The Family Playground of the South

Circa 1959 A.B. Cooper opened Oceanana and coined it, “The Family Playground of the South.” Families have been enjoying Oceanana for decades. My family paid a visit to Oceanana this weekend for nostalgic reasons, mainly to draw upon memories of when my older sister had her first look at the beach. It was there at Oceanana that she experienced the sand and the sea. In addition to the prime location front and center on the Atlantic Ocean, The Family Playground of the South has a host of kid-friendly amenities. Some of those include a teeter-totter, jungle gym, wagons, shuffleboard, and basketball goal.

Fast forward to 2017 and the Oceanana is in the midst of a revival. They are working towards renovating all 110 rooms on their property. Oceanana has restored a handful of rooms with more to be completed this winter. I was not fortunate enough to have one of the recently renovated quarters in the property, but I am glad I didn’t. It forced me to think outside the box and honed in on what is important. We had a place to sleep; the sheets were clean, and the Atlantic Ocean was just outside our door. I got to spend quality time with my wife and parents. These are the moments that make our life complete. When I am with my loved ones everything else becomes secondary, the memories forged this weekend will not be forgotten.

We will all remember that small room that caused me to flip acrobatically over the bed to get to the back part of the card table. I was fortunate five-times but pressed my luck the sixth time which resulted in a damaged ego and a sore head. My sweet wife burst into laughter as did my mom and dad. At the moment I didn’t think it was funny, but looking back it was.

The Oceanana gave us some great memories. From the massive waves cresting near the pier to the beautiful sunrise and sunsets painted across the sky. Do not be afraid to live life to the fullest. Don’t sweat the small stuff, take it from me it never works out. It is better just to love life and accept the bumps along the way.