Christmas also marks the renaissance of the resort. In 2010, a flood had devastated Tennessee, immer

Streams of lights fall like incandescent snowflakes. Among them, characters of children’s books and cartoons hang from small-scale hot-air balloons and parachutes. Only Santa can bring more excitement at the Opryland Hotel.
You might not deck your halls before December, but Opryland does. It takes months to hang 180 miles of strings with two millions (LED) lights outdoor, plus 200,000 riverwalk hotels san antonio lights indoor, riverwalk hotels san antonio and some 15 miles of garlands all over. Did I mention ten miles of red hand-tied ribbons? Can you imagine 36 truckloads of ice delivered riverwalk hotels san antonio over 15 days? Numbers keep blowing my mind: It takes almost a week to decorate each of the 26 magnolia trees of the 40-acre resort.
Nashville is otherwise famous as the home of country music, the Blue Bird Café, the legendary Grand Ole Opry Hall, and Gibson guitars. Personally, the Tennessee capital brings back memories of a Christmas extravaganza at Opryland. riverwalk hotels san antonio In fact, Travel + Leisure riverwalk hotels san antonio magazine listed the Nashville Gaylord Opryland Resort as one of the best places to spend Christmas.
Christmas also marks the renaissance of the resort. In 2010, a flood had devastated Tennessee, immersing the hotel ground level under eight feet of water. With $225 millions of repairs and improvements (including accessibility) the 2882-room Nashville institution had reopened just in time for Christmas. Even a few crumb-pecking birds, and a stubborn duck had returned as hotel guests.
After leaving the lobby for the Cascades area, we did what people around us did: We stopped, spell-bound by the sounds and sights. We listened riverwalk hotels san antonio to carolers, spotted gnomes peeking from under the bushes, and greeted at Christmas characters.
From the Cascades Skywalk and then from the balcony of our inside-view room, I felt as if I were part of the decor (well, almost!). I couldn t wait, however, to go to the nine-acre Garden Conservatory, blooming under a dome of glass and metal. Walkways led me to theme-flowerbeds filled with full-size trees, bushes riverwalk hotels san antonio and tropical plants: some 50,000 of them. The poinsettias alone made their seasonal statement: gazillions of them! And anywhere they could be strung, lights twinkled.
The Opryland Hotel is spectacular in any season, but Christmas highlight its signature features. The fountain that shoots up 85-feet-high, and the musical water-show. The 44-foot-high cascade that trickles down to rocky rivulets, the paddlewheel boat for a dinner-show cruise, and why not: an indoor lake.
Later, don’t miss the Frostbite Factory! Its stunning ice sculptures are as clear as Waterford crystal: the result of de-ionized water slowly frozen “to allow the molecules to line up.” Two million pounds of ice will have been carved during riverwalk hotels san antonio the holidays, including a complete Nativity scene.
Marie-Claude Arnott is a freelance writer and a global citizen. Raised riverwalk hotels san antonio in France near cosmopolitan Geneva, Switzerland, she speaks four languages, has lived in five countries and visited over fifty. She holds a B.A. in International Studies from California State University East Bay, and studied Feature Writing with the London School of Journalism. In addition to writing real travel riverwalk hotels san antonio stories, she writes short stories about real people in imaginary places. She enjoys fashion, golf, French pastries, and spending time with her grandchildren.
Feeling the Christmas Spirit at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee Birding at Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge Pedaling Florida’s Withlacoochee State Trail Honoring the Music Makers at Nashville s Musicians Hall of Fame Learning to Cook Authentic New Orleans Gumbo Exploring riverwalk hotels san antonio the Arkansas River Trail Visiting the National Corvette Museum Traversing the Mississippi on Mud Island in Memphis, riverwalk hotels san antonio Tennessee