Gaylord Hotels has long celebrated the Christmas holidays in a big way, with their properties decked out in millions of holiday lights, interactive snowy activities (even in warm weather climates), and acres of festive decorations and towering Christmas trees adorned with sparkling ornaments that get even the most Grinch-like visitors into the Christmas spirit.
Now the resort company takes it up a notch with an experience that immerses guests into the world of a beloved character who just might love Christmas more than anyone else in the world: Buddy the Elf.
Yep, you can help Buddy save Christmas, just like Will Ferrell’s character did in the treasured 2003 Christmas movie Elf when he worked to muster enough holiday cheer to power the Kringle 3000 and make Santa’s sleigh fly.
At four Gaylord Hotels properties in the United States, guests journey into Buddy’s unique world to embark on family-friendly challenges, including staying ahead of the toy quota at the North Pole, teaming up with Mr. Narwhal in the Candy Cane Forest, preparing Gimbels department store for Santa’s arrival, and participating in an epic virtual snowball fight in Central Park. In all, visitors partner with Buddy in 12 different experiences to save Christmas.
“Mission: Save Christmas featuring Elf” anchors the holiday experience at four Gaylord Hotels across the country:
- Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee
- Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Florida
- Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas
- Gaylord Rockies in Aurora, Colorado
Tickets to this special event are available to both overnight and day guests of the resorts. Dates for the immersive experience vary but generally take place between mid-November and New Year’s Day.
Get specific details about “Mission: Save Christmas featuring Elf,” as well as a number of other holiday-themed activities and events, by clicking on your resort of interest on the main Gaylord Hotels Christmas website.
More Holiday Movie Fun At Gaylord National
The Gaylord Hotels property outside of Washington, D.C. won’t have the Buddy the Elf experience but will offer guests the opportunity to put themselves in scenes from beloved holiday movies.
Gaylord National presents “I Love Christmas Movies” with audio clips and replicas of film props from The Polar Express, A Christmas Story, Elf, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and The Year Without a Santa Claus.
Entertainment Ranges From Ice Bumper Cars To The Oak Ridge Boys
Each of the resorts in the Gaylord Hotels portfolio celebrates still more holiday cheer with activities varying at each property. For example, Gaylord Opryland has Pinetop Stage, an outdoor Appalachian-esque village, whereas Gaylord Rockies features Glacier Point, a snowy outdoor adventure area. Snow Factory is an icy mechanized snow play place at Gaylord Palms.
Depending on location, opportunities include holiday-themed scavenger hunts and escape rooms, character breakfasts, carousel rides, ice bumper cars, ice skating, or snow tubing. There’s also craft making at the Elf Workshop and storytime with the Sugar Plum Fairy and Nutcracker Prince.
The resorts offer special live entertainment during the holidays:
- Gaylord Opryland: The Oak Ridge Boys “Christmas in Tennessee” dinner show
- Gaylord Rockies: “Cirque Dreams Holidaze” acrobatic/trapeze show
- Gaylord Palms: “Cirque: Spirit of Christmas” acrobatic/trapeze show and The Greatest Story Ever Told biblical Christmas Story
- Gaylord National: The Greatest Story Ever Told biblical Christmas story
