As we approach the 2022 festive season, Gaylord Hotels is pleased to announce its full lineup of So. Much. Christmas. programming opening this November at Gaylord Opryland in TN, Gaylord Palms in FL, Gaylord Rockies in CO, Gaylord Texan in TX and Gaylord National in MD. Anchored by the long-awaited return of ICE!, the brand’s legendary Christmas marquee experience, Gaylord Hotels once again sets the stage for an epic holiday season. Guests are encouraged to pre-purchase individual tickets and book overnight packages to make the most of their experience.
Renowned for its annual Christmas showcases, Gaylord Hotels and its five resorts will once again transform into immersive holiday environments adorned with millions of twinkling lights, over 100,000 feet of garland, dozens of towering Christmas trees and thousands of shimmering ornaments. Each resort returns with hours of interactive activities, delicious culinary treats, festive character experiences, live shows, seasonal spa experiences and so much more designed for guests of all ages.
ICE!, a Marquee Experience
A tradition for more than two decades, Gaylord Hotels’ signature, larger-than-life ice installations will once again take shape at each resort after a two-year hiatus. These memorable scenes are currently being constructed at the five resorts by 40 specialized ice artisans using skills passed down from generation to generation and following a 300-page design book. These one-of-a-kind holiday showcases will bring beloved scenes and characters from classic Christmas stories to life through magnificent sculptures and epic ice slides. Each theme comes to life in vivid, colorful fashion with the help of an expert chemist who prepares a proprietary formula of special coloring used in the ice sculptures. Guests will marvel as they step into the nearly 20,000-square-feet 3D worlds kept at a chilly 9-degrees and created from a combined 33,500 massive blocks of ice weighing over 10 million pounds. This year’s themes include:
- ICE! Featuring Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at Gaylord Opryland
- ICE! Featuring “How The Grinch Stole Christmas!™” at Gaylord Palms
- ICE! Featuring “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at Gaylord Rockies
- ICE! Featuring The Polar Express™ at Gaylord Texan
- ICE! Featuring A Christmas Story™ at Gaylord National
Original Live Entertainment
A highlight of the live performances this season will be an original production of CIRQUE: Spirit of Christmas at Gaylord Rockies, Gaylord Palms and Gaylord National. This unique, Broadway-style live show will feature dazzling acrobatics, feats of flexibility and high-flying stunts as it tells the story of Noel, a child who rediscovers the true meaning of the season. Gaylord Texan will also showcase a dedicated Cirque: Winter Wonderland performance, presenting a fusion of theatre and cirque features. Additional live programming at select resorts will include Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Traditions, a storytelling and sing-along experience, and nightly Fountain and Atrium Light Shows that dazzle with water works and thousands of dancing lights synchronized to festive music.
Interactive Environments
Guests are invited to step into magical holiday settings for an array of themed activities, shopping, delicious treats and other festive experiences. Gaylord Opryland beckons all to Pinetop Village, an outdoor Appalachian-esque village featuring snowy activities, live performances and more for all ages, while at Gaylord Palms, guests can visit the bustling Alpine Village and its Bavarian-style village storefronts offering live shows, characters, and Market Square, one of the largest Christmas stores in all of Florida with a selection of festive décor, apparel, ornaments, and toys for sale. The Christmas Village at Gaylord National features a bustling, holiday hamlet with shopping, family friendly activities, characters and a giant Christmas store.
Mistletoe Village at Gaylord Rockies invites guest to enjoy meet-and-greets with Santa and other festive activities, as well as shop at the Yuletide Street Market, offering wall-to-wall holiday gifts, clothing, and souvenirs, while the Mistletoe Sweet Shop satisfies sweet tooths. The Christmas Village at Gaylord Texan invites guests to partake in traditions including snow tubing, ice skating, a snow throw and Christmas carousel, as well as holiday shopping at Emporium in the Village and more.
Within their festive village displays, several resorts feature the Snow Factory, a mechanized snowy play space with frosty activities including a snowfall plaza, ice tubing down Snow Flow Mountain, and Snowball Build and Blast.
An Abundance of Activities
With programming varying across the five resorts, guests of all ages can look forward to wintertime traditions such as ice bumper cars, ice skating, Christmas carousels, carriage rides and more. They can also flex their creativity with visits to the Gingerbread Decorating Corner, themed art studio and Build-A-Bear Workshop®; interact with their favorite personalities through the Elf Training Academy and photos with Santa; and put their creative thinking to the test with themed escape rooms, scavenger hunts and Wildlife Rescue augmented reality experience presented by bubly™.
Holiday dining experiences will be presented across each resort’s signature restaurants, offering specially themed menus, delicious dining events and interactive Character Dining experiences. Adult guests can also look forward to festive pop-up speakeasy bars, while families and friends at Gaylord Rockies can enjoy a Campfire & S’mores treat.
Across all five resorts, the Gaylord Hotels signature Relâche Spa will showcase winter wellness spa treatments. Guests are encouraged to drift into a state of tranquility with an array of seasonal massage and facial treatments and discover the benefits of Eucalyptus, which is known to be high in antioxidants to promote relaxation and reduce pain.
Packages and Tickets
Each resort is offering packages to maximize So. Much. Christmas. fun, combining attractive room rates, activity passes and other Christmas amenities. Individual tickets and ticket bundles to the ICE! event and other attractions can also be purchased at Christmas.gaylordhotels.com, with advance online reservations required for all ticketed events. Guests are encouraged to book early to secure their preferred dates and times.
So. Much. Christmas. at Gaylord Hotels will be presented over the following dates:
- Gaylord Opryland: November 11, 2022 – January 1, 2023
- Gaylord Texan: November 11, 2022 – January 1, 2023
- Gaylord Palms: November 18, 2022 – January 1, 2023
- Gaylord Rockies: November 18, 2022 – January 1, 2023
- Gaylord National: November 20 – December 31, 2022
For more information about Gaylord Hotels and its So. Much. Christmas. programming at each resort, please visit Christmas.gaylordhotels.com.
