Skip to main content

Texas to Tennessee- A Short Adventure


On Black Friday I took the short leap from Texas to Tennessee to visit some family. As always it was a magical time, especially when it’s so close to Christmas. My mom and I spent some well needed bonding time and I soaked it up as usual. We went shopping, I got a haircut, and then it was Christmas.


My aunt surprised us with tickets to a local Christmas lights drive thru. It was absolutely beautiful, and we took my Christmas loving grandma who sang along with every song and enjoyed herself immensely.


The next day we visited Dave and Busters. But not just any Dave and Busters, oh no, the one at the Opry Mills Mall. It was fantastic, not as wonderful as the one in Philadelphia, but it’ll have to do!


Across the way, if you’re familiar with the area, is the Gaylord Opryland Resort and this time of year it’s simply breathtaking. We ventured over there, having tickets for the Elf: Mission Save Christmas. Mainly because it looked like the Buzz Lightyear ride in Disney world on the advertisements (sadly it was nothing of the sort).  Once we walked into this winter wonderland, there were:



-reindeer you can pet and feed.

-a tubing hill that was created

-stage for live entertainment

-ice rink

-ice bumper cars

-fire pits to warm you up

-a ton of places for photo ops.


Inside of the Elf: Mission Save Christmas it was a little bit of a let down because it was mainly a walk-through photo op sort of thing, with interactive games your children can play. It wasn’t really what was advertised, but it was cute, and we had a Groupon so…it wasn’t too bad. At the end there was a Auntie Annie's Pretzels (always delicious), a very interesting gift shop that has ornaments, and we got these really cute little Yeti dolls. The softest thing you can ever imagine.




When we ventured into the actual hotel, my breath was taken away. I’ve never seen such a beautiful array of flowers and greenery before, nevertheless one as big as this resort! We stuck mainly to one wing of the hotel, where the boat ride, fountain show, and little town structure is. The fountain show was phenomenal, I've seen a few in my time, like the one in Atlantic City and both Disney Parks in America, but it was grand. It was perfect with the music and the entire area around it.



Mom, who has been to this resort as a guest before, wanted to finally go on the boat ride that just travels around the little wing of the hotel. It was super cute and enjoyable, even though it was a little too close for comfort in the times of Covid. The company that runs it was very careful to wipe down every surface of the boats between excursions, but even with wearing my mask I was a little too close to my seat neighbor. Also, the song that played during the boat ride was entirely an advertisement for the other things that are available in the resort. It was annoying, based on the 12 days of Christmas.


Overall, I'd love to go back and see the resort at other holidays. Certainly, to visit and explore the other wings of the resorts.





Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Necromancer's Library (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #12) by J.L Bryan

"We all have our little gardens of dead dreams, don't we? And sometimes we still try to water and tend those gardens, long after we should know nothing will ever grow there."        In this installment of the Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper series, the team is sent to investigate a potential haunting at an antebellum mansion in the middle of the countryside. A pair of sisters currently reside there because the previous owner, a deceased reclusive professor, hired someone to transform his massive collection into some semblance of organization. The oldest sister Cherise is a university student who is cataloguing the entire collection. The issue is, it's a collection of ancient and medieval manuscripts and items. The library and mansion are filled with terribly haunting spirits-both helpful, lost, and frightening. Even when exploring the grounds they come across an eerie family cemetery in the overgrown woods and run into a figure trying to communicate something seriou...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Trailwalker (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #13) by J.L Bryan

  "Why would teenage boys go out on a boat in a storm" Stacey wondered. "Well, now that I say it aloud, it kinda answers itself"           The team is brough to an old campground that is full of local legend. It is next to the mysterious mounds of a vanished people and once a summer camp for children before it was abruptly shut down due to mysterious deaths. The Conner family moved from the city, to create a space for children in need. They're on a deadline and the construction in the camp is stirring up the spirits of the grounds and woods. Between the deaths within the camp, Josh Conner's inability to accept the paranormal, and an old Indigenous legend of the Trailwalker, there is no shortage of possibilities. One thing remains the same though, t hese spirits are mainly targeting the Conner kids. Ellie and the team have to dig into this campground's rich history and determine what or who is threatening the family. Or else they may be forced to give u...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Hidden Letters by Lorna Cook

  "It's people like your brother and me, being handed a weapon and told to kill someone we don't even know, who we'd probably get along with in everyday life. And all because someone in a gilded throne or behind a big desk decides that's what we have to do."          On the brink of World War One, a forbidden romance is blooming between debutante Cordelia and the landscape architect Issac. Cordelia finds herself intrigued with learning how to cultivate the garden in preparation for when the men are called away to war. Issac, of course, teaches her in private and their forbidden love story began. Cordelia's parents find out and her mother is absolutely horrified to find her daughter digging in dirt, but reluctantly agree to let her continue her work. Even going as far as coming up with the idea to expand their garden to aid the estate and surrounding areas. Issac continues to teach her  through letters when he is on the battlefield, but their correspond...
Post a Comment
Read more