Nashville with Kids: Stay at Gaylord Opryland Hotel

This post was written in collaboration with Gaylord Opryland Hotel, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

If you live in the Nashville area or are a native, you know about the Gaylord Opryland Hotel AKA Opryland. Growing up it was a fun, indoor place to walk around. It’s popular because it’s a convention center, has large atriums to walk around in with lots of greenery, and is close to Opry Mills Mall at the Grand Ole Opry. It’s most well known for going all out for the holidays! In November the hotel is transformed into a Christmas wonderland that is so magical.

A while ago, the team at Opryland was nice enough to reach out about some fun activities they were doing this summer for kids. While I don’t have any kids of my own, I have two nephews and we were all so excited to spend some time together and see all that Opryland offers kids right now! Check out a recap of our stay below and what to do in Nashville with kids.

Nashville with Kids: Stay at Gaylord Opryland Hotel

Our room was in the Cascades Atrium and our room had views of the waterfall. The boys loved the room and people watching off the balcony. We didn’t eat at any of the restaurants but did pick up snacks and sandwiches in the Delta Atrium at the Marketplace. They had a Starbucks so we got coffee and pastries for breakfast, grilled cheeses and BBQ sandwiches for dinner, and water and juice for staying hydrated. But I’ve been to most of the restaurants at Opryland and they’re all amazing, just depends on what you’re in the mood to eat.

Spend the Day at SoundWaves

As soon as we checked in, we put on our swimsuits and headed to SoundWaves, Opryland’s water park! SoundWaves is an indoor/outdoor water park so you and the kiddos can hang in the water no matter the weather. My nephews are 3 and 6 and there was stuff for both of them to do. You can rent a private cabana and have a place to hang out or rent a locker to put your stuff in and it stays safe.

The boys loved playing on the Half Note Cove, the Groovin’ Lagoon Activity Pool, Down-Tempo Lazy River, Up Tempo Rapids River, all the slides the boys were tall enough for! They also have a little restaurant inside so you can grab chips or bottles of water and easy food like chicken tenders, fries, and pizza. We were there from the minute they opened until 4 p.m. and the boys still weren’t done for the day! Make sure you get a spot ahead of time so your kids can enjoy this.

Pirate & Princess Academy Live Stage Show (Thursday thru Sunday only)

We didn’t get a chance to do this since we were there on a Tuesday but it looks like so much fun! Step into a fantasy world and experience the story of the Sword Mistress, Pirates, and the Princess herself in this interactive show. Become an honorary pirate or princess for the day, take an official oath, and more. You can buy tickets from bow until September 5, 2021, Thursday – Sunday at 2 p.m. | 3 p.m. | 4 p.m. | 5 p.m. in one-hour time slots.

The Princess’s Shiny Stash Treasure Hunt

I had a couple of pirates with me who weren’t interested in the princess treasure hunt but if you had a little girl this would be right up their alley! The premise is the Princess has hidden her kingdom’s most precious treasures from the pirate crew throughout the resort. Locate the treasure chests in this exciting family scavenger hunt and earn your reward. Tickets are $12 a person and you can purchase them until September 6, 2021. This event is Sunday-Wednesday 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. and Friday-Sunday 12 p.m.- 10 p.m. Such a fun thing to do at Opryland Nashville with kids!

Lost Treasure Flatboat Voyage

The two little pirates I was with loved the Lost Treasure Flatboat Voyage! Legend has it that long ago, a rare and priceless blue sapphire diamond was lost in the waters of the Cumberland River, never to be seen again. Climb aboard the flatboat in the Delta Atrium and look for clues to help find the diamond! The boys saw pirates, sword mistresses and we found the blue sapphire diamond! This was a hit with my crew! The price is $18 per person (ages 4 & older) and ages 3 and under are free. Take this voyage from now until September 5, 2021. You can purchase tickets from Tuesday – Sunday from 7 p.m.- 9 p.m. and tickets are sold in 30-minute time slots.

Coffer Crafts Activity

Before we left Opryland, our last activity was craft time! his fun, this interactive family activity allows each participant to select two crafts to complete and take home. Crafts options include decorating your own summer journal, treasure chests, princess tiara, pirate hat, and more. One of my nephews decorated a pirate hat, the other put a sailboat together! They also had crayons and nautical-themed coloring books for the boys to color. It’s $10 per ticket, and from Sunda to Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The Captain’s Hidden Treasure Escape Room

This is another activity we didn’t get to do but looked so fun. The premise is an archeologist has discovered a treasure chest that belonged to Blackbeard, the infamous pirate! Blackbeard cursed the treasure so only the cleverest pirates could unlock it. Crack the codes and recover the treasure before time is up or fall victim to Blackbeard’s curse. How much you pay depends on the number of people in your group and is available from Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.