The main reason is that Murfreesboro is about 30 miles from Nashville and we have little reason to book a hotel when going to the city.
But, my wife and I made an exception in July of 2025.
So in July 2025, my wife & I opted to bring our two boys, then 8 & 5 years old, to SoundWaves at Gaylord Opryland Resort, along with an overnight hotel stay.
Let me preface with the immediate and relevant, take away – This is NOT a cheap thing to do with your family and cost us around $400 for the room for one night!
But when I got home from it, I felt that in this situation especially; staying over had made it feel more of a holiday / mini vacation.
The kids really did have a ball.
And what really surprised me was how much our 5 year old could do as he could not swim without arm bands.
This has been a concern of mine before going.
That did not turn out to be much of a sticking point.
SoundWaves Is Much More Than a Hotel Pool
If you’ve never been inside SoundWaves inside you might imagine it’s more like a large, fancy swimming pool you might expect connected to the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville than it’s own attraction.
It’s an actual water attraction.
SoundWaves Resort is spread among three levels and covers about four acres. Its indoor water park has about square feet of indoor water attractions that are kept cool around 84 degrees Fahrenheit all year round while outdoor pool portion is opened seasonally during warmer periods.
The indoor space itself showcases a huge glass roof, planting, lounge areas, water slides, rivers, children’s play areas and pools.
Also because we went in July it meant we also had access to the outdoor section.
This made felt like it extended way further
and was a bigger area.
In Summer you are able to transfer from the indoor section which houses slides and a lazy river, outside to a giant wave pool, other large slides and kids’ splash pads.
There was not a sense of getting to the end and not having anything else to do.
My 5-Year-Old Couldn’t Swim, and He Still Had Plenty to Do
This was our big question.
Our eldest son was eight and a much more confident swimmer.
We had a toddler who at five could not swim.
I wondered whether we would end up with one child wanting to ride everything and the other sitting on the edge until the younger one was tired of it.
But it did not.
There is a shallow area of the pool designed especially for young kids to play.
The largest of them are centred around the Half Note Cove, a multi-level water-play structure with some smaller slides and interactive sprayers as well as the obligatory giant bucket at the top which slowly fills with water then dumps the entire thing over everyone stood underneath it.
My youngest loved this stuff!
In addition there’s also Quarter Note Cove which is designed for even younger kids, plus in the summer an additional kids play area is outside.
The water in these areas is shallow enough that a child can play without being an excellent swimmer.
SoundWaves also provides Coast Guard-approved life jackets free of charge and Resort recommends that any child under 48 inches tall and weak or non-swimmers wear them.
It gave us another level of comfort.
you are still have to be careful with them around the water. But nevertheless, she was unable to swim & not stop us all from enjoying the whole trip together!
The Lily Pads Were a Hit
Probably our kids favorite thing (and something they always came back to throughout the week) was going across the lily-pads in the Groovin’ Lagoon activity pool.
On our trip they returned again and again to try crossing the lily-pads that were inside the Groovin’ Lagoon pool where you have to cross on big floating pads while holding onto an overhead rope.
Simple, but it is an activity kids will try over and over again.
In the same pool you could find the water basketball and a climbing wall.
This was a decent illustration of why SoundWaves worked perfectly for the difference in our boys’ ages.
It was not all massive water slides (for this big chicken anyway!).
They also had lots of smaller things they could move to all the time without committing too much.
The Lazy River Was Perfect for All of Us
The easiest, family-friendly choice is probably the Down Tempo Lazy River.
Grab a tube and float around the indoor course, past rock features, lights and music.
There is no skill required.
You don’t have to be a swimmer.
And after half an hour of trailing two boys around water slides, the slow drift around a lazy river starts looking attractive.
There is a Up Tempo Rapids River for those seeking more fast-paced fun.
Then There Are the Big Slides
And now our height becomes much more important than your age.
At SoundWaves, many of the taller attractions have a 42-inch height requirement, while some of the more rigorous ones have a 48-inch height requirement.
Another popular attraction is Rapid Remix, the giant raft ride, which has a 42-inch minimum (although children between 42 and 48 inches must ride with a supervising companion).
However: While the Crowd Surfer FlowRider also allows boogie boarding starting at 42 inches tall: you must be 52 inches tall to stand up on your board.
Outside in the summer season, even more thrill slides open, including attractions like the Bass Drop (six stories tall) and the Beat Drop slide, which drops riders through a trap door, both requiring a minimum height of 48 inches.
So if you are coming with smaller kids do not assume they will be able to get on all of the rides.
For us there was still plenty to do, although with smaller children I imagine you would not still want enough to ride on everything.
Even when our children were not in the surfing attraction they loved watching it anyway.
A Warning From Me About the Tube Slides
Let’s just say, you probably won’t find this Gaylord marketing brochure.
I got motion sick.
I am not naturally a fragile person when it comes to rides but some enclosed tube slides did get me sick.
You are twisting round in darkness, sometimes backward and little to visually gauge where you are going.
My stomach complained on my way out that it has had enough of water slides, (for the day)
The children were fine.
If you are in the same boat, consider popping whatever motion-sickness medication before you even attempt to hit the enclosed tube slides for the afternoon.
Afterwards I remained sticking to the pools and rivers where I was a lot happier.
The Outdoor Area Makes Summer Even Better
Since we visited in July we had the true indoor-and-outdoor experience.
Our Tidal Track Wave Pool is an outdoor attraction and boasts beach-style entrance meaning you can move as little or as far back in or out into the deeper end as you fancy.
Behind the stage there will be a giant LED screen.
At the moment it might be a wave pond with music videos, entertainment or live sports on the immense screen!
It is one of those additions that turn a waterpark more like some kind of a resort.
Outside there are even more slides, water play for smaller kids and lots of sunning places.
Even in the winter there is plenty at the indoor water park to keep you busy should you want to travel to SoundWaves during that time.
But summer adds something else completely.
Staying Overnight Made the Experience Better
We opted to spend the night at Gaylord Opryland Resort, which I believe was the right call.
One caveat before booking: reserving a normal Gaylord Opryland room does not automatically include SoundWaves admission.
If you are there for SoundWaves, look for the special SoundWaves Water Experience Package, because this bundle ensures you get both the room and your waterpark wristbands.
Not only does the package give you more access compared to an overnight stay.
They are there with the hotel room from opening time on arrival day, even before their hotel room is fully cleaned.
Check-in to the hotel is not until 4 pm, so pack your swimsuits in a separate bag, leave the rest of your luggage with Bell Services and head directly to the waterpark.
You have access to SoundWaves until the following morning at noon once you check out.
That is exactly what we did.
And it worked out really well because the second time, they headed straight to where they wanted to be!
And they have been asking me to take them back over every day since then.
Gaylord Opryland Is Part of the Experience
Part of what you are playing for is for the hotel itself.
It’s huge inside there with Gaylord Opryland in there.
Acres of glass enclosed indoor ‘gardens’, waterfalls, paths, restaurants and atriums.
But when we’re ready, after a swim we simply walk back to what feels like home, only we’re in the treetops next to the pool.
Then we did a little more walking around Opryland.
And that matters if you’re going to decide if it was indeed worth the price!
This was not a budget Tennessee night out, at around $400 for our night.
Parking too comes at a fee. From 2026, self parking costs $37 per day on Gaylord’s site and valet parking $55 per day, excludes any extra charges applicable.
Parking also adds to the cost. As of 2026, Gaylord lists self-parking at $37 per day and valet parking at $55 per day, before applicable taxes.
So know going into it that you are going to splurge.
What I’d Know Before Taking Kids to SoundWaves
A few more tweaks to these, would make planning even easier.
Height more important than age (yes, it sucks!). There is a big difference at 42 inches in what kind of fun rollercoaster type rides become available and the biggest thrill slides tend to begin at 48 inches.
Non-swimmers have plenty to do, shallow kids structures, lazy river etc. worked really well with our 5-year-old.
Life jackets are provided. SoundWaves actually provides USCG-approved jackets (similar to those you would take for tubing on the lake) or you can just bring your own USCG-approved flotation device.
You do not need to pack any pool towels into your suitcase – towels are provided.
No outside food or coolers are permitted SoundWaves: food and drinks are sold in resort.
Bring sunscreen even indoors. The glass roof allows UV light through.
Bring bikinis/trunks – have them ready on the day of arrival. You will not waste valuable waking hours on the first day awaiting access to your room!
If you have motion sickness?
Please, take it from me.
Don’t do five enclosed tube slides in a row as your first thing.
Was SoundWaves Worth It for Our Family?
For us, yes.
No, it was not cheap.
But our boys had plenty of fun and our youngest son, could not swim, but it did not stop him from thoroughly enjoying the experience.
Even with an unskilled swimmer, there were always plenty of shallow play areas, things to do with our older son, things we could do together as a family of four and enough else that we came back again the following morning because the boys had asked and we still were not bored.
Because we were staying overnight at Gaylord Opryland, with home only about 30 miles away, it even felt as if we would actually gone on a holiday.
“The best review probably came from the kids.”
Over a year later, the kids are still asking when we are going back!
And I’m pretty sure some day in the future, we’re going to have to take them.
