Between the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Opry Mills in Nashville are the remnants of one of my favorite rides at the beloved Opryland Theme Park – the Grizzly River Rampage.
I probably rode those round rafts along the river a million times. I always wanted to get soaked by the waterfalls and water splashing into the raft; I would get back in line to ride it again if I didn’t think I got soaked enough. It was so much fun!
I hate that Opryland closed and some stupid people decided the Nashville area needed yet another mall in its place. This bitter thought always enters my mind when I hear of or see Opry Mills.
I am sad that this is all that’s left of the beloved theme park ride:
R.I.P. Grizzly River
Libby said
Oh my gosh I remember that ride!! I didn’t know that Opryland had closed. Thanks for bringing back a fun memory to my mind
kristin said
are those recent pictures?? I hate that Opryland closed, it makes me sooo sad. Opryland was my first job. =(
I always look for things left from the park when i go to that stupid mall…
Melanie said
Ah, how I miss Opryland. I still feel a pang of sadness every time I’m over there.
Matt said
I have fond memories of Opryland from growing up in the ’90s. I grew up in Memphis, and y parents usually took my brother, my sister, and I to Opryland every summer. That picture of the tunnel for the Grizzly River Rampage is especially evocative of old memories. I was always scared as hell of the grizzly “roar” sound effects that played when the raft floated through the tunnel. My parents would always comfort me by assuring me that no bears were actually in the tunnel, but I hated that tunnel nonetheless. Sitting here, reminiscing about those good old days, I wish Opryland would never have been closed.