Opryland at Christmastime

Opryland has always been a great getaway for John and me, especially during the holidays, so we  really wanted to take a little road trip to Nashville right before Christmas to take in all the lights and festivities. While we loved the ICE! Shrek the Halls exhibit and the “Rockets” (otherwise known as the Rockettes), we have never been there when it was so crowded. The oppressive crowds, coupled with learning that HG is completely freaked out by approaching characters in costume, has reaffirmed that we are not ready for a trip to Disney World anytime soon!

Helen Grace had a blast ‘exploring,’ people watching from our room’s balcony (usually while enjoying a cupcake or ice cream cone), whizzing down the ice slide at ICE!, riding on a big bus as a shuttle between events, dancing in the aisle at the Rockets, and checking out all the Shrek characters- from afar, of course. 

She thought it was SO cool to pack and unpack her bag and toiletries. It took a lot of work to convince her that she was only going to take one suitcase. She had to get settled as soon as we got to our room. A little blurry, but you can tell she can barely contain her excitement. She loved the snow at ICE! Whoa, ICE! was amazing. If you can get past the 9 degree temperature, you could stay in there for hours checking out all the amazing details. See HG by the book?? This Shrek is HUGE. HG and John stood in line for the ice slide together, and she went down the slide all by herself- I was so proud of her! And she squealed with joy when she landed at the bottom.

Defrosting after ICE! with juice and a cupcakeDuring a late lunch, we stumbled upon a DreamWorks show in the Delta atrium with Shrek, Fiona, Puss in Boots (HG’s favorite), and Kung Fu Panda. She was fascinated with watching them from afar. Headed to the Rockettes! Petting the heck out of her daddy’s head. Such a little mama. The girl was dancing in the aisle! She’s still talking about how they were dressed up as reindeer with lit antlers at the beginning. They walked right past us down the aisle at one point in the show, and HG was star struck. Well, whatever makes you comfortable, HG. She wore big girl panties all weekend with not a single accident- even for the 3.5 hr drive. Goodbye, Opryland! Until next time!