Tennessee woman sees the beach for the first time ever

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The beach is something many here in Alabama probably take for granted. After all, we are less than three hours away from some incredible beaches.

Destin, Panama City Beach, Pensacola Beach, Orange Beach, Gulf Shores to name a few.

It’s not just beaches, though; vacations in general are things many people go on year after year, if not multiple times a year.

So what if I told you one of the closest beaches to Central Alabama just had a 60-year-old visitor from a tiny town in Tennessee who had never seen the beach in person?

Ever.

Vicky Melton hadn’t only gone her entire life without seeing the beach, but she’s never been on a single vacation!

That is...until June of 2021.

“We have begged my mother for years to come with us, and she’s always said no. And this year she agreed to go,” Allison Jones, daughter of Melton, told me over the phone.

The Facebook post above is the proof for any doubters there may be. Jones posted the photo of her mother taking in the view in Panama City Beach, and it has since received over 15,000 likes. It’s also gotten over 1,300 comments filled with joy, support, happiness, congratulations, and positivity.

“I just can’t put in words what you feel when you see it for the first time, you know, just seeing how big it is, it’s just amazing,” Melton says about seeing the beach for the first time in Panama City Beach.

You could hear the pure happiness in Melton’s voice when asking her about her first-ever vacation and visit to the beach.

So will there be more trips in the future? Melton isn’t so sure yet, but her daughter tells me she’s very hopeful, saying, “I’m hoping with a little bit of convincing every year she’ll pack up and come with us.”

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