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Anyone remember Opryland USA in Nashville?


Dukeis#1

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Does anybody remember the Opryland USA theme park that use to be in Nashville? I was so sad when they closed it down to build that damn mall! All that's left is the hotel and the Grand Ole Opry.

Now Tennessee's only major theme park is Dollywood in Pigeon Forge.

I will NEVER forgive Gaylord Entertainment. It was because of it's bad management that the park's attendance started slipping. I was happy to hear that their new mega-mall was loosing money.

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i was really pissed when they did that. we have way too many malls here to begin with. it's not even the biggest mall in the area either. cool springs is bigger and they didn't have to destroy a landmark (unless you include beautiful farmland a landmark. :angry: i hate malls.)

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i was really pissed when they did that. we have way too many malls here to begin with. it's not even the biggest mall in the area either. cool springs is bigger and they didn't have to destroy a landmark (unless you include beautiful farmland a landmark.  :angry:  i hate malls.)

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By number of stores, I believe Opry Mills is the largest by far.

Opry Mills - Over 210 - but by size it is rougly the same as Hickory Hollow, Slightly Larger than Rivergate, and slightly smaller than Cool Springs.

Hickory Hollow - 150

Rivergate - 141

Cool Springs - 141

Governor's Square ~110

Green Hills ~ 100

Bellevue ~ 100

Stones River ~ 50

Opryland is still missed...

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I've only been to Opry Mills once, and that was more than enough for me. I remember thinking how much I missed the amusement park the entire half-hour I was there.

I remember Nashville's hotel occupancy rate was down 60% the summer after Opryland closed.

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By number of stores, I believe Opry Mills is the largest by far.

Opry Mills - Over 210 - but by size it is rougly the same as Hickory Hollow, Slightly Larger than Rivergate, and slightly smaller than Cool Springs.

Hickory Hollow - 150

Rivergate - 141

Cool Springs - 141

Governor's Square ~110

Green Hills ~ 100

Bellevue ~ 100

Stones River ~ 50

Opryland is still missed...

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i was talking about square feet. most people get there are are like "it's soooooo big!!!" and when i tell them that cool springs is bigger people never believe me. but you are right about them having more stores that cool springs.

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Tell me about it. But, the real question should be, did they make the right choice business wise. A boy in my school, his fater is the CEO of Gaylord. His son thinks they did the right thing.

They have made enemies with me. Honestly, what idiot would come to nasvhille and spend the whole time in Opry Mills. Everything is overpriced. There are so many better things to do in Nasvhvegas.

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Tell me about it. But, the real question should be, did they make the right choice business wise. A boy in my school, his father is the CEO of Gaylord. His son thinks they did  the right thing. 

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Looking back over the last eight years, I don't know how anybody could say closing Opryland was a good idea. Nashville's tourism economy still hasn't bounced back to pre-1998 levels.

Gaylord Ent. certainly didn't gain anything from it. They tore down the amusement park, built the mall, the mall lost money, so they sold out of it last Spring...It's like they ended up with less than what they started with.

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I'd actually never been to Opryland. Well, I'd been when I was young, but I don't remember it. Opry Mills really isn't anything to be excited about, but I still think it would be a good idea to run a light rail from there to downtown.

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I'd actually never been to Opryland. Well, I'd been when I was young, but I don't remember it. Opry Mills really isn't anything to be excited about, but I still think it would be a good idea to run a light rail from there to downtown.

I totally agree with claws, a light rail will make it better. I believe they should also built a bridge connecting east nashville and opryland because it would be such a great shortcutt...

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Opryland was a great asset to the Nashville tourism economy. When out of towners thought of Nashville they thought of Opryland. Even in Memphis I hear people all the time say they miss Opryland.

I can also see why they closed. It was boring as hell!!! In the age of extreme thrill rides/extreme parks, one can't help to see that Opryland couldn't keep up. With puny rides like the Wabash Cannon Ball and even the inverted Hangman the park couldn't keep up with Six Flags or Kings Island. Every other year the amusement park industry gets more and more competitive.

My predictions is that somewhere in Tennessee, there will be an extreme theme park built within the next 10 years (pending a major national economic recovery). Nashville is the ideal location due to it being the capital and in central tennessee.

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O...Nashville would have to do alot of densifying for the city to be ready for LRT. The only cities that make lrt work are the ones with density of 5 and 6k per sq mile for a good 20 to 30 sq miles outside of the Central City. Nashville doesn't have it. Although Commuter rail is going to be great for the region but it isn't ready for LRT.

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O...Nashville would have to do alot of densifying for the city to be ready for LRT.  The only cities that make lrt work are the ones with density of 5 and 6k per sq mile for a good 20 to 30 sq miles outside of the Central City.  Nashville doesn't have it.  Although Commuter rail is going to be great for the region but it isn't ready for LRT.

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What about the tourism? Do you not think LRT could serve residents and tourists in at least lines between Downtown/Rolling Mill Hill and West End/Music Row. Nashville's density is about the same as that of Charlotte and they are constructing LRT and we have much more tourism/convention traffic than Charlotte.

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Opryland was a great asset to the Nashville tourism economy.  When out of towners thought of Nashville they thought of Opryland.  Even in Memphis I hear people all the time say they miss Opryland.

I can also see why they closed.  It was boring as hell!!!  In the age of extreme thrill rides/extreme parks, one can't help to see that Opryland couldn't keep up.  With puny rides like the Wabash Cannon Ball and even the inverted Hangman the park couldn't keep up with Six Flags or Kings Island.  Every other year the amusement park industry gets more and more competitive.

My predictions is that somewhere in Tennessee, there will be an extreme theme park built within the next 10 years (pending a major national economic recovery).  Nashville is the ideal location due to it being the capital and in central tennessee.

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i don't think that it wasn't because opryland wasn't exciting, i just think that it wasn't marketed as well as it should have been. if it closed because it wasn't exciting, then why is dollywood still around? opryland had a lot better rides than dollywood, especially around the time that they closed. btw, does memphis still have libertyland?

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i don't think that it wasn't because opryland wasn't exciting, i just think that it wasn't marketed as well as it should have been. if it closed because it wasn't exciting, then why is dollywood still around? opryland had a lot better rides than dollywood, especially around the time that they closed. btw, does memphis still have libertyland?

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Yes. Liberty Land is still open. I would consider that as a big fair that operates all summer. :) instead of an amusement park. They are pretty much land locked and cant expand to accomodate the hyper coasters of today.

Dollywood is a "silver dollar city" theme park...i think? They are marketed in a totally different way. Dollywood is in the middle of a major resort area of east tennessee. I believe there is a "silver dollar city" in or near branson in the ozarks as well. both are surviving due to their location. Nashville is a city not a resort. If there was an amusement park to open it would have to be similar to cedar point or a disney type park to attract people from a 500 mile radius steeling the thunder from six flags in st. Louis, louisville and atlanta plus kings island near cincinatti.

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The reason Dollywood is still around is because it is managed a lot better than Opryland was. Silver Dollar City and Dolly Parton know how to run an amusement park.

Opryland started failing because Gaylord Entertainment stopped putting money into new rides and attractions. In the 1980s they added a lot of stuff, but around 1991 it's like they just forgot about the theme park and started spending all the money on the hotel. The last big ride Opryland added was The Hangman, and it was mediocre at best.

In those last few years, you have to admit Dollywood was really giving Opryland a run for it's money. More Entertainment and a better atmosphere at a lower price. If you compared Dollywood in 1997 to Opryland in 1997 you could easliy see why Dollywood was beating Opryland at it's own game. Of course, like said above, Dollywood is in Pigeon Forge, so I'm sure that helps a lot as well...

Dollywood has really been expanding a lot lately. In 2004 they built a new wooden roller coaster called "Thunderhead", and a few years ago they built a waterpark. :thumbsup:

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i agree dukeis#1, dollywood is run very well. they have gotten several big attractions too lately. that waterpark has really helped them. i think that nashville should start looking at getting an amusement park. i honestly don't think that kentucky kingdom or six flags atlanta or st. louis would hurt any ticket sales if we had one again. think of all the money that nashville is loosing by having nashvillians go to these parks instead of staying home. the big question would be where to put one though. i doubt one could happen in davidson county, and people in williamson county would freak. i do however think that wilson county would be a good place. i dunno, maybe in gladeville by the nashville superspeedway? that could help the superspeedway also.

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i agree dukeis#1, dollywood is run very well. they have gotten several big attractions too lately. that waterpark has really helped them. i think that nashville should start looking at getting an amusement park. i honestly don't think that kentucky kingdom or six flags atlanta or st. louis would hurt any ticket sales if we had one again. think of all the money that nashville is loosing by having nashvillians go to these parks instead of staying home. the big question would be where to put one though. i doubt one could happen in davidson county, and people in williamson county would freak. i do however think that wilson county would be a good place. i dunno, maybe in gladeville by the nashville superspeedway? that could help the superspeedway also.

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I don't think that other parks within a 300 mile radius would hurt sales at Nashville amusement park. If they put some state of the art thrill rides similar to cedar point or majic mountain, they could probably take some of the thunder from six flags. An amusement park would have to draw just as much from the local area as out of town to function. Nashville is in a perfect situation because of its location. they are within 500 miles of St. Louis Memphis Atlanta Louisville Knoxville and Chatanooga. People are not going to come unless it kicks the hell out of six flags.

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Dollywood is an avowed hillbilly theme park, and d@mn proud of it. So yeah, it goes in line with the Silver Dollar City theme park idea, and Dollywood originally started out as Silver Dollar City @ Pigeon Forge before Dolly bought it out and remarketed it in the 1980's.

So far as the LRT argument goes, why in the world would LRT need to go by Opry Mills? There is absolutely no density to that area, its 100% car-oriented, and its so out of the way of urban neighborhoods and LRT-functionable corridors that it would be total waste.

And heavy-commuter-rail is best for Nashville to start with?? Not quite. The East Corridor commuter rail project will be nothing more then a small time mover having maybe 1,000 riders a day at its best for many years to come. It will do very little to enhance Nashville.

Nashville is ready for LRT, and its ready for it down the West End corridor into downtown, as well as extensions down certain streets like Murfreesboro Pike or maybe East Nashville so that those areas could be revitalized.

And if the leaders and metro-wide population of Nashville isn't ready to pay for LRT, they should start Bus Rapid Transit as a start. Having a workable BRT system with maps and platforms to stand under at each stop with regular service (no more then 10 minutes between buses, as well as reliable 24 hour service on select routs) then that would be the beginnings of truly usable transit services.

I'm almost beginning to think that with Nashville's overall mentality, its probably best to start with BRT. People around here don't like to think of the evil word tax, BRT wouldn't be out of line with the pro-roadway mentality of Middle Tennesseans so you wouldn't get the Williamson County yahoos and Marsha Blackburn on your @ss trying to tear you down every time you wanted to build something.

So I vote for scrapping rail altogether for now and building a good BRT network. :) If BRT ever got overwhelmed, it could be transitioned to subway instead of having LRT. That'd be a great idea, but a bit glossy-eyed for sure.

Regardless of what happens, BRT or LRT, none of it is useful unless the metropolitan region starts acting together to promote urban growth and business/housing growth in urban districts.

For some reason, I just don't see this happening in Nashville. I hope that I'm proven wrong in time.

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Dollywood is an avowed hillbilly theme park, and d@mn proud of it. So yeah, it goes in line with the Silver Dollar City theme park idea, and Dollywood originally started out as Silver Dollar City @ Pigeon Forge before Dolly bought it out and remarketed it in the 1980's.

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Actually, its history goes back further than that. In the 1960s, Dollywood started out as Rebel Railroad (With the steam train as the only ride). In the early 70s it was renamed Goldrush Junction, and in 1976 the people that own Silver Dollar City in Branson bought it and change it's name Silver Dollar City-Tennessee.

Dolly Parton became a part-owner of the park in 1985, and in 1986 its name was changed to Dollywood to reflect her interest. Dolly doesn't solely own the park. She is a part owner, with Silver Dollar City Inc owning the other part.

It's not quite as "redneck" as it use to be, but it still has a lot of its "country charm", which is what sets it apart from all the other amusement parks. :)

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Dollywood is an avowed hillbilly theme park, and d@mn proud of it. So yeah, it goes in line with the Silver Dollar City theme park idea, and Dollywood originally started out as Silver Dollar City @ Pigeon Forge before Dolly bought it out and remarketed it in the 1980's.

So far as the LRT argument goes, why in the world would LRT need to go by Opry Mills? There is absolutely no density to that area, its 100% car-oriented, and its so out of the way of urban neighborhoods and LRT-functionable corridors that it would be total waste.

And heavy-commuter-rail is best for Nashville to start with?? Not quite. The East Corridor commuter rail project will be nothing more then a small time mover having maybe 1,000 riders a day at its best for many years to come. It will do very little to enhance Nashville.

Nashville is ready for LRT, and its ready for it down the West End corridor into downtown, as well as extensions down certain streets like Murfreesboro Pike or maybe East Nashville so that those areas could be revitalized.

And if the leaders and metro-wide population of Nashville isn't ready to pay for LRT, they should start Bus Rapid Transit as a start. Having a workable BRT system with maps and platforms to stand under at each stop with regular service (no more then 10 minutes between buses, as well as reliable 24 hour service on select routs) then that would be the beginnings of truly usable transit services.

I'm almost beginning to think that with Nashville's overall mentality, its probably best to start with BRT. People around here don't like to think of the evil word tax, BRT wouldn't be out of line with the pro-roadway mentality of Middle Tennesseans so you wouldn't get the Williamson County yahoos and Marsha Blackburn on your @ss trying to tear you down every time you wanted to build something.

So I vote for scrapping rail altogether for now and building a good BRT network. :) If BRT ever got overwhelmed, it could be transitioned to subway instead of having LRT. That'd be a great idea, but a bit glossy-eyed for sure.

Regardless of what happens, BRT or LRT, none of it is useful unless the metropolitan region starts acting together to promote urban growth and business/housing growth in urban districts.

For some reason, I just don't see this happening in Nashville. I hope that I'm proven wrong in time.

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But what about Opryland Hotel and the tourist draw that Opry Mills has? I think an LRT line would be reat to run to to that area if only targeted at tourists and convention traffic going to the hotel.

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