Spending the weekend at Gaylord Opryland Resort for the return of Goblins & Giggles was a real spooktacular treat happening now through October 31, 2021! It’s the perfect place for a family staycation this fall. Our itinerary was full with fun seasonal activities that we all enjoyed and with everything in one place that makes it even better!
Thank you so much to Gaylord Opryland for hosting us! These thoughts are my own.
Our daughter Juliette turned 3 recently and she had the best time ever. She’s still talking about it. So I’d figured I share with you the activities and food she loved the most during our staycation, but first let me tell you about our room! We stayed in a double queen room which was located in the Cascades with a balcony atrium view of the luscious gardens. They had a crib awaiting for Jesse too! Juliette loved sleeping in what she called her “big girl bed”. The beds were comfortably soft and had some firmness to them. The pillows were wonderful so it felt like we were sleeping on cloud 9.
After getting checked in at Gaylord Opryland, we made our way to Paisano’s Pizzaria & Vino before having some spooky fun. While JP and I ate the 3 meat slices, Juliette had a slice of cheese pizza. These slices are huge and she ate her entire slice, sitting by the waterfall as if she was enjoying her own piece of heaven.
With our stomachs no longer screaming, “feed me” we made our way to the Ghouls Night Out Riverboat Ride. The boat takes you down a scenic River that wines through Gaylord Opryland Resort’s Delta Atrium. There’s a sun warning you to ride at your own risk or reward we certainly didn’t know what trick or treat could be lurking in the shadows that our guide warned us about. Along with ride we participated in a candy corn challenge. Juliette got excited each time she saw the candy corn and pointed them out. When our ride was complete they gave us each a bag of candy corn.
Hide & Seek Scavenger Hunt featuring Spookley the Square Pumpkin was a hit too! We picked up our booklet and crayons in the Frightfully Fun Zone. Of course it’s kid/reader friendly however, I’m not very good with solving puzzles and riddles. So this was a task that Juliette completed with her daddy. They took the approach to complete the booklet first because that’s the key to finding Spookley the Square Pumpkin. Once it was completed, Juliette showed her booklet to the host for a special prize. She received a Holiday Hill Farm book, The Legend of Spookley The Square Pumpkin.
Juliette kept saying, “Mommy I’m having so much fun!” We could see it in her smile she was having a blast but it was cutting it close to bedtime. We returned to our room to prepare for bed and turn on our television to channel 29 to join Morgana the Witch, and Grimm, the Goblin for a bedtime story. Morgana the Witch read, “Grim The Good Hearted Goblin” and played a game of Halloween themed charades. Juliette insisted we watch it again and this time she was trying to read along and guess the answers to charades.
The next morning, we went to Cascades American Cafe for the breakfast buffet. There was a sanitizing station before picking up a plate and the serving
utensils were changed out periodically. Juliette isn’t picky eater but it she’s also not a fan of hot breakfast. By dining here this gave me a chance to get her to try some different items. She’s now a fan of breakfast potatoes. The food was so good and a great meal to begin our next adventure.
We headed back to the Frightfully Fun Zone where Juliette and I decorated cookies. This was our first time decorating cookies together and believe it or not we didn’t get too messy. Our kit was so super fun and she’s knew how she wanted to decorate them. Even telling me don’t forget the pumpkin’s eyes. If you haven’t seen our video in our Instagram Gaylord Opryland highlights yet, be sure to check it out. It’s a real treat!
SoundWaves Nashville was an experience that took my breath away from the gorgeous modern design to the thrilling slides. SoundWaves is the nation’s first upscale indoor/outdoor resort water attraction, bringing music and water together to create an atmosphere the entire family will enjoy! They even have an adults-only section, on our next visit I will have to check that out. Our first first stop was the Quarter Note Cove. It’s a splash play area and pool designed for young children. We knew that Juliette would enjoy this because she’s not a huge fan of large bodies of water. This was the perfect spot to begin for us. Then we made our way to the Down Tempo Lazy River and coasted along for the ride. Even our baby boy, Jesse enjoyed himself on this one with a life vest on. There’s LED lighting, music and Juliette took notice of the Stingray paintings on the bottom of it. Kids don’t miss a beat, I tell ya! We even met a Mermaid! She noticed that Juliette was afraid of the water so she came up to shore to say hello to her! We took a beat to grab some food from Decibels an eatery inside SoundWaves. The food was so delicious!
After departing SoundWaves we went back to our room to get ready for Goblins & Giggles Trick-or-treat Expedition. We knew this event would be so much fun! We dressed Juliette up as Owlette from her favorite show PJ Masks and Jesse as Night Ninja. JP went as Gekko and I was Luna Girl, we couldn’t let the kids have all the fun right! This was Juliette’s first time tricking or treating and Gaylord Opryland delivered an amazing experience. We made our rounds to each station and the host took time to greet the children and even help tell us which way to go next. She collected candies, coloring pages and crayons, a commemorative Goblins & Giggles cup with a coupon for yummy treats too. While on our expedition we ran into Spookley the Square Pumpkin at the Monster Mash Bash! The DJ lit up the dance floor with today’s hits and the kids were loving it. We boogied to the floor to show the kids the Cha-Cha Slide.
After cutting a rug on the dance floor we watched the Fantasy and Folklore Fountain Show. The music and lights were choreographed perfectly, captivating us all during the water show. It’s free and has show times beginning at 7pm.
Want to have a ghoulishly fun time yourself?
“In celebration of the season, the resort is offering a special Goblins & Giggles package starting at $339 for a family of four. Guests can also book the Goblins & Giggles SoundWaves package starting at $499 for a family of four which also includes access to the resort’s upscale water attraction.
For more information about Gaylord Opryland Resort or to book overnight stays, room packages or event tickets, visit Gaylord Opryland .” – Gaylord Opryland
We all had such an incredible time and already dreaming of our next staycation at their beautiful resort where everything is truly in one place!
Thanks for reading!
– Tiarra
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