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Opryland Themepark (Opryland USA)

Location Nashville, Tennessee
Owner Gaylord Entertainment Company
Opened May 27, 1972
Closed December 31, 1997
Area 120 acres
Rides 27 total
  • 6 roller coasters
  • 3 water rides
Slogan "Home of American Music"
"America's Musical Showplace"
"Great Shows! Great Rides! Great Times!"
Portal:Amusement parks Amusement Parks Portal

Opryland USA (later called Opryland Themepark and typically called simply Opryland) was a theme park located in Nashville, Tennessee. Gaylord Entertainment Company ( operates a number of Hotel, Resort, and media companies that was built by Edward Gaylord. Theme park is the generic term for a collection of rides and other Entertainment attractions assembled for the purpose of entertaining a large group It operated from 1972 until 1997. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar During the late 1980s nearly 2. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. 5 million people visited the park annually.

Contents

History

1970s

Billed as the "Home of American Music," Opryland USA featured a large number of musical shows along with the typical rides such as roller coasters, carousels, and the like. The roller coaster is a popular Amusement ride developed for Amusement parks and modern Theme parks LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first A carousel ( carrousel in French) is an Amusement ride consisting of a rotating platform with seats for passengers It was opened by the now-defunct National Life and Accident Insurance Company, a Nashville insurer best-known for operating WSM-AM-FM-TV and the Grand Ole Opry. The National Life and Accident Insurance Company is a former Life insurance company which was based in Nashville Tennessee. WSM is the Callsign of a 50000 watt AM radio station located in Nashville Tennessee. WSM-FM is an FM radio station in Nashville, Tennessee, known on the air as 95 WSMV-TV Channel 4 is the NBC television affiliate serving the Nashville Tennessee area The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly Country music radio program and concert broadcast live on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee The Opry itself moved to an adjacent site, the Grand Ole Opry House, from downtown's Ryman Auditorium in 1974. The Ryman Auditorium is a 2362-seat live performance venue located at 116 Fifth Avenue North in Nashville, Tennessee, U Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. (However, music at the park was not limited to country music; there were jazz and pop-themed shows as well). Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States

Shortly before opening for the 1975 season, Opryland, located along the banks of the Cumberland River, fell victim to a large flood that covered most of the park and was as deep as sixteen feet in some locations. The Cumberland River is an important waterway in the Southern United States. The park's opening was delayed by a month and several animals in the petting zoo were killed by the floodwaters.

Opryland became extremely successful during the mid-1970s, and by the 1977 season the park was drawing nearly 2 million guests annually. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. Attendance continued to climb into the 1980s. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989.

In 1977, a large, resort-style hotel was built next door to the park, and the Opryland Hotel (now called Gaylord Opryland) has expanded several times to become the largest non-casino hotel in the world. A resort is a place used for Relaxation or Recreation, attracting visitors for Holidays or Vacations Resorts are places towns or sometimes Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, formerly known as Opryland Hotel, is a large Hotel and Convention center located in Nashville A casino is in the modern sense of the word a facility that houses and accommodates certain types of Gambling activities

1980s - 1990s

In the early 1980s, National Life was taken over by Texas-based insurer American General (now part of the American International Group). The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. American General, not at all interested in operating a theme park or broadcasting interests, attempted to sell all of the National Life properties including WSM-AM-FM-TV, Opryland, Opryland Hotel, and the Grand Ole Opry as one, approaching companies such as MCA, The Marriott Corporation and Anheuser-Busch. WSM is the Callsign of a 50000 watt AM radio station located in Nashville Tennessee. WSM-FM is an FM radio station in Nashville, Tennessee, known on the air as 95 WSMV-TV Channel 4 is the NBC television affiliate serving the Nashville Tennessee area Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, formerly known as Opryland Hotel, is a large Hotel and Convention center located in Nashville The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly Country music radio program and concert broadcast live on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee MCA Inc (or Music Corporation of America) was an American Corporation in the music and television businesses Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc ( (ˈænhаɪzər bʊʃ is the largest Brewing company in the United States with a 48 While many of the companies showed interest in one aspect of Opryland, such as the theme park alone or the radio station, none was willing to buy the entire complex. American General began to feel that the only way to sell Opryland would be to split it up into separate entities.

Suddenly, the Gaylord Broadcasting Company of Oklahoma City stepped in and purchased the entire Opryland property in 1982. Gaylord Entertainment Company ( operates a number of Hotel, Resort, and media companies that was built by Edward Gaylord. Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the US state of Oklahoma. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) It also bought the WSM radio stations; it would have bought WSM-TV (now WSMV) as well had it not already been at the television ownership limit at the time. WSMV-TV Channel 4 is the NBC television affiliate serving the Nashville Tennessee area After the purchase, the company changed its name to "Gaylord Entertainment Company". Ed Gaylord, the then controlling figure of Gaylord Entertainment, was a huge fan of the Opry and weighed in on the decision to purchase Opryland.

Annual changes were made to the park to continue to attract local Nashvillians as well as out-of-town visitors. Large attractions such as the General Jackson Showboat, new roller coasters, and water rides were installed on a fairly regular basis until 1989, with the opening of the "Chaos" roller coaster. Specifications The General Jackson was built by Jeffboat in Jeffersonville Indiana and launched in 1985. The next large attraction to open would be The Hangman roller coaster in 1995. The Hangman was a steel suspended-looping Roller coaster located at the now-defunct Opryland USA theme park in Nashville Tennessee

The park also attracted top country music stars to perform nightly concerts at the park's premier venue, the Chevrolet-Geo Celebrity Theater, built in 1992. Chevrolet (ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ - French origin (also known as Chevy) is a Brand of Automobile, produced by General Motors (GM Geo was a brand of small cars and SUVs marketed by General Motors and sold through Chevrolet dealerships throughout North America beginning Initially free during their first two seasons, the park began charging for the concerts in 1994 and expanded them for 1995 to the Lakeside Theatre and Acuff Theatre (including a renovation and expansion of each venue), billing the concert series as "Nashville On Stage".

In the mid 1980s, "Trickets" (three-day admission tickets for one price) were introduced and large numbers of season passes were sold to residents of the Nashville area. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989.

In the early 1980s Gaylord Entertainment Company took over National Life's previous efforts of starting a cable network, and The Nashville Network ("TNN") was born. Spike (formerly called Spike TV) a division of MTV Networks, is an American cable network designed for an audience described TNN became a television network dedicated entirely to country music. For years, its main recording facilities were located on-site at Opryland, and the theme park was often featured on the network as a concert venue for country music stars. Also, beginning in the early-1990s, as a nod to TNN's NASCAR coverage as well as Opryland's official designation with NASCAR, the annual "TNN Salute to Motorsports" event would take place over a weeklong period. This included numerous motorsports exhibits as well as meet-and-greets with racing personalities.

Also, to entice out-of-town guests to come, package deals including rooms at the hotel, tickets to Opryland, and admission to the Grand Ole Opry were made.

During the Summer of 1993 the popular Mark Goodson game show Family Feud traveled to Opryland and taped several weeks of episodes that opened the show's sixth season with Ray Combs as host. Mark Goodson ( January 14, 1915 &ndash December 18, 1992) was a successful American Television producer who specialized Family Feud is a popular Television Game show that pits two families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type Raymond Neil "Ray" Combs Jr ( April 3, 1956 &mdash June 2, 1996) was an American comedian and host of the These syndicated episodes began airing in September and featured some of country music's brightest stars including Porter Wagoner, Boxcar Willie, Charley Pride, Brenda Lee, the Mandrells, and the Statler Brothers as well as at least one week of regular Nashville families playing against each other. Porter Wayne Wagoner ( August 12, 1927 &ndash October 28, 2007) was an American Country music singer Boxcar Willie ( September 1 1931 &ndash April 12 1999) was an American "hobo music" singer Charley Frank Pride (born March 18, 1938) is a Country music artist Brenda Lee (born December 11, 1944) is an American country - pop Singer, who was popular during the 1950s and 1960s

In 1994, the park's official name was changed to "Opryland Themepark". The "Opryland USA" name was designated as the destination's name, to include all of Gaylord Entertainment's Nashville properties. For example: Opryland Hotel, Opryland Themepark, and the Grand Ole Opry were all components of Opryland USA, as were the Ryman Auditorium and Wildhorse Saloon, which are located a few miles away in downtown Nashville. The Ryman Auditorium is a 2362-seat live performance venue located at 116 Fifth Avenue North in Nashville, Tennessee, U

Shuttering

Opryland, however, was severely handicapped by its location. The park was located on a triangular tract of land. The Pennington Bend of the Cumberland River was on one side, Briley Parkway was on another, and the Opryland Hotel was on the third. The Cumberland River is an important waterway in the Southern United States. State Route 155, mostly designated the Briley Parkway, is a major beltway around Nashville, Tennessee. This meant that not only was the site subject to occasional flooding but also that the park could not expand to include new attractions as consumer preferences changed. Opryland was forced to remove older attractions in order to add new ones. By the time Opryland closed, it had reached 200 acres in size and had nowhere else to grow. The company, at one time, explored purchasing land on the other side of the river and providing a bridge or tram service.

Some also cite the rise of Dolly Parton's Dollywood theme park in east Tennessee as a reason for Opryland’s attendance plateau. Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American Country music Singer / Songwriter, Author, actress This page is about a theme park in the USA For the Bangladeshi film industry also known as Dhallywood see Cinema of Bangladesh. During the early 1990s, the two parks competed with each other to some extent, as both were labeled “show parks” and attracted a similar demographic range. During this time many feel Opryland attempted to shed the "show park" image, as its advertising began to emphasize the rides over the shows and other attractions.

As the 1990s wore on, Opryland Hotel continued to expand onto the remaining available land, further trapping the theme park. Also, Nashville's climate made year-round operations almost impossible; seasons were largely limited to weekends in the late fall and early spring and daily in the summer. Seasonal workers became hard to find, and Gaylord found itself with a labor shortage. They began to employ many immigrants from Latin America and elsewhere. Attendance plateaued, and, by 1997, Gaylord management decided that the Opryland property would no longer make a rate of return equal to that desired for its properties and was unlikely ever to return to doing so. In Finance, rate of return ( ROR) also known as return on investment ( ROI) rate of profit or sometimes just return, is Management decided the park should be replaced by a property which made year-round usage of the site. The rides were sold and the park demolished; the site is now occupied by the Opry Mills mall, which now has no connection to Gaylord other than the licensed "Opry" name. Opry Mills is a mega Shopping mall owned by Simon Property Group, formerly by its initial owners Mills Corporation and Gaylord Entertainment.

The park closed permanently on December 31, 1997, following the "Christmas in the Park" season. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The decision to close the park and replace it with a mall was made public in October 1997. The 1997 "Christmas in the Park" season was billed as a "last chance" for Nashvillians to see Opryland, though it came as a shock to many to see the larger attractions already being dismantled. The park's closing was not widely publicized outside of Middle Tennessee and interstate signs directing drivers to Opryland were not removed. Due to this, tourists continued to show up looking for Opryland, only to find the park closed. As of 2008, road signs still direct motorists to "Opryland" from all three interstates.

Demolition and beyond

Ruins of the old "Grizzly River Rampage" (October 2007).
Ruins of the old "Grizzly River Rampage" (October 2007).

All five roller coasters and many other large attractions were sold to Premier Parks and moved to a field near Indianapolis, Indiana where the company was to build a new theme park. Six Flags Inc (commonly Six Flags) is one of the world's largest chains of Amusement parks and Theme parks, based on quantity of properties Those plans were soon scrapped when Premier Parks purchased Six Flags. Six Flags Inc (commonly Six Flags) is one of the world's largest chains of Amusement parks and Theme parks, based on quantity of properties The pieces of Opryland's attractions sat rusting in the Indiana field until 2002, when the site was sold. Some of the flat rides were sold for scrap metal, while the fate of many of the larger attractions remains unknown, although at least two of Opryland's former coasters (The Hangman and Rock n' Roller Coaster) found new life at Six Flags parks around the United States under different names. The Hangman was a steel suspended-looping Roller coaster located at the now-defunct Opryland USA theme park in Nashville Tennessee This is about the Opryland ride For the Walt Disney World ride see Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. One of the Wabash Cannonball's cars appeared at a park in Europe as part of a Halloween display. Wabash Cannonball was a steel corkscrew Roller coaster at the now-defunct Opryland USA theme park in Nashville Tennessee.

In February 1998, the remaining park souvenirs were sold at discount prices inside tents set up in the parking lot, in a fashion similar to a post-flood "fire sale" in 1975.

The themepark site was cleared and paved into a parking lot for a shopping mall called Opry Mills by July 1999. Opry Mills is a mega Shopping mall owned by Simon Property Group, formerly by its initial owners Mills Corporation and Gaylord Entertainment. Opry Mills itself opened to the public on May 12, 2000. Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.

The "Opryland USA" name disappeared permanently in 2001 when Gaylord repositioned itself, and all the Nashville properties were bundled into the newly renamed "Gaylord Opryland Resort".

In 2004, The Tennessean published a statement by Gaylord Entertainment claiming that current company executives had found no evidence that previous management ever had a business plan for Opryland, let alone any strategic analysis that led to closing it, and that no compelling reasons had been found for the park's closure. The Tennessean is the principal daily Newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, with a circulation area covering 39 counties in Most of the Opryland-era executives left Gaylord Entertainment early in the decade when the company restructured itself into a more hospitality-oriented company.

Most traces of the park are gone, and even the hills and valleys of the park are now flattened and in fact are now a parking lot. The front gate is now the back wall of the former Tower Records location, and the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster's spot is now partially occupied by Regal Cinemas. However, along the sidewalk in the trees between the Opry Mills parking lot and the Gaylord Opryland Resort, sections of the old "Grizzly River Rampage" water ride are visible. This will, too, soon be demolished, as Gaylord has announced plans to expand the hotel onto this land.

A new Opryland?

Nashville's tourist economy has yet to recover fully from the loss of a major seasonal attraction as there has not been a comparable property opened (as of 2007) to in any way replace Opryland. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Several developers have floated plans for a new Nashville-area theme park. To date, none has come to fruition.

Rumors of a new Gaylord-owned theme park resurfaced in late 2006, as Gaylord Entertainment petitoned to reclassify 105 acres it owns near the former site of Opryland Themepark to include "Commercial Attractions". Analysts say, however, that a new park the size of Opryland (which at 200 acres was considered relatively small) would not fit on the 105-acre lot. The company unsuccessfully attempted to buy more than 50 adjacent acres of land owned by Two Rivers Baptist Church in 2006.

Notable rides

Ride Description
The Hangman Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster
Wabash Cannonball Arrow Dynamics corkscrew coaster
Rock 'n Roller Coaster Arrow Dynamics runaway mine train coaster
Chaos Enclosed Vekoma Illusion roller coaster
Screamin' Delta Demon Intamin Bobsled Coaster
Grizzly River Rampage Intamin river rapids raft ride
Old Mill Scream Shoot the chutes boat ride
Dulcimer Splash (aka Flume Zoom) Log Ride
Barnstormer 100 Foot Tall spinning airplane ride
Opryland Railroad Train ride around the park
Sky Ride Suspended bucket ride transgressing park

See also

External links

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