SST Holiday Magic Weekend at Gaylord National Resort

Last weekend our agency had the pleasure of hosting our second yearly group getaway, this time to National Harbor, Maryland. We stayed at the Gaylord National Resort which is "The place to stay" when you are visiting this area. Not only is the Gaylord situated in an amazing area, it is home to Christmas on the Potomac, which hosts many family friendly Christmas events. This resort screamed traditional Christmas right down to their room keys! It is a breathtaking hotel that has a beautifully decorated atrium that holds a nightly fountain and light show with holiday music. You can even stay in a room that overlooks the beauty of the atrium for an added charge.

For starters, there are over 2 million holiday lights and acres of magnificent decorations situated through out the resort itself. They host the most adorable Rudolph the Red-nose Reindeer character breakfast for your young ones, or even those young at heart like me! They also have a Build a Bear Workshop, a Gingerbread decorating corner, Glacier Glide Ice Skating, a Potomac Express train ride, and so much more! For our Starstuff Travel guests who traveled with us, we had a great group deal to many of the happenings here at the resort, including unlimited VIP admission into ICE!

ICE! Featuring Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer is the Gaylord's signature event. You can enjoy your favorite scenes from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer which are brought to life in this walk-through winter wonderland carved from more than two million pounds of ice. Did I mention it is kept at a frigid 9 degrees at all times? Hence why they require you to wear the parkas they hand out or you can not enter the exhibit.  

National Harbor is a development along the Potomac River in Oxon Hill, Maryland, It is just a few minutes south of Washington, D.C. It is such a great area for families to visit ( I am sure they would have a blast here anytime of the year). You can walk right out of the Gaylord resort and safely walk this area anytime of day or night. It is full of sought after shopping (like the Peeps Store pictured above) and restaurants along with the famous Capitol Wheel which is a newer ferris wheel overlooking the area. They also have neat sculptures along the streets. While we were there we even witnessed that you could sit and enjoy a Christmas movie on the Plaza screen or meet with holiday characters at the carousel.

During the course of our Holiday Magic Weekend, the National Harbor Tourism Board hosted a private Santa meet and greet party for clients traveling with us right in their own office! We had two hours of holiday crafts, treats, and the most important of all meeting Santa Claus. It was the best way to end our amazing weekend event and to kick off the holiday season with friends and family in a new favorite destination. We look forward to traveling here again next holiday season!

We would like to give a special thank to you Mr. John Mulhearn who took the time to take photographs of all the children meeting with Santa during our private party.