Memorial Day weekend!!!! A time to pause and remember the sacrifices made for our freedom, and the unofficial start of summer.
Summers in South Carolina mean beach trips, pool days, and watermelon. However, I don’t think I’ve gone for a walk down the beach since my daughter was born. Because of her physical limitations, getting her onto the beach is physically exhausting. I’m not likely to carry her down the shoreline, nor am I going to risk the wear and tear that sand and saltwater will do to her equipment if I let her drive herself over the dunes. So I was THRILLED to learn that many coastal cities along the shore of South Carolina offer free sand wheelchairs to tourists. Each city seems to have a slightly different policy. Some, such as Surfside Beach, ask that you call ahead and the chair will be delivered to your residence for up to one week. Others, such as Myrtle Beach, ask that you pick up the chair on a first come first served basis at a life guard station. Complimentary sand wheelchairs are simple manual chairs with balloon tires and a seat belt. In order to find out if complimentary beach wheelchairs are available at your destination, use search terms like the city name followed by “sand wheelchair”, “beach wheelchair”, “accessibility”, “special services”, etc. Information about ramp accessible points onto the beach are also available on municipality websites.
The beach that we frequent does not provide sand wheelchairs for the entire shoreline but has complimentary chairs available at county beach parks. However, after a quick Google search I was able to locate a durable medical equipment company that will rent sand wheelchairs for daily and weekly rates. I cannot wait to go for a beach stroll with my entire family! I can smell the sunscreen and salt spray now!!!!!
A Big Blue World 