A new opryland (Memphis: leasing, insurance, how much)

[TIGERSROARTSB76]

Howdy ya'll
I was just doing some random thinking earlier tonight, and the thought of how much I and so many others miss our beloved theme park we use to have here in TN.

I wanted to see if I could get some rough idea's about what the initial cost of opening a similar type park might be in todays dollars.

I honestly think a new park is very possible for a relatively low amount of $$, Let me first just say though, I know alot of people don't got this kind of $$ sitting around, but i'm talking in terms of the folks who do these sort of things. Or a huge group of citizens working collectively to raise $$ for a worthwhile cause. I am totally unfamiliar with this whole area, but I thought it'd be fun to just throw some idea's around. If anyone cares to elaborate on the subject
I'm thinking for just the initial startup, it could be possible for a round about figure somewhere in the neighborhood of $150 to $200 million. Don't know if thats a pretty high or pretty low number to be throwing out in terms of a theme park, but thats my initial thinking for starters. Suggestions Comments anyone anyone??

[BirdieBelle]

I would say you're probably close ... You'd have to consider the cost of rides, insurance, land, and hire employees, plus cover health care and taxes.

[TIGERSROARTSB76]

Tks Wmsn4Life
Hopefully now others will get in on the subject soon
I know many people have brought up the subject throughout the years since Opryland closed. I just wish someone or perhaps a big enough group could come together and actually try n do something to bring it back. I know i'd be willing to volunteer my time and what $$ I have to spare, to helping rebuild a new park. I don't know how many others would be willing, but I do know there are alot of folks out there besides you & me, who sure do miss it being there. Not only did they do away with a theme park, but they did away with a huge piece of TN culture. Opryland was a mainstay in our state for over a quarter century and was closely tied to the whole Country Music aspect of Nashville. Not to mention the beauty of the landscapes sourrounding the park. The tree's and the river backdrop made it such a relaxing wonderful place just to spend the days away during spring summer and fall months of the year. Christmas time there, along with the opry, was just simply amazing as well. I'd like to hear, what if any the Musicians of yesteryear and today have to say about the whole thing. I'd wonder if we got them intersted enough in the idea of it coming back in some way or another, if something might be more likely to happen or not???

[DonCorleone]

I recall hearing several attempts at starting up a Opryland 2.0 over the years...mostly far smaller in scale than the original O-land, but for whatever reason they never seem to get off the drawing board. I have no idea of how to calculate the cost of something like that and it would all depend on the scale for the initial project...but my guess is it would take a major commitment from a major corporation(s) in partnership with local and state government to get the project really going.

Then you have the issue of location...which was really Opryland's downfall (according to Gaylord...there was no more room to expand and the margin wasn't high enough to continue operation...not sure I buy it but that was their official logic). So you'd want to do something like Disney did in Orlando and buy enough land to build initially, but also enough land for expansion. The land costs would probably put you in the far outskirts of a larger city like Nashville.

So, yeah, it's possible, but I think the days of having an Opryland 2.0 are probably gone. It would be a big gamble to take right now.

[Ridgerunner]

A major contributor to the decline and fall of Opryland was the tremendous popularity of Dollywood. I doubt that the most grandiose Nashville theme park could successfully compete with the Great Smoky Mountains region as a tourist destination.

[juneaubound]

Originally Posted by Ridgerunner

A major contributor to the decline and fall of Opryland was the tremendous popularity of Dollywood. I doubt that the most grandiose Nashville theme park could successfully compete with the Great Smoky Mountains region as a tourist destination.

Didn't the powers-that-be at the time make the decision that they would close Opryland and replace it with what they anticipated would be the much more financially lucrative Opry Mills?

I remember some kind of public conversations along those lines, in addition to their mentioning the Dollywood/Smoky Mountain setting being big competition with Opryland. Seems like a long time ago now.

[juneaubound]

A quick search and I found this:
Opryland USA - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[DonCorleone]

Originally Posted by juneaubound

Didn't the powers-that-be at the time make the decision that they would close Opryland and replace it with what they anticipated would be the much more financially lucrative Opry Mills?

Yes, the idea was that Gaylord (owner of Opryland) would lease the land to the Mills Corporation to develop into Opry Mills. Essentially, they projected the leasing revenue would be more net income to the company. I'm going off of memory here, but I believe Gaylord sold the land outright to Mills eventually because it just wasn't worth the hassle. Honestly, Gaylord is a hotel/convention company now. I think they simply wanted to shed their stake in the park and when the Opry Mills opportunity presented itself, they jumped at it.

I remember some kind of public conversations along those lines, in addition to their mentioning the Dollywood/Smoky Mountain setting being big competition with Opryland. Seems like a long time ago now.

Certainly Dollywood was a competitor, but I think that Dollywood's real boom came when Opryland closed. Again, going off of memory, but my feeling was always that Dollywood was Opryland's kid sister who had a better tourist base to draw from but it wasn't quite as big or successful. It probably was on pace to overtake Opryland eventually. Opryland's theme park competition at the time was really the coaster-heavy Six Flags franchise. Between Six Flags over Georgia (about 4 hours away) and Kentucky Kingdom (later purchased by Six Flags) at only 2 hours away, Opryland's music theme park wasn't enough for coaster enthusiasts.

[BirdieBelle]

Now that Dollywood is charging Disney-level ticket prices, people in Middle Tennessee are heading to Holiday World, which is a little closer to Nashville than Memphis is!

Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana | Holiday World

[hiknapster]

Dollywood one day ticket is $60. Disney is $90. Dollywood season pass is $76 and Disney season pass is $552. Well okay, if you are a Florida resident your pass costs $414. Granted, Disney is a heck of a lot bigger but still....I lived in Florida and their season passes are expensive. I think it's worth it for us people that live close by. I don't go every year, though, but some people do. I love Dollywood but it is very different than any other out there. Great shows, food, landscaping, artisans and not many but quality rides.