Closing Opryland has to be one of the stupidest business decisions I’ve ever seen. They shut down a popular amusement park, a big tourist destination for Nashville with a lot of great memories from the public attached, in favor of a shopping mall. Today, people still remember Opryland fondly, while malls are dying all over the country. Great decision, guys!
Oh my gosh, I just want to cry. I have such great memories from there and I wish my niece and nephews could have gotten to go too! 😭 Who needs another stupid mall! 😬 Thanks for posting this! 💜
I looked at some old satellite photos a couple months ago of old Opryland and the new mall's location and one thing shocked me. The Opry Mills Mall was not actually built over Opryland proper, it was, built on the parking lot and nearly all of the actual park was north of the mall. If they had the foresight to build a couple of parking garages for both the mall and the theme park, they could have opened the mall and kept the theme park. The land Opryland proper sat on is now an overflow parking that due to the significant reduction in mall traffic over the last 15 or so years, is almost entirely used for commercial vehicle storage that companies rent out to store their overstock of trucks and buses as the mall even during peak holiday season never uses any of that overflow parking lot these days; especially after the pandemic. Worse yet, the mall is one bad flood away from closing forever as the company that owns the mall would not be able to pay for any major renovation if another flood happens. Meanwhile because Opryland proper sat on higher ground up river, it actually is far less prone to bad flooding and back when it did flood in the 70s, it was cleaned up and re-opened in just 3 weeks, not 18 months and 50 million dollars later like the mall was. Not even counting the fact, that Opryland had lots of trees and soil to absorb any flood water (which was cleared away to make room for the overflow parking lot; what an ironic pun that is) while the mall sits on a massive slab of concrete where the water has to simply moved back to the river.
They should never have destroyed Opyland. Worst decision Gaylord Entertainment and the city of Nashville have ever made. They should have invested into better rides and a water park nearby.
The barnstormer and the old log ride that went around before the old mill scream were awesome. Best ride by far though was the Demon. I can still remember how amazing that entire entrance to the ride were done at night and getting to ride it.
I remember running thru this park trying to beat the lines to the rocking roller coaster, walbash cannonball, oldmill scream, flume zoom, screaming delta demon and chaos. How big it would be now tho, they messed up big-time!
Found memories as a kid we went here. So sad it no longer around. The screaming delta was one of my fist coaster. I have had dreams about the water ride with the boat for a long time.
Gaylord was an idiot. He did not have foresight into what was about to happen with shopping online. What a stupid waste. Dolly did want to build a new park a few years ago across the way from the property still available but, Gaylord wanted rights so, she walked. She has great insight.
Closing Opryland has to be one of the stupidest business decisions I’ve ever seen. They shut down a popular amusement park, a big tourist destination for Nashville with a lot of great memories from the public attached, in favor of a shopping mall.
Today, people still remember Opryland fondly, while malls are dying all over the country. Great decision, guys!
Oh my gosh, I just want to cry. I have such great memories from there and I wish my niece and nephews could have gotten to go too! 😭 Who needs another stupid mall! 😬
Thanks for posting this! 💜
Karma got the mall back, they’re not doing sufficient business to stay open.
I miss this place so much.
from birth to age 19 I had so many happy memories there
i miss this place SO so much
What I would pay for the ability to time travel back there for a day as a kid in the 80s. Some of my favorite memories. Thanks for the video!
I looked at some old satellite photos a couple months ago of old Opryland and the new mall's location and one thing shocked me. The Opry Mills Mall was not actually built over Opryland proper, it was, built on the parking lot and nearly all of the actual park was north of the mall. If they had the foresight to build a couple of parking garages for both the mall and the theme park, they could have opened the mall and kept the theme park. The land Opryland proper sat on is now an overflow parking that due to the significant reduction in mall traffic over the last 15 or so years, is almost entirely used for commercial vehicle storage that companies rent out to store their overstock of trucks and buses as the mall even during peak holiday season never uses any of that overflow parking lot these days; especially after the pandemic. Worse yet, the mall is one bad flood away from closing forever as the company that owns the mall would not be able to pay for any major renovation if another flood happens. Meanwhile because Opryland proper sat on higher ground up river, it actually is far less prone to bad flooding and back when it did flood in the 70s, it was cleaned up and re-opened in just 3 weeks, not 18 months and 50 million dollars later like the mall was. Not even counting the fact, that Opryland had lots of trees and soil to absorb any flood water (which was cleared away to make room for the overflow parking lot; what an ironic pun that is) while the mall sits on a massive slab of concrete where the water has to simply moved back to the river.
So sad the people in charge thought a mall was a better choice for the property and now all they own are the naming rights,pitiful
They should never have destroyed Opyland.
Worst decision Gaylord Entertainment and the city of Nashville have ever made.
They should have invested into better rides and a water park nearby.
The barnstormer and the old log ride that went around before the old mill scream were awesome. Best ride by far though was the Demon. I can still remember how amazing that entire entrance to the ride were done at night and getting to ride it.
makes me wanna cry, so many childhood and teenage memories there
Loved this amusement park such great memories love the wabash cannonball, screamin delta demon and grizzly river rampage!!
Wow...Brings back great memories. Thanks for sharing!
I remember running thru this park trying to beat the lines to the rocking roller coaster, walbash cannonball, oldmill scream, flume zoom, screaming delta demon and chaos. How big it would be now tho, they messed up big-time!
Found memories as a kid we went here. So sad it no longer around. The screaming delta was one of my fist coaster. I have had dreams about the water ride with the boat for a long time.
Chaos!!!
Yes! It seems like an almost forgotten ride, but it was awesome!
It closed in ‘97? Never would’ve thought it’s been that long ago. Went a couple times as a kid
Fond memories of Opryland -- countless! Fond memories of OpryMills -- Zero... What a tragedy losing Opryland for a trashy mall.
the Screamin Delta Demon !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God wins!
It was the first ride I ever rode. It was awesome.
Gaylord was an idiot. He did not have foresight into what was about to happen with shopping online. What a stupid waste. Dolly did want to build a new park a few years ago across the way from the property still available but, Gaylord wanted rights so, she walked. She has great insight.