[title subtitle=”words: Marla Cantrell
images:courtesy Nashville Guru”][/title]
Nashville, Tennessee, just 500 miles from Fort Smith, is a delight. This city is home to the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, Music Row, and the Country Music Hall of Fame. At the end of January, a new attraction opened at the Gaylord Opryland Resort, offering guests an indoor, upscale water attraction called SoundWaves.
The resort alone is worth the trip. There is a spa, eighteen restaurants (dinner at Ravello, an Italian eatery is highly recommended), an award-winning golf course, and several shops. This mammoth hotel boasts 2,888 rooms, most of which are inside an atrium where the temperature remains constantly cozy.
One of the first things you may notice is the quality of the air. There is not a hint of the odor of chlorine that can be overwhelming in places with so much water. Sunbeams stream through the roof, which is constructed of a special material that lets the sunshine in, which means you can sunbathe year-round.
Many of the walls are constructed of plant beds that make you feel as if you’re in nature, which mimics the feeling of the hotel, where gardens spring up in common areas. In every part of SoundWaves, lifeguards work, moving often to make sure they can see all the guests.
There are areas for adults-only, making this a perfect place for girls’ trips, bachelor and bachelorette parties, or couple time. An indoor pool, bar, plush towels and chaise lounges complete the experience.
The rest of the park is perfect for all ages. A kids’ area with water slides sits on its own level. There, parents and grandparents can play with the kids or lounge on the chaises in full view of their little ones.
In other areas, there is an activity pool with rock climbing, an obstacle course, and water basketball. One of the most challenging and entertaining spots is the FlowRider® Double indoor surfing pool. Guests ranging in age from grammar school kids to older adults can take turns surfing, much to the delight of everyone watching.
The lazy river runs through a realistic looking cave, and the rapid river offers bigger thrills. Private luxury cabanas and not one, but three, party rooms are available to rent, which can be customized for everything from a bachelorette party to birthday celebration.
For those who want to get out of the water for a bit, there is a massive game room that offers virtual reality, an arcade, table games, and rock climbing. Thinking that it might not be too much fun to play games in wet swimsuits? The designers solved that problem. There’s a step-in air dryer, about the size of a dressing room in a clothing store. Once inside, switch on the power. It feels as if you’re being dried off by a giant blow dryer, the kind you use to dry your hair.
There are also two restaurants, Status Cymbal, located near the adults-only bar and infinity pool; and Decibels, open to all ages, on the second floor.
Set to open in May is the outdoor portion of SoundWaves, which will have a 315,000-gallon wave pool with a giant LED movie screen, a multi-slide tower, a kids’ pool, and an adults-only outdoor pool, bars, food trucks, a lounging area, as well as private cabana rentals. When this addition to SoundWaves opens, the indoor/outdoor resort will cover more than four acres.
One of the biggest perks of SoundWaves is that it is never overbooked, so you won’t find yourself waiting in long lines or feeling crowded. Opryland Resort sets aside a block of rooms that include tickets to SoundWaves, and you request that package when you make reservations. Check in, get settled, and head to the attraction, without ever leaving the property. (There is also an option for outside visitors who just want to book one of the three SoundWaves’ party rooms for four hours, which includes all-day access, and a parking pass.)
If you’re looking for a vacation not far from home, or if you’re planning a girls’ weekend, SoundWaves at Opryland Resort is a great option. The service is remarkable, the food impeccable, and you’ll have the chance to experience a state-of-the-art water experience. The best part of SoundWaves is that you don’t even have to wait for summer. Here, it’s summer all-year long.
To book tickets to SoundWaves, visit SoundWavesGo.com. To learn more about Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, check out GaylordOpryland.com.
