Gaylord Opryland Resort Gardens, Tennessee, United States
4.5 (6.108 reviews) Spent 2-3 hours Ranking #37 in Davidson County Gardens
Beautiful Free Stop for the Evening
Nashville's Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center has earned an international reputation for its service and amenities but is equally well known for its nine acres of lavish indoor gardens. Boasting 50,000 tropical plants, rare international blooms and romantic Southern species, the horticultural displays at Gaylord Opryland are among the most exquisite in the world. Meticulously selected and lovingly maintained by a staff of 20 full-time interior horticulturists, the landscaping is a colorful, year-round paradise tucked inside this amazing resort. Each of the gardens is housed under one of the hotel's soaring atriums, creating a series of breathtaking horticultural wonderlands. An elaborate climate-control system keeps the temperature at 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit year round. Relative humidity stays around 55 percent most of the time. There is also an air exchange system to ensure air in the atriums does not become stale. The system exchanges air four times in a 24-hour period. The Garden Conservatory features a collection of 10,000 tropical plants, representing more than 215 species. Towering palms and banana trees rise 60 feet above the atrium floor. In all, there are 37 different families of trees represented, including ficus, banana trees, palms and a sampling of miniature orange trees. In August 1982, months before opening, a staff of 10 began landscaping the Garden Conservatory, which was at that time one of the largest facilities of its kind in a single, glass-topped room in the world. Many of the taller plants were put in place before construction was completed, in advance of installing the thousands of flowers that add color and texture to the majestic space. It took staff 3 months to install the gardens of the Garden Conservatory Atrium. A precise drip-irrigation system was developed that allows many plants to be watered slowly over the course of several hours. The soil is a special mixture of pine, peat and cypress bark solelite developed specifi...
Address
2800 Opryland Drive, Nashville, TN 37214-1200
Mobile
Website
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bnago-gaylord-opryland/
Current local date and time now
Thursday, May 09, 2024, 18:50
User Ratings
4.5 based on (6.108 reviews)
Reviews
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4MS 5:00 PM Dec 26, 2021
Fun family outing but with a high cost
Visited two days after Xmas with 4 kids, one in a stroller. Overall not a bad scene to check out. You will pay $36 for parking and another $60ish for 4 tickets (children 3 and under are free) for the boat ride. Let’s start with the good; it’s huge with plenty of activities that you can enjoy as a family for a few like the boat ride or chariot ride, tons of food options that open at various times, plenty of gift shops, and beautiful gardens and waterfalls all decked out with lights for Xmas. The bad; it is supper crowded and knowing how to traverse the different atriums can be challenging. Also there are tons of steps or escalators but finding elevators close to them is a nuisance for sure. Some elevators can take a while bc of how crowded this place can be. A lot of the activities can sell out in advance so hard to fully enjoy unless you preplanned your visit. Also expense for what you get - not great value. Overall not a bad outing but doesn’t rank high on the to-do list.
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4California_momofsix 5:00 PM Jul 26, 2020
Precise directions to walk from the Opry or Opry Mills to the Resort
This is a review of the gardens/indoor area of the resort only. We did not stay overnight. We had a few hours to spend between our Opry tour and dinner reservations, so we wandered around the resort for a bit. The gardens are beautiful and much larger than we anticipated. It's a great way place to spend time if it's raining or hot outside. If you enjoy botanical gardens or elaborate, Vegas style atriums, you will like this place. Visiting during Covid, we didn't encounter any crowds and very little noise. All the water features were turned on and the waterfalls and fountains were my favorite part of the displays, there is such a beautiful variety. The dancing fountain was quite entertaining. Here is what I wish I had known before I visited: Not all restaurants are currently open, so check first if you have your heart set on a particular one. Like any resort, prices for ice cream, souvenirs etc. are expensive. The water park is actually open (as of the first week in July) but you need an armband to enter, so you can either be a guest or buy a day pass. The boat rides are also working and the track looks longer than the gondola ride at the Venetian in Las Vegas. There is an additional charge for the boat ride. I would recommend looking at a map of the resort before you go or when you first arrive (they are scattered around in all areas of the resort) to have an overview of the layout, it can be confusing. Be prepared that some areas may be closed off for private events (we saw a wedding from a story above) But most importantly: If you are a casual visitor and wish to avoid the parking fee, here is what to do. Park in the Opry Mills mall parking lot in front of the movie theatre. That's towards the back of the mall when entering from the freeway. Turn your back to the mall. Head straight for a white picket fence and a brick building that says "Gaylord Events center" Go through a gap in the fence, the parking lot and walk along the left side of the event center headed towards the resort. After you passed the event center, you will reach a covered walkway with a green canopy. At the exit of the walkway, head straight across the street to the side door slightly on your right. You will enter the resort in the Delta section. DO NOT use the other covered walkway that leads from the left of the Grand Old Opry to the Opry parking lot. You can get to the resort that way, but it's much further (we learned that by own experience walking in the rain)
