Press Kit: History

Sea Mist began in 1954 as a nine-unit motel in Myrtle Beach, open only from Memorial Day to Labor Day. From September to May, owners Jason and Tena Ammons turned their attentions to their primary occupations in retail and education, respectively.

As the season lengthened, Jason realized what the dream of Sea Mist could become. In the late 1950s, Jason sold the appliance business and began building a year-round vacation destination with Sea Mist. As time passed, Sea Mist expanded, and by 1968 Sea Mist had grown to 77 units featuring a swimming pool, tennis court and coffee shop.

Despite Jason’s unexpected death in 1968 after a brief illness, Tena and her children and grandchildren remained committed to the family business. Under their guidance, Sea Mist continued to grow. By 1982, the hotel featured 313 units and its first indoor pool.

Continuing its expansion in the 1980s, Sea Mist added a conference center, a water park and a pedestrian tunnel under Ocean Boulevard. Additional real estate was acquired around Sea Mist throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The unit total now reaches 800 and the Resort sits on about 15 acres of prime real estate on the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1991, continuing their mission of family vacation fun, the Ammons family purchased the former Grand Strand Amusement Park. With an updated look, the park reopened as Family Kingdom Amusement Park and today features more than 30 rides and state-of-the-art amusements as well as the only oceanfront waterpark in Myrtle Beach. Family Kingdom has recently been recognized by TripAdvisor as the 5th best amusement park in the nation outside Orlando.

In the late 1990s, the first non-family general manager was hired, a step that has brought new ideas and added professionalism to the family business. Before settling in Myrtle Beach, General Manager Jim Leach worked in many resort areas in the United States including a mountain resort, a desert and gambling resort and a beach resort and at hotels near both California’s Disneyland and Florida’s Disney World.

Together, the Sea Mist team continues to position Sea Mist to begin the next phase of new growth and development.