Opryland USA (later called Opryland Themepark and colloquially known as Opryland) was a theme park in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The park was located between the Cumberland River and Briley Parkway. It operated seasonally (generally March to October) from 1972 to 1997, and for a special Christmas-themed engagement every December from 1993 to 1997. During the late 1980s, nearly 2.5 million people visited the park annually.
Opryland USA opened on May 27, 1972, and was developed and constructed by WSM, Inc. to complement the new Grand Ole Opry House. Billed as the "Home of American Music", the park featured a large number of musical shows along with amusement rides, such as roller coasters. Opryland was closed and demolished following the 1997 season. On its site was built Opry Mills, an outlet-heavy shopping mall, which opened in 2000.
History
Origin The impetus for a theme park in Nashville was WSM, Inc.'s desire for a larger and more modern venue for its long-running Grand Ole Opry radio program. The Ryman Auditorium, the show's home since 1943, was suffering from disrepair along with the downtown neighborhood's increasing urban decay since the mid-1960s. Despite the shortcomings, the show's popularity was increasing as its weekly crowds outgrew the 3,000-seat venue. The company sought to build a new, air-conditioned auditorium with a larger capacity and ample parking in a then-undeveloped area of the city, providing visitors a safer and more enjoyable experience than was possible at the Ryman.
During a 1969 visit to the Astrodomain in Houston, Texas, WSM, Inc. President Irving Waugh was inspired by the presence of AstroWorld. Waugh noted in particular that the theme park was able to draw visitors to the property on days when the Astrodome and related facilities were dormant. Waugh decided that an amusement park adjacent to a new Grand Ole Opry House, which itself would only operate two days per week as originally planned, would be a profitable venture. As a result, WSM, Inc. purchased a large tract of riverside land (Rudy's Farm) owned by a local sausage manufacturer in the Pennington Bend area of Nashville along the Cumberland River, adjacent to the newly-constructed Briley Parkway, a four-lane highway with access to the interstate system. Plans for the Opryland complex were announced on October 13, 1969.
1970s
The theme park opened to the public on May 27, 1972, well ahead of the Grand Ole Opry House, which debuted on March 16, 1974, with a visit by President Richard Nixon. The park was named for WSM disc jockey Grant Turner's early morning show, "Opryland USA", itself a nod to the stars of the Grand Ole Opry. However, despite the nominal connection to country music, the park's theme was American music in general; there were jazz, gospel, bluegrass, pop, and rock and roll-themed attractions and shows in addition to country. Opryland's focus was more on its musical productions than its rides and other attractions, which helped attract adults as much as children, the target of other similar venues. As such, it was billed as a "showpark", instead of an "amusement park" or "theme park" in its early days. Major thrill rides at the park's opening included the Timber Topper (later renamed Rock n' Roller Coaster) roller coaster and Flume Zoom (later renamed Dulcimer Splash) log flume.
In its fourth season in 1975, Opryland added the "State Fair" area on land formerly occupied by the buffalo exhibit. The expansion featured a large selection of carnival games, as well as the Wabash Cannonball (named after the famous Roy Acuff tune) roller coaster, Country Bumpkin Bump Cars, and Tennessee Waltz (named after a song made popular by Patti Page) swings. However, shortly before opening, the Cumberland River flooded most of the park, as deep as in some areas. The park's opening was delayed by a month, and several animals in the petting zoo died in the floodwaters.
Opryland became very successful during the mid-1970s. By the 1977 season, the park was the most popular Nashville tourist attraction, drawing nearly two million guests annually, mostly from Tennessee and adjoining states. The park also drew upon the continued appeal of the Opry show to country music fans from the Southern United States and the Midwestern United States, who often brought their families for several days' vacation in Nashville. The nearest theme parks comparable to Opryland were four to six hours away, in places such as Cincinnati (Kings Island), St. Louis (Six Flags over Mid-America), and Atlanta (Six Flags Over Georgia). Attendance continued to climb into the 1980s.
Initial plans had called for a commercial corridor called Oprytown to be built on the land, but due to the overwhelming popularity of the complex in its early years, the master plan was altered to include a hotel and convention center which could house Opry and Opryland visitors on weekends, and also draw convention-related business during the week. In 1977, Opryland Hotel (now Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center), a large resort-style hotel, opened next door to the park and later expanded several times to become the largest hotel in the world not attached to a casino.Multiple sources:
http://tripatlas.com/Opryland_USA
On March 31, 1979, Opryland opened the Roy Acuff Theater, named after the beloved traditional-country singer and pillar of the Opry. The theater was located next door to the Grand Ole Opry House in the Plaza area outside the park gates. It normally hosted the theme park's premier musical production. Due to its location, tickets to the theme park were not needed to attend shows at the Acuff, which usually required a separately-purchased ticket. This allowed the general public to attend shows at the Acuff without having to pay for park admission, like the Opry itself.
Ownership change WSM, Inc. was a subsidiary of the National Life and Accident Insurance Company; itself part of the larger NLT Corporation. Beginning in 1980, Houston-based insurer American General began acquiring NLT stock, eventually becoming its largest shareholder and setting the stage for an outright takeover. American General was not interested in NLT's non-insurance businesses and opted to sell the WSM division, which included WSM-AM-FM-TV, The Nashville Network, the Grand Ole Opry, the then-decrepit Ryman Auditorium, Opryland Hotel, and Opryland USA. Unable to acquire television and radio assets due to Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s ownership restrictions of the time, American General influenced NLT to sell WSM-TV to Gillett Broadcasting. Gillett bought the station on November 3, 1981, and its call sign was officially changed to WSMV-TV on July 15, 1982.
By 1982, the takeover was complete and American General approached prospects such as Music Corporation of America (MCA), Marriott Corporation and Anheuser-Busch attempting to sell the remainder of WSM, Inc. While some of the companies showed interest in individual assets, none was willing to buy the entire group.
Unexpectedly, Gaylord Broadcasting Company of Oklahoma City stepped in and purchased the entire package in September 1983 for . After the purchase, the Opryland assets were organized into a subsidiary holding company called Opryland USA, Inc. Ed Gaylord, then the controlling figure of Gaylord Broadcasting, had become involved with the hit country music television show Hee Haw when his company had purchased the rights to the program in 1981 and moved production to a studio inside the Grand Ole Opry House. Gaylord quickly developed relationships with its stars, many of whom were members of the Grand Ole Opry. His close friendship with Sarah Cannon (portrayer of Minnie Pearl) heavily influenced the decision to purchase the Opry and its associated properties.
Also included in Gaylord's acquisition of the Opryland assets was WSM's fledgling cable television network, The Nashville Network (TNN), and its production arm, Opryland Productions. TNN was dedicated entirely at first to country music. For years, its offices and production facilities were located at Opryland, and a nightly variety show (originally Nashville Now, later Music City Tonight and Prime Time Country) was broadcast live from the Gaslight Theatre inside the park. The theme park was often featured on the network as a concert venue for country music stars.
1980s and 1990s In 1981, Opryland expanded its footprint for the second and final time. The new area, entitled "Grizzly Country", was built on the extreme north end of the park to house the Grizzly River Rampage, a river rafting ride. The ride was promoted by a band called the Grizzly River Boys, later known as the Tennessee River Boys. The band was originally intended to promote the park via a one-time television special, but became popular enough that they became an ongoing attraction at the park for several years. The band's membership originally included Ty Herndon, and after several personnel changes, grew to become the band Diamond Rio.
In 1984, Opryland added a third roller coaster, The Screamin' Delta Demon (an Intamin bobsled roller coaster), in the New Orleans area of the park. This project also added a second park gate adjacent to the parking lot, primarily used as a group entrance/exit.
In the mid-1980s, "Trickets" (three-day admission tickets for one price) were introduced and large numbers of season passes were sold to residents of the Nashville area.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, two new competitors to Opryland emerged: Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky, and Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (which had recently been converted and expanded from its previous incarnation as Silver Dollar City). These two parks grew into regional destinations, contributing in part to a decline in Opryland attendance. Partially in response to the competition, and to entice out-of-town guests, package deals including hotel rooms, Opryland tickets, and admission to the Grand Ole Opry were developed and marketed throughout the region.
Annual changes were made to the park to continue to attract local Nashvillians as well as out-of-town visitors. Large attractions such as the General Jackson Showboat, new roller coasters, and water rides were installed on a biennial basis until 1989, with the opening of the Chaos roller coaster. In the early 1990s, Opryland management—facing changing consumer preferences and limited land to expand upon—honored the park's initial concept and invested in its live music entertainment, rather than building traditional theme park attractions. The next (and final) large attraction to open would be The Hangman roller coaster in 1995.
Gaylord Broadcasting spun off Opryland USA, Inc. as a public company and renamed it Gaylord Entertainment Company on October 24, 1991.