Newspaper Page Text
PACE 10A
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2008
CHRISTMAS SCENE
Gaylord Opryland is a a magical place to visit during the Christmas season. Mil
lions of lights, as well as festive decorations adorn the outside and inside of the
huge resort.
'A Country Christmas'
Magical Christmas celebration in Nashville
CHRISTMAS DINNER SHOW
The Louise Mandrell Christmas Dinner Show fea
tures a spectacular dinner and a show featuring
holiday favorite musical performances. Louise
has a wonderful voice and plays a variety of in
struments, including a guitar, drums and accor
dion. Mandrell is known for her comedy and this
was featured in a scene with “Lou the Mailman.”
BY ANGELA GARY
Huge one-of-a-kind Christmas
ice sculptures, a high-kicking
night of festive fun with the world-
famous Rockettes, a holiday meal
with country legend Louise Man
drell and an evening carriage ride
to see the bright lights and life-
size outdoor nativity scene.
The sights and sounds of the
Christmas season come to life
at Gaylord Opryland in Nash
ville, Term., for the 25th annual
“A Country Christmas” celebra
tion. With millions of sparkling
lights at the huge hotel, huge
ornately decorated trees and an
outdoor nativity display, it really
is a Christmas wonderland. It’s
magical and you can’t help but
smile and get in the holiday spirit
as soon as you enter the lobby.
While there are lots of holiday
travel destinations in our area,
Gaylord’s “A Country Christmas”
is without a doubt the top choice
for seasonal fun. Just a few of the
reasons include that it’s just a few
hours drive away and the afford
able packages that combine the
hotel stay and tickets.
Another plus is that you don’t
have to leave the resort grounds
and a hotel shuttle takes you to
the different areas on the complex
and even into the downtown area.
And there are lots of events that
appeal to people of all ages —
from toddlers to senior citizens.
These are just a few reasons “A
Country Christmas” is the top
choice for a holiday destination.
Even the Travel Channel called
Gaylord Opryland Resort “the
most Christmassy hotel in the na
tion.”
“A Country Christmas” is of
fered at the hotel through Jan. 4.
Among the highlights during our
stay was the Radio City Christmas
Spectacular featuring the Rock
ettes. No matter how many times
I see it, I am always fascinated
by the “Parade of the Wooden
Soliders.” It has been performed
by Rockettes since 1933 and con
tinues to be a favorite part of the
show for many. The precision and
perfection of the dancers is sim
ply amazing.
We also enjoyed our visit to
the “ICE!” display. It’s definitely
a one-of-a-kind display with
over 1.5 million pounds of ice.
The winter wonderland has the
Grinch as its theme and many of
the scenes from the classic Christ
mas tale are included. ICE also
features slides for kids and adults,
as well as a nativity scene. Be
sure to take the blue parka offered
at the door as it is an average of 8
degrees inside the ICE display.
We also had a wonderful eve
ning at the “Joy to the World”
Louise Mandrell Christmas Din
ner Party. This spectacular dinner
show featuring holiday musical
performances makes for a fun
evening at the hotel. Louise has
a wonderful voice and plays a
variety of instruments, including
a guitar, drums and accordion.
Mandrell is known for her com
edy and this was featured in a
scene with “Lou the Mailman.”
While at the Gaylord Hotel,
you can spend hours just wander
ing through the hotel and check
ing out all of the wonderful holi
day displays. My nephew and I
MEETS GRINCH
Jake Myler, Commerce, is shown visiting with the
Grinch at Gaylord Opryland. A Country Christmas
celebration includes the ICE display where the
theme is the Grinch. With a ticket upgrade, you can
meet the Grinch, skip the long lines and get a hot
chocolate after touring the icy display.
CREATING
GINGERBREAD
HOUSES
A special feature at the ho
tel during the holidays is
the “Winter Wonderland”
area where you will find the
“Treasures for the Holiday”
craft show, a Hall of Trees
with unique trees, train rides
for the kids and photos with
Santa. This “winter wonder
land” also has elves who help
youngsters decorate ginger
bread houses.
ROCKETTES FEATURED
The Rockettes are featured at a Radio City Christmas Spectacular at the Gay
lord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tenn.
ICY SLIDE
The “ICE!” display features slides for kids and adults, as well as a nativity
scene. Be sure to take the blue parka offered at the door as it is an average of
8 degrees inside the ICE display.
did just that during our four-day
stay at the hotel. I lost count with
how many times he said, ‘This
is so beautiful.” There are also
so many great photo spots in the
hotel, that you are sure to capture
a shot that will look great on your
Christmas cards.
A life-size nativity scene is lo
cated just outside the lobby. Huge
trees, wreaths and festive decora
tions and millions of lights are ev
erywhere you look. Go both dur
ing the day and night. During the
day, you can see all of the details
in the display. At dark, it becomes
a special spot with lights. For a
great view, take a carriage ride.
Be sure to also take a boat ride
through the hotel in the Delta
area. Lush tropical plants and wa
terfalls are located along the river
- all inside the hotel. With more
than 50,000 tropical plants, rare
international blooms and roman
tic Southern species, the horticul
tural displays at Gaylord Opry
land are among the most exquisite
in the world. It’s a beautiful place
to visit any time of the year. Each
of the gardens is housed under
one of the hotel’s soaring atriums,
creating a series of breathtaking
horticultural wonderlands.
A special feature at the hotel
during the holidays is the “Winter
Wonderland” area where you will
find the ‘Treasures for the Holi
day” craft show, a Hall of Trees
exhibit, train rides for the kids and
photos with Santa. This “Winter
Wonderland” also has elves who
help youngsters decorate ginger
bread houses. We had a great time
topping our gingerbread house
with plenty of white icing and
hard candy.
The rooms at the hotel are spa
cious and you should definitely
get one with a garden view. Sit
ting on the balcony overlooking
the gardens is wonderful. It’s re
laxing to order room service to
enjoy on the balcony or just sit
back and watch the crowd below.
RESTAURANTS
AND SHOPPING
You really don’t have to leave
the resort as it offers plenty of
shopping and restaurants inside
the hotel. Everything from ham
burgers to steak to pizza can be
found at the restaurants in the
hotel.
We had the most wonderful
meal at Cascades Seafood Res
taurant. Steak, tuna and sea bass
are all wonderful choices. Appe
tizers to try include the fish dip
and smoked oysters. Both are a
real treat. A kids menu is also of
fered.
The setting at Cascades is
magical and literally sparkles as
the sound of flowing water sur
rounds every table. During the
holidays, the restaurant is a great
place to check out the new Rock
abilly Christmas show. While
dining, you are entertained with
Christmas classic tunes of the
1950s. A live band, dancing
girls, floating icebergs and San
ta’s lost sleigh are located in the
waters of the Cascades Atrium.
Be sure to check the schedule
to see when performances are
held.
Another great dining choice at
the hotel is Water’s Edge Market
place Buffet. The menu changes
daily and includes dishes from
around the world. The desserts
are also wonderful so be sure
and save room to try at least one
of them. The restaurant is conve
niently located at the Delta Atri
um along the indoor Delta River,
teeming with fish and ducks.
For information on pack
ages or to purchase tickets, go
to www.ChristmasatGaylordO-
pryland.com. You can also call
toll free 1-888-999-OPRY with
any questions or to make reser
vations during the Christmas or
any time of the year. Year round
for information on Gaylord
Opryland, go to www.gaylor-
dorpyland.com.
Angela Gary’ is an editor with
MainStreet Newspapers. She
can be reached at AngieEdi-
tor@aol.com.