I’ve decided that this summer is all about creating memories that will last a lifetime! One of our favorite things as a family to do together is travel. So, I’ve planned a bunch of road trips this summer for the 6 of us to enjoy!

Our first stop was Nashville, TN to visit the Gaylord Opryland Resort! Now through September 5, 2022 they are running their annual Summer of More event. In addition to 9 acres of lush indoor atriums, amazing restaurants, shopping, and live entertainment, you’ll find pirate and princess events throughout the resort all summer long!

We’ve been visiting Gaylord Opryland for over a decade, that’s how much we love this resort! Let me share some of my favorite things that you’ll want on your to-do list when you visit!

SoundWaves

This upscale water attraction definitely needs to be part of your plans this summer! With indoor and outdoor slides, kiddie pools, and even adult only areas there is truly something for everyone to enjoy! There are 2 lazy rivers indoors, one with tubes and a faster moving one without. You’ll find numerous water slides inside and several outdoors. But, the main attraction outdoors for our family is the giant wave pool with huge screen that plays music videos.

If you work up an appetite while swimming, make sure to stop by Decibels inside SoundWaves. They have amazing snacks and delicious entrees. Can’t decide on what to order? I suggest trying the Center Stage Burger, the candied bacon jam inside is to die for! With kids you can’t go wrong with the pizza, my kids requested it both days we were there.

If you are looking for more of a relaxing day, there is plenty of seating around the pools both indoors and outdoors. They also have private cabanas available to rent.

Check out all that SoundWaves has to offer!

TIP: SoundWaves is popular and the only way to guarantee admission is to book the SoundWaves Experience Package when you book your resort stay.

Pirate & Princess Themed Events

While you walk around the resort you may just see a pirate or princess unexpectedly! Here were some of our favorite themed activities during our visit to Gaylord Opryland.

Battle for the Blue Diamond Boat Ride - If you’ve never visited the resort before, you may be surprised to learn that there is a river that runs through the 4.5 acre Delta Atrium. You can take a scenic boat ride anytime but during during the Summer of More event there is a special option for a themed ride. Before boarding our boat, we all got fiber optic light up wands. This really set the tone for a magical ride. While on the boat we sailed up close to a stage with pirate and princess performers who entertained through storytelling, singing, and dancing. They kept us all engaged with opportunities to participate while aboard the boat. I really love that they made it interactive! At the end of the ride everyone was rewarded with a special treasure. This was truly family fun at it’s best!

Treasure Trove Art Studio - The kids had the opportunity to choose from many pirate and princess themed crafts. The little wooden treasure chests to decorate were definitely a hit with our family, all 4 of them choose that one! They had a bunch of other options to choose from as well like decorating pirate hats + tiara’s, DIY bug containers and more. The staff was excellent and helped the kids put things together and was readily available to answer questions. Along with arts and crafts, there were also plenty of special photo opportunities tucked away in this corner.

The Shiny Stash Treasure Hunt - If this is your first time visiting the resort, this is a great opportunity to explore! The scavenger hunt books will have you all throughout the resort looking for treasure just like a pirate! Once you complete you book, make sure to head back inside the Treasure Trove Art Studio where you can claim your prize!

Pirate & Princess Academy - This interactive show tells the story of Princess Magnolia. Your little one’s will feel just like a pirate or princess when they take the official princess oath or pirate pledge! This is especially entertaining for younger kids in the preschool range but honestly all my kids ages 2-10 had fun! The kids even got a special trinket at the end!

Royal Carriage Rides - During the early evening hours, if you happen to be outside the Magnolia lobby, you may catch a glimpse of Princess Magnolia and her Prince! They make a royal entrance in a beautiful carriage and perform a short dance sequence then interact with guests. This is a really great photo and video opportunity. Their interactions with my kids were amazing! You also have the opportunity to book your very own Royal Carriage Ride.

For a full list of Gaylord Opryland’s Summer of More events click here.

Dining at Gaylord Opryland

The resort offers dining options to suit anyone’s needs from fast/casual quick-service restaurants to upscale/elegent establishments. Find all of the current offerings here.

To hopefully make your stay a bit easier, I’m sharing some of our favorites for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

Breakfast - Most days we’d head over to the Delta Marketplace. This is a great spot to grab Starbuck’s coffee along with various pastries, muffins, and other staple breakfast items. There is also an Auntie Anne’s right next door that serves breakfast sandwiches. Cinnabon was also nearby and has some great coffee if you are looking for a quick option.

Lunch - Both Stax and Paisano’s Pizzaria are great options! Stax is a quick service burger bar that lets you pick the toppings while Paisano’s has pizza by the slice and salads. Tip: If you’re ordering pizza for the entire family get an entire pie to save money!

Dinner - There are plenty of amazing dining options at Gaylord Opryland Resort but I’ve got to say Jack Daniel’s is one of our favorites! You can get southern classics here like fried chicken, and you need to order the fried pickles appetizer. I’ve tried many other fried pickles trying to experience something like these, but nothing compares to Jack Daniel’s! If you’re lucky, you may catch some live music right inside the restaurant! Ravello is another great dinner option if you are craving Italian. I had the Bucatini and it was amazing, the Broccoli-Walnut Pesto sauce was so fresh tasting! They also had a lot of great menu options for the kids here.

If you have a sweet tooth put Bravo Gelato on your list of must do’s! The Italian gelato is delicious and flavors are constantly revolving. They also have a variety of other sweets here like cakes and cookies.

More Fun at Gaylord Opryland

Make sure to follow us on Instagram to see more fun at Gaylord Opryland. I saved a bunch of our experiences under our story highlights labeled Opryland 2022. We also created a Reel of all of the pirate + princess magic around the resort! On TikTok you can see our SoundWaves experience, it was such an amazing time!

I hope this was helpful in planning your next stay at Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville.

I’ll be sharing more summer travel soon!