The Wildly Lavish Nashville Resort That's A Destination In Itself With Its Own Expansive Village

When it comes to Southern cities, Nashville is one of the top-tier destinations. Situated on the Cumberland River in the heart of Tennessee, this city is well-known for live music, honky-tonk bars (that play live music), and Southern culture. It's also the home of the picture-perfect pink paradise known as the Dolly Parton Bar, as well as the Nashville Parthenon, which basically teleports you to Athens' most-iconic tourist attraction.

But there's even more to Nashville than all of this. In fact, one could argue that it's the entire reason Nashville is on the map. Before the Gaylord Opryland Resort was built in 1977, Nashville was seen as a "hick town" with "twangy country music." (Via The Tennesseean)

Thanks to the vision of the folks at National Life & Accident (the owners of the other iconic attraction, the Grand Ole Opry), the Opryland Resort turned Nashville into a premier destination for conventions and live events. Today, it's hard to overstate how much of an impact this resort has had and how much it continues to influence Nashville's culture today. Whether you're a fan of country music or not, the Opryland Resort is an ideal setting for a Southern getaway.

If you were to hop into a time machine and go back to 1977, Nashville was a much different city than it is today, as tourists are practically on every corner, and you can't throw a stick without hitting a live music venue or bar. But back then, even hosting a small event was a nearly impossible task, as there were virtually no venues within the city limits.

At the time, the Grand Ole Opry was a modest tourist destination, but its owners, National Life & Accident, decided to up the ante by building a resort and theme park. Initially, the design was for a 200-room hotel with a few meeting rooms. However, after consulting with Jack Vaughn, a Los Angeles bigwig who knew the convention industry, plans were expanded to 600 rooms and 50,000-square-feet of meeting space.

Thanks to a concerted effort by the management team at Opryland, even the enlarged resort proved to be too small to meet demand. While you can still see the original building (today known as the Magnolia section), the resort has undergone three massive expansions. Now, it houses over 2,500 rooms, a waterpark, and a huge indoor botanical garden. In fact, the resort is the largest non-casino hotel in the United States. All told, it encompasses over 3.3-million square feet.

The best way to reach the Gaylord Opryland Resort is to fly into Nashville International Airport (also known as one of the best airports in America for live music) and head directly north on Route 155. As you make your way into the resort, you'll need someone to pick your jaw up off the floor, as the entire experience is breathtaking. Even photos and videos don't do it justice; you must see it in person to believe it.

No matter how long you plan to stay, you'll probably miss out on some of the activities because there are so many. First, it's always a good idea to come during the holidays because the resort is decked out in Christmas lights and decorations. They even have indoor sledding with frozen tracks. However, throughout the year, you can experience free light and sound shows at the central atrium and fountain.

The other main attraction is the SoundWaves Water Park, which has slides, pools, and surfing waves. But if you don't want to get wet, you can instead take a ride on the Delta Riverboat. But you're not going on the Cumberland River (although you can buy tickets for a steamboat ride, too). Instead, you're traveling along the quarter-mile long Delta River, which is fully enclosed within the resort. Finally, if you're into golfing, you can enjoy the Gaylord Springs 18-hole course next door, which sits next to the Cumberland River.