Looking for a summer getaway? What about winter? Gaylord Opryland is an exciting location any time of year.

Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, located on a sprawling 9-acre property in Nashville, Tennessee, is the largest non-gaming facility in the US, and uses this space to full advantage. The 2,881 rooms are comfortably decorated in warm colors, and have either exterior or garden views.  You'll feel like you're outside in the huge glass-domed atrium and gorgeous pools and an 18-hole award-winning golf course will help you relax.

In fact, there is so much to do right on the property that you could stay for a long weekend and never run out of activities.  Entertainment is extensive, including a Saloon and Dinner Showboat, not to mention the Grand Ole Opry, the area’s namesake and the venue that made country music famous.  A complete spa, restaurants, and shopping will keep your days occupied, too. 

And Opryland is a great location for kids.  The resort offers plenty of opportunities for kid-friendly fun, including scavenger hunts and boat rides on the indoor river.  All activities are aimed at families, so that everyone can enjoy time together. Guitar enthusiasts can rent high-end guitars with Pocket POD amplifiers with headphones, so they can rock out to the local country music without bothering their neighbors.  The three pools include both indoor and outdoor facilities, as well as a whirlpool and screen for some in-pool movie showings.  On Friday evenings in the summer, Poolapalooza outdoor concert series will bring music to you as you enjoy the blue waters.

Summer 2009 is a great time to head down with the family because, for the first time ever, this luxury resort is offering a summer-long program that allows kids to stay and eat free. With the Family Package, kids can do a scavenger hunt for tickets for a free boat ride, and the family receives passes to the nearby Nashville Zoo, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Museum of Art, and the Adventure Science Center. Kid-friendly menus make the deal even more enticing.  This offer, available for a two- or three-night stay, is good until September 7, and is open to children 11-years and under if they stay and eat with a parent. 

If you can’t make it over the summer, there are extraordinary winter attractions that you won’t want to miss.  Opryland goes all-out each Christmas, hanging over 2 million lights, inviting the Rockettes to perform, and, starting this winter, creating an all-out ice sculpture city!  Artisans from Harbin, China’s famed Ice Festival will be brought in to hand-carve rooms, slides and characters. Peanuts fans will be pleased to hear that this year’s theme is the “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and the sculptures will tell the story of Charlie Brown’s search for Christmas spirit.  The ice will be colored with food coloring (safe if the kids decide to lick it – yes, it’s happened before), and the interactive exhibit ends in a gorgeous crystal clear nativity scene.  Plus, visitors are given puffy parkas for use during the walk through the exhibit, so you’ll stay toasty.  Come see this ICE! exhibit anytime between November 20, 2009 and January 2, 2010. 

Whatever season of the year you need a vacation, the Gaylord Opryland offers a fantastic getaway.  For more information, visit www.gaylordopryland.com or call 888/999-OPRY.

Finally, if you are looking to visit another location, Gaylord has three similar properties in Florida, Texas, and Maryland.