the holiday season this year, you have to check out Gaylord Opryland Resort. Not only is the Gaylord known for going above and beyond with their holiday lights and decor, but their A Country Christmas event has become a local classic in recent years. This year's theme is "A Christmas Story" which means you'll see nods to the classic holiday film throughout the resort.
ICE! is a magical ice sculpture wonderland inside the hotel that will feature various ice carved scenes from the movie. A self-guided, walk-through experience will take you through the exhibit made of 2 million pounds of ice. It is chilly in the exhibit, 9°F to be exact, but you need to keep it cold to maintain all of the stunning ice sculptures. Depending on how much of the cold you can take, you'll probably spend around 15-30 minutes walking through. Make sure to also check out the separate area featuring the Nativity scene, all made of crystal-clear ice. One of the coolest parts? Four two-story tall ice slides. That's right! Bundle up and experience one of the coolest slides you'll ever see.
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A Country Christmas will be running at the resort through January 1, 2020. In addition to ICE! you can also check out Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical and the holiday dinner show, The Gift of Christmas with Trace Adkins & Friends. The kids will love another opportunity to actually hang out with Rudolph in person at Rudolph's Holly Jolly Feast. In addition to food and games, Rudolph and some of his friends from the classic television special will be onsite to lead a sing-a-long from favorite songs from the film.
It seems Rudolph has a theme going for the little ones at the Gaylord. If you need a fun activity to keep your kids occupied, the Gaylord also offers the Reindeer Games Scavenger Hunt featuring Rudolph and the Misfit Toys (also from the classic film). There will also be a Gingerbread Decorating Corner, pictures with Santa and the the Opryland Express children's train that runs through the hotel's "Holiday Hall."
Outside you can enjoy the Gaylord's 15-foot-high, four-lane ice tubing hill, ice skating rink and a horse-drawn carriage ride through the Christmas lights around the property. The Rockin' Christmas on Ice is a live ice skating show that's new this year that will also be sure to impress.
At the very least, make time to stop by the property to take in the ICE! exhibit and see the 3 million Christmas lights that were used to decorate the stunning resort.
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