If you grew up anywhere near Tennessee in the late 80s or 90s, the name Opryland doesn’t just describe a place. It’s a specific smell of funnel cakes and river water. It’s the sound of a distant banjo fighting with the mechanical clatter of a lift hill.
Honestly, it’s still weird to drive past Briley Parkway and see a massive shopping mall where the Wabash Cannonball used to loop. Nashville is a different city now. But for those of us who spent our summers sweating through the humidity just to ride the Grizzly River Rampage one more time, the "execution" of the park—as some locals still call it—remains a sore spot.
It wasn't just a park. It was our park. And then, at the end of 1997, it was just... gone.
The Fate of the Big Five
People always ask me if the rides were just bulldozed. Most weren't. At least, not initially. When Gaylord Entertainment decided that "shoppertainment" was the future and the park was the past, they sold the major assets to Premier Parks (which later became Six Flags) for about $7 million.
It sounds like a lot. It wasn't. They got a steal.
The plan was to move everything to a new site in Indiana. Instead, most of those iconic Opryland theme park rides sat in a field in Thorntown, Indiana, for years, slowly rusting into the grass. It’s a tragic image if you loved these machines.
The Hangman
This was the park's last big hurrah, opening in 1995. It was a Vekoma suspended looping coaster that basically kicked you in the shins while you dangled. If you want to ride it today, you have to fly to California. It now lives at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom as Kong. It’s the only Opryland coaster still operating in its original form.
Wabash Cannonball
The heart of the State Fair area. This Arrow Dynamics corkscrew was the first "big" coaster for an entire generation of Southern kids. Sadly, the Cannonball never found a second home. After sitting in that Indiana field for years, it was finally scrapped in 2003.
Rock n' Roller Coaster
Before it was the Rock n' Roller Coaster, it was the Timber Topper. This mine train coaster actually had a happy ending. It was moved to Great Escape in New York and renamed Canyon Blaster. It’s still running today.
Chaos
This one was weird. It was an indoor "illusion" coaster—basically a Vekoma Illusion model—filled with clocks, screens, and strobe lights. There were only two ever made. Ours was scrapped around 2006. The only other one is still operating in Belgium under the name Revolution.
Screamin' Delta Demon
The bobsled coaster. It was unique because it didn't have tracks in the traditional sense; the cars just slid through a metal trough. Like the Cannonball, it died in Indiana. It was sold for scrap metal.
The Water Rides That Defined Nashville Summers
The Tennessee heat is no joke. If you weren't on a coaster, you were trying to get soaked.
Grizzly River Rampage
This was arguably the most famous river rapids ride in the country for a minute. It was massive. When the park closed, the ride itself was too integrated into the landscape to move. Most of it was demolished. However, parts of the pump system and the conveyor belts were salvaged. If you ride the rapids at Kentucky Kingdom, you're interacting with the DNA of the Grizzly.
Dulcimer Splash (The Flume Zoom)
This was the classic log flume. It ended up in the Indiana "boneyard" and was eventually scrapped. It’s a shame, because that final drop was a rite of passage.
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Old Mill Scream
This "shoot the chutes" boat ride actually survived. It was moved to Wild Waves Theme Park in Washington state, where it operates as Lumberjack Falls. It’s a long way from the Cumberland River.
Why Did It Actually Close?
There is a massive misconception that Opryland was failing. It wasn't.
Bud Wendell, the former CEO of Gaylord, has been very vocal about this over the years. The park was profitable. The problem was "yield." The executives at the time looked at the acreage and realized they could make more money per square foot with a climate-controlled shopping mall than a seasonal theme park.
They also claimed the park was "landlocked." Hemmed in by the river and the hotel, they felt they couldn't add the massive new hyper-coasters needed to compete with places like Dollywood or Six Flags Over Georgia.
Looking back, it was a short-sighted move. Nashville’s tourism exploded in the 2010s, and a world-class theme park in the heart of the city would be worth billions today. Instead, we have a Food Court.
The Small Stuff You Can Still Find
Not everything went to the scrapyard.
- The Carousel: The beautiful, hand-carved German carousel from the Riverside area was kept by Gaylord. For years, it sat in storage.
- The Tin Lizzies: The antique cars were sent to Kentucky Kingdom.
- The Nashville Zoo: Believe it or not, some of the animal attractions and landscaping elements influenced the early days of the relocated Nashville Zoo at Grassmere.
What You Should Do If You're Feeling Nostalgic
You can't ride the Wabash Cannonball anymore, but the legacy isn't totally dead.
If you're a die-hard fan, check out the Opryland VR project. A group of incredibly dedicated historians and techies have been recreating the park in 3D using old blueprints and photos. It’s the closest you’ll get to walking through the gates again.
Also, keep an eye out for the documentary "A Circle Broken." It covers the rushed closure of the park in 1997 and features interviews with the people who were actually there when the lights went out.
For a physical fix, a trip to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (California) for the Hangman or Great Escape (New York) for the Rock n' Roller Coaster is the only way to touch the steel that once stood in Nashville. Or, just head to Dollywood. While it’s not Opryland, it carries that same "musical theme park" spirit that Nashville gave up on twenty-five years ago.
Go visit the Grand Ole Opry house. It's still there, standing right where it did when the park surrounded it. Stand in the plaza, look toward the mall, and listen closely. If the wind hits right, you can almost hear the Screamin' Delta Demon's lift hill clicking.