| Jimmy Dickens |
| Country music's Mike Snider performs in the park |
| The Stars meet the Fans in the Park at Opryland. Celebrity Pictures by Joanne Adams. |
| Our country music photographer Joanne with Opry Star Jeannie Pruitt |
| Little Jimmy Dickens |
| Porter Wagoner |
| Jim Ed Brown |
| Postcard |
| Opryland USA Theme Park The late, lamented Nashville, TN theme park offered an exciting mix of music and rides. This video is a tribute to the park's former employees. I am a former Opryland employee from the 1970's. Pat Adams |
| Opryland Flume Zoom Ride video This video was shot on June 13, 1989 in Nashville Tennessee |
| This video was shot from the Sky Lift at Opryland USA on June 13, 1989 |
| Opryland USA Theme Park in 1972 Super 8 film Opryland Theme Park in Nashville 1972 home movie |
| Opryland USA in Nashville Tennessee MEMORIES OF OPRYLAND by WNPT Nashville Public TV with pictures from us at TennesseeConcerts.com I hope you have had a chance to see the "Memories Of Opryland" TV special on WNPT Nashville Public Television. Many of my own Opryland pictures were shown periodically throughout the show. Some of these pictures were taken by Joanne Adams. My name was listed at the end of the show in the credits, as a photographer. The program has been aired several times this year. If you missed it, it may air again this year. Or, you may still be able to get the DVD (with extra footage & pictures) for a $75.00 donation to Nashville Public Television. Receive two "Memories Of Opryland" DVD's for a $120.00 donation. Go back into time and enjoy Opryland once again, while helping public television. WNPT also has a Memories Of Opryland Slideshow, including many Opryland photograph's. They also have an Opryland Theme Park quiz. I am a former employee of Opryland. I also have lots of memories & pictures of going to the park and seeing many artists perform live, so I was happy to help out when Channel 8 contacted me. |
| The WNPT Nashville Public Television on Channel 8 home page CHECK OUT OUR OWN OPRYLAND PAGES WITH OPRYLAND PICTURES & VIDEOS Our Opryland pages are some of the most popular Opryland pages on the internet. Sign our new Opryland Theme Park Guestbook. Send your pictures & stories from Opryland Theme Park to pat@tennesseeconcerts.com Nashville Tennessee USA |
| Tennessee was The Home of American Music and so much more to millions of major theme park dedicated to live performances, and as any kid who rode the laughter and screams of joy were an important part of the experience. Nashville Public Television gives fans of the park, and viewers throughout Middle Tennessee, a chance to journey back to the park with MEMORIES This segment of the documentary looks at the great rides that made Opryland worth a visit as well as Opryland's biggest fan: Roy Acuff. |
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| OPRYLAND USA THEME PARK NASHVILLE TENNESSEE - PAGE 1 See all of our Opryland pages filled with pictures & videos from the park including the rides & more. See the stars in concerts including Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, Glen Campbell and many more. By Former Opryland Employee Pat Adams. Click on Images to Enlarge |
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Opryland USA
From Wikipedia
Opryland USA (later called
Opryland Themepark and
colloquially referred to simply as
Opryland) was an amusement
park located in suburban
Nashville, Tennessee. 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. Billed as
the "Home of American Music,"
Opryland USA featured a large
number of musical shows along
with typical amusement park rides
such as roller coasters, carousels,
and the like.
Opryland in the 1970's
The genesis for a theme park in
Nashville was the desire for a
new, permanent, larger and more
modern home for the long-running
Grand Ole Opry radio program,
as the Ryman Auditorium was
falling into disrepair and crowds
were outgrowing the 3,000-seat
venue.[1] WSM, Inc. (a
subsidiary of the National Life and
Accident Insurance Company,
later NLT Corporation), the
operator of WSM-AM-FM-TV
and the Opry, settled on a tract of
land (Rudy's Farm) owned by a
local sausage manufacturer in the
Pennington Bend area of
Nashville. The new Opry venue
was to be the centerpiece of a
grand entertainment complex at
that location, which would come
to include the theme park and a
large hotel/convention center.
The theme park opened to the
public on June 30, 1972,[2] well
ahead of the Grand Ole Opry
House, which debuted nearly two
years later, on March 16, 1974.
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 obvious connection to
country and western music, the
park's overall theme was
American music in general; there
were jazz, gospel, bluegrass, pop,
and rock and roll-themed
attractions and shows as well.
Major thrill rides at the park's
opening included the "Rock 'n
Roller Coaster" and "Flume
Zoom".
In 1975, Opryland expanded for
the first time. The "State Fair" area
was constructed on land formerly
occupied by the park's buffalo
exhibit. The new expansion
featured a large selection of
carnival games, as well as the
Wabash Cannonball roller
coaster, Country Bumpkin Bump
Cars, and Tennessee Waltz
swings. However, shortly before
opening for the season, the park
fell victim to a large flood of the
Cumberland River that covered
most of the park and was as deep
as sixteen feet in some locations.
The park's opening was delayed
by a month and several animals in
the petting zoo were killed by the
floodwaters.
Opryland became extremely
successful during the mid-1970s,
and by the 1977 season the park
was drawing nearly 2 million
guests annually, the
preponderance of which were
from Tennessee and adjoining
states, since the nearest theme
parks comparable to Opryland
were located in places four-to-six
hours away, such as Cincinnati
(Kings Island), St. Louis (Six
Flags over Mid-America),
Charlotte (Carowinds) and
Atlanta (Six Flags Over Georgia).
Attendance continued to climb
into the 1980s.
In 1977, Opryland Hotel (now
called Gaylord Opryland Resort
& Convention Center), a large
resort-style hotel, was built next
door to the park, and has
expanded several times to become
the largest non-casino hotel in the
world.[3][4][5]
In 1979, Opryland added the Roy
Acuff Theater next door to the
Grand Ole Opry House in the
Plaza area. It was primarily used
for the theme park's premier
musical production. Because the
theater was placed outside the
park gates, tickets to the theme
park were not required to attend
shows at the Acuff. However,
shows at this venue usually
required a separately-purchased
ticket. This also allowed the
general public to attend shows at
the Acuff without having to pay for
park admission.
From Wikipedia
Opryland USA (later called
Opryland Themepark and
colloquially referred to simply as
Opryland) was an amusement
park located in suburban
Nashville, Tennessee. 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. Billed as
the "Home of American Music,"
Opryland USA featured a large
number of musical shows along
with typical amusement park rides
such as roller coasters, carousels,
and the like.
Opryland in the 1970's
The genesis for a theme park in
Nashville was the desire for a
new, permanent, larger and more
modern home for the long-running
Grand Ole Opry radio program,
as the Ryman Auditorium was
falling into disrepair and crowds
were outgrowing the 3,000-seat
venue.[1] WSM, Inc. (a
subsidiary of the National Life and
Accident Insurance Company,
later NLT Corporation), the
operator of WSM-AM-FM-TV
and the Opry, settled on a tract of
land (Rudy's Farm) owned by a
local sausage manufacturer in the
Pennington Bend area of
Nashville. The new Opry venue
was to be the centerpiece of a
grand entertainment complex at
that location, which would come
to include the theme park and a
large hotel/convention center.
The theme park opened to the
public on June 30, 1972,[2] well
ahead of the Grand Ole Opry
House, which debuted nearly two
years later, on March 16, 1974.
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 obvious connection to
country and western music, the
park's overall theme was
American music in general; there
were jazz, gospel, bluegrass, pop,
and rock and roll-themed
attractions and shows as well.
Major thrill rides at the park's
opening included the "Rock 'n
Roller Coaster" and "Flume
Zoom".
In 1975, Opryland expanded for
the first time. The "State Fair" area
was constructed on land formerly
occupied by the park's buffalo
exhibit. The new expansion
featured a large selection of
carnival games, as well as the
Wabash Cannonball roller
coaster, Country Bumpkin Bump
Cars, and Tennessee Waltz
swings. However, shortly before
opening for the season, the park
fell victim to a large flood of the
Cumberland River that covered
most of the park and was as deep
as sixteen feet in some locations.
The park's opening was delayed
by a month and several animals in
the petting zoo were killed by the
floodwaters.
Opryland became extremely
successful during the mid-1970s,
and by the 1977 season the park
was drawing nearly 2 million
guests annually, the
preponderance of which were
from Tennessee and adjoining
states, since the nearest theme
parks comparable to Opryland
were located in places four-to-six
hours away, such as Cincinnati
(Kings Island), St. Louis (Six
Flags over Mid-America),
Charlotte (Carowinds) and
Atlanta (Six Flags Over Georgia).
Attendance continued to climb
into the 1980s.
In 1977, Opryland Hotel (now
called Gaylord Opryland Resort
& Convention Center), a large
resort-style hotel, was built next
door to the park, and has
expanded several times to become
the largest non-casino hotel in the
world.[3][4][5]
In 1979, Opryland added the Roy
Acuff Theater next door to the
Grand Ole Opry House in the
Plaza area. It was primarily used
for the theme park's premier
musical production. Because the
theater was placed outside the
park gates, tickets to the theme
park were not required to attend
shows at the Acuff. However,
shows at this venue usually
required a separately-purchased
ticket. This also allowed the
general public to attend shows at
the Acuff without having to pay for
park admission.
| Nashville Area Concerts www.tennesseeconcerts.com Website by Pat Adams pat@tennesseeconcerts.com |
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