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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.