NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Opryland fans were stunned when park owners suddenly announced it was shutting down for good. At the time, statements were made that its replacement would include both shopping and rides, similar to The Mall of America in Minnesota. However, that never quite came to be.
The 1997 holiday season wasn't as cheery as it should be.
"When friends passed by, we told them to go on before we started crying. It's that sad," said one Opryland fan News 2 interviewed in 1997.
After 25 years of entertaining Nashvillians, Opryland closed its doors.
"God works wonders, but this is a sad one. I think it's terrible somebody with that much money can destroy something like that," said an Opryland fan.
Park owners and some city leaders presented an upbeat tone to the new tourist attraction that would replace Opryland along Briley Parkway and the Cumberland River, pitching it as a combination mega-mall and amusement park wrapped in one. Gaylord Entertainment teamed with the Mills Corporation to build this new facility.
"It's going to have retail, but it's also going to have a strong amusement theme," said Roy Dale, who was a Metro Council member when Opryland closed. "I think it's a huge deal. It's anticipated to attract 15 million people a year."
"Opryland USA will not look like this by the year 2000," reported a News 2 reporter in archive footage. "The amusement park will soon have department stores built around its rides. Opryland is turning into a megamall."
"I think what this will mean is there's one more thing to do for tourists in town. Something I think a lot of local people throughout Middle Tennessee are going to love to come to and come back time and again," said one Opryland employee.
But from the start, the pitch had its critics too: "I think there's too many shopping centers as it is, and they all tend to be the same ones wherever you go, so I think I'd rather have a park."
"You don't expect a park like Opryland to close," said historian Jim Futrell.
Futrell is a historian with the National Amusement Park Association. He has a fond memory of visiting Opryland as a kid, and years later publishing its history.
"It had such high visibility. It seemed to be so ingrained into the culture of Nashville that you would never have expected it to go away," said Futrell.
"The one thing that I still remember being impressed with is the natural beauty," said Futrell.
Even with its beauty, by the 1990s, Futrell said, the park faced challenges. Tastes started to change. Park-goers were seeking out adrenaline-pumping thrill-rides and coasters more than live entertainment and shows, which Opryland was known for.
Plus, Opryland was only open half the year. Gaylord Entertainment had a massive hotel next door that needed to have guests all year round in order to thrive.
At the time, Futrell said a megamall seemed like the smarter business decision: "That's been one of the challenges in the industry since the 1990s is that it's become a much more financially driven industry. Many of the biggest operators are now publicly traded companies. They have shareholders and investors to answer to, and I think some of that was the pressures that were being placed on Gaylord at the time...the fact that they completely leveled the park, all those 4,000 trees were cut down and they cleared the land, I think that really stunned a lot of people."
Futrell told News 2 promises were made to develop the riverfront as a waterfront entertainment venue and create a connection between the Grand Ole Opry and the new mall. However, that vision never quite happened.
"Once the mall was built, none of that other stuff came to fruition," said Futrell.
Beloved rides like Old Mill Scream were sold off to competing theme parks, while others were turned into scrap. Twenty-seven years later, many still wish Opryland was there.
"Nashville could easily support another Opryland, but I think the sad thing is, that was the right park at the right time. It came in as Nashville was starting to grow. It grew with Nashville," said Futrell.