Opryland’s Lighting Ceremony & New Attractions
- November 14, 2014
- By Sabine
- 4 Comments
Wow it was cold … and breathtakingly beautiful!
Last night, something very festive went down in Nashville. The 31st annual A Country Christmas began with a lighting celebration with performances by Restless Heart at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center.
We all helped countdown to light up nearly 2 million dazzling lights. The sight of all these lights nearly made me cry. It’s spectacular!
Afterwards we boarded a bus to preview two of Opryland’s newest attractions: the Arctic Plunge Snow Tubing and Glacier Glide Ice Skating. We also experienced this year’s ICE theme.
The Arctic Plunge is Nashville’s only extreme six-lane tubing hill covered in 1.5 million pounds of REAL SNOW! I gotta tell you, your heart will pound a little faster as you race down the hill.
Arctic Plunge runs from November 14, 2014 – January 3, 2015.
Location: Gaylord Opryland Events Center Lawn
Price : $15.99 – $17.99 and includes 10 runs down the slide
Note: Double riding tubes are available for parents with small children.
The Glacier Glide Ice Skating Rink is Opryland’s new 6,000 square-foot outdoor attraction. Rink-side private cabanas are available. DJ’s on select weekend evenings will also be part of the fun!
We walked past the ice rink and it looked lovely, but at this point we were simply too cold to put on ice skates.
Price:
Adult (12 years & older): $14.99 – $15.99
Child (4 – 11 years old): $12.99 – $13.99
Location: Gaylord Opryland Events Center Lawn
Up next was the ICE exhibit.
This year’s theme is “Twas the Night Before Christmas. 
Before you enter, you get a large coat to wear – and trust me you’ll need it because you are basically entering a huge freezer (it’s 9 degrees in there). 
Talented artisans from China masterfully carved and dyed 2 million pounds of ice and turned it into gorgeous sculptures. 
The precision and detail involved in each of these sculptures is just amazing. It was by far one of the most impressive handmade things I have ever seen. The pieces are massive and beautiful at the same time.
This is all ice, people.
The colors made me feel like a kid in Candy land… they brought a big smile to my face. 
In the middle of the exhibit, you get to be a kid and slide down ice sculptured slides. 
We watched an artisan from Harbin, China carve an amazing ice sculpture before our eyes at the Frostbite Factory.
The awe-inspiring experience concluded with the wonder and majesty of a full Nativity in stunning, crystal clear ice.
Brrrr… it is cold in there!
My advice: Bring gloves, hats and scarves, and plenty of warm clothing.
Price:
Adults $24.99 – $26.99
Children: $17.99 – $19.99
Children 3 & under are always free.
Exiting the ICE exhibit led us to the cutest Christmas store where we were greeted with a hot chocolate and other adorable things.
Boy did that cup of cocoa taste good.
With our renewed energy and warm feelings inside, we toured the inside of the hotel to see more holiday lights and Christmas décor.
Each year we make it a priority to visit Opryland, and each year we love it as much (or more) as the first time we came.
If you are visiting Nashville, you must stop at Opryland hotel. The minute you enter through the front doors, you’ll be in awe.
melodys100
November 14, 2014The ice was so beautiful and this attractions were so fun– this was a great night!
sabines
November 14, 2014I agree.. so much fun!