Can you remember the days at the beach before the digital age took over? We had a blast at the beach making our own entertainment and taking part in activities that would create memories for years to come. It’s time to take a trip back to the days of the old and see what beach days were like in the 1960s and 70s.
Table of Contents
- 1 1. Building Elaborate Sand Fortresses
- 2 2. Collecting Seashells in Glass Jars
- 3 3. Body Surfing Without a Care
- 4 4. Playing Paddle Ball for Hours
- 5 5. Burying Friends in the Sand
- 6 6. Metal Detecting Adventures
- 7 7. Making Sand Angels
- 8 8. Reading Comic Books Under Beach Umbrellas
- 9 9. Creating Drippy Sand Castles
- 10 10. Wave Jumping Competitions
- 11 11. Trading Baseball Cards in Beach Chairs
- 12 12. Creating Messages in the Sand
- 13 13. Diving for Coins
1. Building Elaborate Sand Fortresses
We would build amazing sand castles and sand structures using only our hands and whatever tools we could find. Mom’s measuring cups and kitchen tools made there way into our beach bags and we would use shells as decorations and even to carve designs in our masterpieces. It was always a real challenge, and a test of our engineering skills, to build a moat that would fill with water when the tide came in.
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2. Collecting Seashells in Glass Jars
We would spend hours collecting sand dollars, shells, and other treasures from the waters edge. Out Mason jars were used to store our nature’s treasure. The prized finds, and the real treasures, were the shells that still echoed the sound of the ocean when we held them to our ears.
3. Body Surfing Without a Care
Before boogie boarding became popular, we practiced the wonderful skill of body surfing. We would watch for the ideal wave, and time our jumps so that Mother Nature pushed us all the way to the shore. Of course, we would gag on the salty water while sand in our swim trunks was a given. But for the experienced ones, they could ride all the waves without letting their hair get wet.
4. Playing Paddle Ball for Hours
Wooden paddles with balls were essential items for beach days. We would all challenge one another to see who could keep the longest volley. The sound of thwacking rubber against wood was music to our ears and it echoed all across the beach. Real champions were the ones who could keep a volley even with the strong breeze from the ocean, while most of us spent a lot of time running after balls that blew away instead of actually hitting them.
5. Burying Friends in the Sand
It’s hard to say no to turning a friend into a sand mermaid or muscle man. We could all easily lose track of time while building a sand torso with arms so they would only stick their heads out. The artistic people would make detailed tails or six pack abs, while the pranksters would forget to leave any open space in the sand for the arms to breathe.
6. Metal Detecting Adventures
Anyone who had a metal detector was a celebrity at the beach. We spent hours looking through the sand, hoping to find real pirate treasures or dropped jewelry from rich tourists. Most of the time, we ended up finding bottle caps and coins, but the most important thing was simply the fun of searching.
7. Making Sand Angels
We would lay down in the soft golden sand and move our arms and legs to create angel impressions, just like snow angels in winter. Trying to get up to not ruin your sand angel was tricky and usually someone had to help you. We would try to see who could make the most symmetrical angel, but they would never last long as other beachgoers walked by and ruined them.
8. Reading Comic Books Under Beach Umbrellas
When the sun got too hot, we found some shade and took out our collection of comic books. We read comics about Superman, Batman, Archie, and some others. Our books got a little wrinkled because they got covered in salt and sand. Also, trading comics with kids we met on the beach was a good way to make new friends.
9. Creating Drippy Sand Castles
We found a cool new way to make drip castles. They were much better than other castles made of dry sand. Instead of making a flat castle we’d create towers like melting candles. The people who were the best at this created drip cities with a lot of towers and some walls.
10. Wave Jumping Competitions
Jumping waves was way more fun than playing any video game. As a group we’d cheer people on while we counted to see how many times we jumped a wave without being knocked over. It was really important to keep going without losing your streak while the bigger waves were rolling in.
11. Trading Baseball Cards in Beach Chairs
Between swimming we pulled out our baseball cards that were wrapped to keep the salt out. We argued about which players were the best while laying in our beach chairs. We loved trading cards and the cards might get a little sand on them but the friendships we made and our trades were worth way more than the cards being in perfect condition.
12. Creating Messages in the Sand
We used to take driftwood or the shovels we brought to the beach and write messages in the sand for airplanes that were flying by. One of the most common messages was \”HI MOM,\” but some of us got extra creative, building structures or writing long messages that took up a lot of space. We felt a mix of sadness and defeat as we watched the tide wash away our creations, but we sure we were looking forward to do it again the next day.
13. Diving for Coins
While playing in the shallow part of the ocean, parents would throw some coins and we would compete to see who could get the most. To do this, we had to rely solely on our sense of touch so we had to keep our eyes closed when diving down into the sand. Some smart kids wore swim goggles to keep the water out of their eyes, but most people were just hoping to get lucky. When we came back to the surface, we had some treasure, but our eyes were red and sore.
