Opryland 2013

When we left Opryland last year, we said to ourselves, “We are never going back during the holidays!,” because the crowds were so bad. Well, never say never. We couldn’t stay away from such fun, holiday must-do’s, and this year, Helen Grace’s grandparents decided to come along with us for our annual Opryland adventure.

We were pleasantly surprised that the crowds were at a minimum this year. There were times that we had to wait in line for a shuttle or to get into an exhibit, but in general, we walked around at ease and were able to get into restaurants with no wait (thanks to dinner reservations we made in advance). It was a really fun time, and HG showed her grandparents around like a tour guide! Our rooms were all side by side, and she had a BALL running from room to room and hollering to them across the balconies. Our sure our neighbors were thrilled!

We had a quick visit:  arrived on Saturday at lunch, went to the Rockettes that night, checked out ICE on Sunday morning, and then headed to the airport to catch a plane to NYC (HG and I tagged along with John for his work trip).

God bless Chick-fil-A. We stopped there in Jackson, TN, for a clean bathroom, and they had a BALLOON LADY there making holiday balloons. What a hit!Our rooms’ view might have been the best yet- overlooking the Cascades lobby. Exploring on Saturday afternoon This is pretty much we did the whole time- just followed around and watched the little girl in red. {Rockettes 2013}{Rockettes 2012} We sat on the end of a row so that the Rockettes would pass by during their rag doll song. I was on the end and was waving at them like a crazy lady, trying to get their attention for HG. I finally caught one of them, turned to see if HG was watching, and turned back to see three of them standing there waving and smiling at her. HG’s mouth was hanging open and thought it was so cool! Exploring with Daddy on Sunday morning As close as she would get to the Shrek characters Waiting in line for the ICE exhibit- it was FREEZING outside. After waiting for a few minutes, someone came by and told us that if we had tickets through a package deal (which we did), we qualified for the VIP line. What?! Why had no one told us that before? We skipped the entire line and went straight to the area where they give you parkas. Incredible. ICE’s theme this year was Frosty the Snowman.

She just did the kid’s ice slide once this year, and she wasn’t as wild about it as last year. Not sure if she was cold, tired, or wanted to keep exploring.

She picked out Gingy (from Shrek) for her treat from ICE. Someone had too much fun spending the night in Grandma’s room last night that she couldn’t stay awake through lunch. She asked to go back to the room to lay down. That’s when you know she’s REALLY tired! After HG’s power nap, we packed up and headed to the airport to catch our flight to NYC!!