For the past seven or so years, a Florida company has traveled to Edgewater Mall in Biloxi, MS, to “build” an immense sand sculpture.
Before we left for the frozen North, I got a chance to take some photos and learn a bit more about this project.
According to the local newspaper, a three-person team from Sandsational Sand Sculpting of Melbourne, FL, spent two weeks on hands and knees (and later, I assume, ladders) creating this:
Castle in the Sand
Pretty cool, huh?
It features — in great detail — a castle, dragons, knights in full armor, and a damsel in distress, and while I don’t know for certain how big it is, you can rest assured it is HUGE.
One of the team members said it took them two days just to bring in all the sand — 75 tons of it!
Using only sand and water, with detailing instruments such as spoons, knives, and brushes, the team worked two weeks to bring the Medieval scene to life.
It will be on display through April.
Enjoy!
Sand sculpture at the mall, Biloxi, MS
I wonder how they got to the top without smashing the entire thing??
Can’t even guess how tall this thing is!
There’s one scene on one side and another on the other.
Musings by an ND Domer's Mom 
That’s impressive.
Thanks, Professor. I was impressed, too, both at the size of this sculpture and at the amazing detail!
The dragon is the professor.
Which dragon — the fire-breathing one, or the one that’s got a hold of the poor maiden??
The fire-breathing one! 😀
“Pretty cool, huh?”
Waaaaaaaaay cool, Debbie! And also AMAZING! The detail is awesome!
And it’s funny because I lived in Florida for 20 years, yet never knew about “Sandsational Sand Sculpting.” Clever name!
Much thanks for sharing! Enjoyed!
Happy Monday!
X
Glad you enjoyed it, Ron. I know sand and beaches are just what folks in the Midwest don’t want to hear about, considering how rough their winter has been, but this was an indoor sand castle, so maybe they’ll forgive me, ha!
Isn’t it incredible how much detail they were able to get just from sand packed tightly with water? I wish I’d been around when they were constructing this — I’d have enjoyed seeing it take shape.
Thanks for stopping by, my friend.
I wonder what kind of sand they used. It seems to me it would be terribly difficult to get that to hold up… But of course, our Gulf sand is quite different from that found farther east. It may be that the finer sand packs tighter. Or maybe they sprayed it with something to help preserve it. Hair spray?!
I know another blogger from Melbourne. I’m going to share the link with her – I know she’ll enjoy it. The detail is just fantastic. Thank YOU for taking the time to get some pics for us.
Linda, one of the team members emphasized that they used only sand and water. She said the structure holds together because the sand is so tightly packed.
I was kind of amazed at the color, too. What the Mississippi Gulf Coast has is white sand (well, kind of beige in places, but definitely not that reddish color!). I’ve only been to Florida a few times, so I can’t say what color their sand is, and the team didn’t say where their sand came from.
Thanks for sharing the link — hope your friend enjoys seeing the indoor castle!
I love sand castles and this is a beauty. We have contests on the beach but I’ve never seen anything so elaborate. I have family in Melbourne,Fl. I’ll have to ask them about it. Thanks for sharing –the pictures are great.
Glad you enjoyed them, Katybeth. The Mississippi Gulf Coast used to have sand sculpture contests on the beach during the summer way back when, and the things they came up with were most impressive. We don’t usually stay south long enough to enjoy this display, so I’m lucky to have seen it this year.
That is an impressive sand sculpture! Shoot, I couldn’t do that if the sand was mixed with glue! (I never could even get one bucket of sand to stay put, so I never spent too much time building castles when we visited the beach in CA.)
Me, too, Janna! I was surprised when she said they only used sand and water. They must have a special type of sand because the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s white sandy beaches really don’t lend themselves to “permanent” sand sculptures. And I really wish I’d been able to watch the actual construction — it boggles my mind to figure out how they got to the top to make the turrets and such, ha!
Debbie, I love these sandcastles that are periodically on display. People can make such incredible images with sand and water. Yet it’s so sad when they’re torn down. WIsh they weren’t so fragile, beautiful as they are. Sigh.
Thankfully, I won’t have to watch the dismantling, Monica. That would just be too sad! After all the work they did on the thing, to tear it down must be disheartening. I wonder if they bag up the sand and carry it with them to the next display location??
Awesome, indeed!
Thanks, Suzi — glad you liked it. The detail is simply amazing!
Oh wow! Worlds beyond anything you see with buckets and plastic shovels at the seashore. Kind of reminds me of some of the snow/ice sculptures we’d see at the ski resorts in Colorado. Thanks for sharing these – they are really amazing.
Thanks for dropping by and enjoying them, Barb. Yep, it’s amazing what they were able to create using only their hands, spoons, and knives. Of course, they didn’t have to worry about the tide rolling in and wrecking the entire thing, either, ha!
Simply amazing, Debbie. I used to love building sand castles on the beach as a kid. Be sure to shoot me an email with address when you get back. You won a copy of my memoir.
I won?? Awesome, I never win anything!! Yes, I’ll be totally ecstatic to read and have your book — thank you!
We liked making sand castles, too, but never anything as elaborate (or long-lasting!) as these!
stunning. that is called a “WOW!” Xx
Thank you, Kim. I wonder if they re-use the sand. Logic says yes, but who knows? A part of me wishes I could be around when they dismantle it, too, just to see how it’s done. They probably don’t let kids kick it to death, the way we did when we made sand castles as kids, ha!
That’s absolutely incredible! The detail is just stunning! I’m pretty sure there’s nothing like it around here, so thanks for bringing it to all of us!
You’re most welcome — I hope we can get some warm weather soon, so we can start thinking “beach,” too!