SummerFest Activities include Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Music Themes and More – plus Kids Eat Free!!
Let’s face it: planning the perfect summer getaway isn’t always a day at the beach. Gaylord Hotels is putting the fun back with SummerFest, a program of events and activities at each of its hotels that celebrates the season and is sure to delight the entire family. And with expansive, climate-controlled, glass-covered atriums at each resort, the experiences are weather proof and GPS free!
All-American Fun at Gaylord National, National Harbor, MD.
View SummerFest vacation specials and packages at Gaylord National.
Gaylord National, the premiere waterfront resort on the Potomac and a gateway to Washington, D.C., will embody all-American fun this summer. Guests will be greeted by monumental sand sculptures, wax figures and live impersonators of great Americans inside the resort’s sweeping, patriotically adorned atrium. Each night, families will enjoy the American Fanfare, a light and fountain show set to music. There will be weekly fireworks during Saturday Nite Lights. Or, families can head to the pool to enjoy the Sunset Celebration on Fridays and Saturdays, with magicians, jugglers, pool- deck dancing with a live DJ, and Stories & S’mores. During the week, guests can take in “Dive-In Movies” playing on the big screen at the pool. Parents are encouraged to take advantage of local history by bringing their children to character meet and greets with historical storytellers or lunch with costumed characters on Saturday afternoons.
Other summer highlights at the Gaylord National resort include the 4th of July Fireworks and Fun Festival with live music, carnival rides, refreshments and an elaborate fireworks display over the Potomac River, the Food & Wine Festival, and Abbey Road on the River, a four-day Beatles tribute festival. Best of all, kids 14-and-under can enjoy free breakfast* during SummerFest.
SummerFest at Gaylord Palms, Kissimmee, Fla.
View SummerFest vacation specials and packages at Gaylord Palms.
Themed to match the sizzling Florida summer nights, SummerFest at Gaylord Palms is a great way to celebrate what the sunshine state is famous for: sun, music and fun! This year, an exquisite sand sculpture garden will delight guests. Other on–site activities include live alligator feedings, fish feedings in Key West lagoon, the famed TV show “Hell’s Kitchen”-themed culinary activities, a menu of special summer spa treatments, the Coquina Dunes Recreation Park, “Dive-In Movies,” and Pool Jams with live DJs at Clearwater Cove.
Another favorite Summer Rockin’ Fun offering will be Rock Band, where guests can step into an on-site kiosk to play the popular game. Kids can enjoy related activities such as the Roadies Challenge scavenger hunt where they will hunt for hidden guitars. They also eat for free* during SummerFest with the purchase of an adult entrée at Sunset Sam’s or Villa de Flora. And - the whole family can enjoy brunch on Sundays at Villa de Flora, voted "Florida's Best Brunch" by Florida Monthly Magazine.
SummerFest Wonderland Adventure at Gaylord Texan, Grapevine, Texas
View SummerFest vacation specials and packages at Gaylord Texan.
Ever wondered if things really are bigger in Texas? Join famed Lewis Carroll character “Alice” of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland at Gaylord Texan this summer for the SummerFest Wonderland Adventure, a magical journey and unforgettable memory making experience for the entire family. Exhibits, attractions, character performers and crafts for all ages will be designed to reflect the author’s original vision of this magical land, brought to life on an epic scale in the vast expanse of the resort’s lush gardens and indoor atriums. Nightly light shows in the atrium will accentuate the giant sculptures of flowers, tea sets, cupcakes and more in a variety of mediums including sand, metal and topiary. Several interactive family activities that reflect the theme will also be available, including the Hatter’s Mad Tea Party, character breakfasts with Alice and Friends, a Journey Down the Rabbit Hole 3-D maze, a Cheshire Cat Challenge scavenger hunt, the Queen of Hearts puppet show and a Parade of Magic Hats and fireworks on Friday nights. Adults can also get in on the fun, with “Tea Time” for mom at Old Hickory, “Tee Time” for dad at the Cowboys Golf Club, Wonderland Wednesdays at the Glass Cactus, and after-hours “Drink Me” cocktail sampling events throughout the hotel.
As a special treat, kids eat for free* at Gaylord Texan on Thursday nights, and the whole family will enjoy special activities including strolling characters, magicians and stilt walkers, a dessert dine-around, Tuesday night Rock Band Challenge, a life-sized family chess tournament, and more.
