Gaylord Opryland now offering locals day passes to SoundWaves water attraction

As the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center shifts its marketing from its traditional convention and group sales to try to attract more leisure travel in the wake of COVID-19 restrictions, its SoundWaves water attraction is now offering a day pass option for locals who want to experience the multimillion-dollar water attraction.

The new day passes are being offered to Tennessee residents through Sept. 3 for visits Monday through Thursday between noon to 8 p.m. Online reservations are required at soundwavesgo.com/resident-offer or gaylordoprylandlocal.com.

When first announced, the deal was good through Aug. 13, but Gaylord officials have extended the offer.  

Admission is $49.99 per person, with children 3 and under free. The passes, which provide access to the entire indoor and outdoor water park, are good noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday. There is designated parking for $10.

Gaylord Opryland spokesperson Tammy Henry said the hotel's business has typically been 80% group and convention and 20% leisure. But now, with restrictions on the size of gatherings, the 2,888-room resort is concentrating on leisure guests and staycationers.

"Our focus now is on the leisure business," Henry said. "People are not traveling long distances, so we are offering this summer fun close to home." She said the day passes are available for a limited time and on off-peak days. 

The $90 million wet and wild SoundWaves experience was added to the resort last year. It is a 4-acre indoor/outdoor music and water attraction, with a wave pool with a giant LED movie screen, indoor surfing, a 45-foot slide tower, a kids pool, an activity pool with rock climbing, rapid and lazy rivers, two adults-only pools, and 11 water slides, including two for serious adventure seekers.

2 other ways for locals to get in

Gaylord Opryland had previously announced two ways that locals could enjoy SoundWaves this summer:

The SoundWaves Experience Package is a discounted overnight guest room package that includes up to five SoundWaves wristbands per room. Prices start at $219 per room for a Nashville family of four (code L9Z) or $234 for families from other parts of Tennessee (code M16).

The second option is the rental of a party room for six to 30 guests. Reservations start at $42 per person Monday through Thursday, $52 per person on weekends, and $57 per person on holidays. The price includes wristband access to all areas of SoundWaves, plus pizza and soda in the party room and parking passes. 

Gaylord officials say SoundWaves has added new cleanliness and social distancing measures to ensure safety during the pandemic. The new protocols include having a "safety ambassador" provide guests with instructions for a seating zone assignment. Seating has been spaced out, and staffers regularly clean and sanitize surfaces, including chaise lounge chairs, cabanas and lazy river tubes.

Details and reservations: www.soundwavesgo.com/resident-offer 

Reach Ms. Cheap at 615-259-8282 or mscheap@tennessean.com. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/mscheap, and at Tennessean.com/mscheap, and on Twitter @Ms_Cheap, and catch her every Thursday at 11 a.m. on WTVF-Channel 5’s “Talk of the Town.”