Ocean Lakes Family Campground
A Family Affair
People often ask, “Why a campground? How did the Jacksons come up with the idea?” A couple of factors influenced their decisions. Touring the country for Cloth of Gold fabrics in their “rolling home” bus helped the Jacksons realize that America needed more family campgrounds. Necessity was another factor. After Mrs. Jackson’s parents passed away, Nelson and Mary Emily had to figure out a way to keep their family’s land, by coming up with a way to make the land work to pay the inheritance taxes. Thankfully, Mr. Jackson was very innovative. The Jackson daughters often laugh, “All you had to do was give Daddy a napkin! He designed more things on napkins.” They also smile and reflect, “And so many of Dad’s ideas were Mom’s also – she was the silent partner.”
The family worked on the plans for Ocean Lakes from Tryon, NC. Mary Emily described that decade, “Nelson and the children and I traveled from Tryon 260 miles to Conway or the beach almost every weekend from mid-1960 to 1969.” Although the 3 older daughters were adults by the time the park opened, each daughter took part in building and operating the campground. The youngest daughters, Rachel and Jeanne, were still teenagers and put in charge of the entry gate on July 2, 1971 – the day Ocean Lakes Family Campground opened.