Opryland Hotel - Remembering the Flood of 2010 at Christmas

Walking through the Opryland Hotel at Christmas is a little melancholy this year; I keep looking at each area to see what's new, and what was saved from the flood of 2010. Below is a picture of the front desk, registration area. This was updated with all this new technology; nothing like it used to be.

Below is a picture of the lights outside; the tree looked pretty much the same, but I did notice a few lighted items missing. I believe there was a toy soldier that wasn't anywhere to be seen. They did have the nativity scene outside though, with its story being said through speakers.

Here is a covered gazebo within the Cascade area; it looked the same, just a little more shiny and less flowering vines.

Here is in the Delta area; it does look different, no fountain. The fountain, I believe, is where the Christmas tree is located right now. The Delta is where the waterways take visitors on tours of the hotel.

Good things can come out of bad situations; they were able to save the beautiful staircase, it reminds me of the staircase within the Tara mansion in the "Gone with the Wind" movie. Then the new glass scultpure within the lobby adds a beautiful touch.

Many of the businesses have reopened within the Opryland Hotel area; there are still a few that haven't reopened, they were devastated by the flood. One business that hasn't opened back up is the wax museum; many of the wax figures floated in the water during the flood, and many of the emergency personnel thought they were victims. The emergency personnel put theirselves in harms way to try and save these figures they thought were victims, but turned out to be a wax figure. So many of the wax figures were damaged beyond repair.

I overheard a person talking about the mall the other day; they were wondering what happened to the aquatic life that lived within the mall. There was a petting zoo of sting rays, a restuarant with fish, sharks and such within a huge tank. They were worried that if they went to a movie that they may look down and see one of these creatures. People think of everything!

This really taught Nashville that you never know what will happen tomorrow; we didn't ever in a million years think that there would be a flood that would cause the Opryland Hotel and the Mall to close for almost a year. So don't take things for granted; enjoy the holiday season one day at a time, and hold onto those memories. They could last a lifetime.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!