In perhaps the biggest party ever thrown at one of their hotels, the Gaylord staff staged a massive celebration last night to officially mark the grand reopening of the Opryland Resort.

My day started with a tour of the hotel lead by general manager Pete Weien, who told a group of journalists stories about the evacuation of the hotel during the flooding of May 2-3, the physical damage to the property and the ensuing six-month effort to reopen Opryland. The story is nothing short of incredible -- as we walked along, Pete pointed out the high water marks in different sections of the property. Most of the time, they were far above our heads, some eight to 10 feet above the ground level.

But It wasn't a day for mourning losses: The tour was intended to highlight the new improvements made to the hotel since the flood, which came to well over $200 million. Then last night before dinner, the real party began. Gaylord gathered around 1,200 meeting planners, tour operators, journalists, dignitaries and other VIPs for a reopening ceremony that featured not only a speech from the company's CEO, but also a stunning show. The spectacle featured a full orchestra in white coat tails, a gospel choir, cirque-style aerial acrobatics, a parade of employees and a breathtaking indoor fireworks display, all of which took place in the center of the hotel's Delta atrium.

After the ceremony, we all proceeded to a gala dinner in the convention center, featuring bone-in filet mignon and other house specialties. The evening ended with a 90-minute concert by Keith Urban, a country music superstar who rocked the crowd full of suits and cocktail dresses. At one point, Urban left the stage and walked out into the audience, then proceeded jump up and perform a song from atop one of the banquet tables.

Throughout the room, there was a pervasive sense of glee -- not just because the party was grand, but because it marked a triumph of camaraderie, hard work, and capitalism over a devastating natural disaster. Now at the end of 2010, it's good to be Gaylord; this weekend, it's great to be an Opryland guest.

General manager Pete Weien leads a tour of the newly renovated Opryland Resort.

The Gaylord Opryland Symphony Orchestra.

A gospel choir celebrates Nashville's recovery.

Aerial acrobats potrayed Opryland's service staff.

Beginning of an indoor fireworks finale.

A pyrotechnic finish.

Keith Urban performs.

Table-top serenade, with a light-up guitar.

Keith Urban wows the crowd with his guitar chops.

Opryland -- and Nashville along with it -- is back, and in a big way.

When flook waters ripped through the streets of downtown Nashville in early May, residents and business owners alike were floored. Never in recorded history had Nashville seen an inundation like this; a friend from the CVB today told me that it was a "500 year flood" -- the kind of event that takes place only twice a millenium.

The flood destroyed numerous homes, ruined the ground floor of the sparkling new Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and devestated the Gaylord Opryland Resort, a Nashville landmark that is one of the most iconic hotels in the country. Reports from that day say that there were up to eight feet of standing water in the hotel's garden atriums. Observers recall seeing armchairs and other lobby furniture floating in the middle of the building.

Now six months and $200 million later, the Opryland is in the middle of a grand reopening... and in this case, it is grand indeed. I arrived today to a sparkling new hotel, with completely redesigned public areas, re-imagined restaurants, re-cultivated indoor landscapes and a completely re-invigorated staff.  From the valets to the front desk managers, banquet servers, sales staff and even the folks stationed throughout the complex to help visitors find their way around, there is a palpable sense of excitement and pride.

The hotel opened to its first guest Monday, and will celebrate its official grand opening tomorrow night. But the party started tonight, with the lighting ceremony that kicks of A Country Christmas, the 27th annual instalment of the Opryland's signature holiday festival. To say that the ceremony was a spectacle would be an understatement: This outdoor show featured a live band, a full lineup of Rockettes, a performance by Louise Mandrell and a rousing fireworks finale. The event also included the illumination of the resort's brand-new Christmas lights.

"In July, we had to buy 2 million new lights, because our old ones had a little bit of water damage," joked general manager Peter Weien.

The illumination was attended by dignitaries, journalists, and hundreds of Nashville locals. For Nashvillians, and for all of us who treasure the tourism industry, it was a dual celebration: Christmas is coming, and Music City is back in business.

As I watched the door of the small office room in anticipation, I could feel my level of nervousness rising.

So far on the trip, all attractions seemed to be leading up to this upcoming interview with the legendary Dolly Parton. I’d not only been to Dollywood’s Dolly Parton Museum, but also encountered mentions of her everywhere from numerous random people telling me they thought she was the greatest person alive to a media event where she gave out her 25 millionth book to a child as part of her Imagination Library program.

But now the hour had come and five travel writers and I waited in a small conference room with one seat empty and ready for Dolly’s arrival. I had my questions written out just in case I blanked, which still did not calm my worries of stumbling over my words. After hearing from someone at the table that Michael Phelps used to make himself yawn to relax before a race, I attempted to do the same in desperation.

Finally, Dolly arrived with an easy smile and familiar voice. She answered each of our questions without missing a beat with humor, sincerity, wisdom and references to the importance of her spirituality.

After she announced that she had to “go pee,” Dolly humbly thanked everybody and left the room. Her departure left everyone in the room clearly star struck, including me, for quite awhile after. Even now, I still feel the need to watch some Steel Magnolias or Nine to Five in honor of such an unforgettable 30 minutes.

Dolly Parton at a media event before my interview

Dolly Parton singing at the Pigeon Forge Imagination Library media event

I also toured Wonderworks with its many intriguing mind puzzlers

Naturally, I started my Dollywood vacation experience in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. with a tour of the famous Dollywood theme park. Celebrating its 25th anniversary his year, Dollywood continues to go above and beyond your typical roller coaster fest with a wide variety of attractions for all ages.

A stroll through an amusement park could have been absolute torture with a hot June sun beating down, but since the park’s design integrates the surrounding mountains and trees into the attractions, the walk is a shaded one. In fact, the park’s replicated turn-of-the-century buildings give the impression you are walking through an old mountain town.

The town comes complete with a blacksmith, glass blower, grist mill and wagon maker. All the demonstrators at the park happily engaged visitors in conversation, including the wagon maker who explained his process before jokingly sending us to the blacksmith to make a noise complaint against him.

I also watched one of the many stellar shows playing at Dollywood called Sha-Kon-A-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke. Just started in May 2009, the show features songs written by Dolly Parton while telling the history of the Smoky Mountains. After watching the show’s simulated blue smoke fill up the stage at the show, I saw the real mist move along the mountaintops from my Dollywoods Vacations cabin. My view of the sunset mountain scenery reminded me that the natural spectacle always beats the manmade special effects.

My Dollywood Vacations cabin's sunset view

The Dollywood show Sha-Kon-A-Hey!

Wagon making demonstration in Dollywood