SoundWaves at Gaylord Opryland

The sprawling, $90 million, four-acre SoundWaves may seem to have materialized at a rapid pace, however, it’s long been in the process, and worth the wait: TIME magazine even named SoundWaves one of its World’s Greatest Places for 2019.

The outdoor space is available for guest use daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day, then weekends through the end of September.

The indoor water attraction, however, is always open thanks to a climate-controlled system that keeps the temperature at 84 degrees and an ETFE roofing system that allows rays in year-round, meaning visitors can get a tan even in the coldest of months. The water itself stays within a five-degree range of 89 degrees.

An adults-only area dubbed Status Cymbal is open to guests ages 18 and up, overlooks the main atrium and is outfitted with its own pool, bar and patio, but it’s also positioned so that the adults “can have an oversight on what their kids are up to — and not feel disconnected,” Sickeler says. “It gives them that sense that they’re there and they’re participating but that they’re not in the thick of it if they don’t want to be.”

The attraction itself comprises 11 slides — five indoor, six outdoor — and 23 cabanas for rent. In keeping with Nashville’s musical mantra, all the zones of SoundWaves follow suit. As visitors arrive at SoundWaves, the music through the entryway begins with country, then changes to match the vibe of the activity (Caribbean-inspired music in the lazy river, pop or ’80s music videos on screen at the outdoor wave pool, etc.).