exico Beach, a tiny jewel of
a town in Northwest Florida,
is like that. Nobody rushes.
Nobody honks. Everybody smiles. And
everybody's genuinely glad to see you.
There are no stoplights here. No chain
restaurants. No high-rises. And no rush.
It's not quite the "South." But it's a place
with southern hospitality. This is the quaint
small-town Florida that existed long before
theme parks, big cities and jet-set magnets.
This is sand-in-your-shoes Florida,
where people are happy to see you, not
because you're a potential customer, but just
because…they're happy to see you.
It's a simple beach town (albeit with some
of the most beautiful white-sand beaches in
America), with simple pleasures.
"We're a laid-back place where time
stands still," says Kimberly Shoaf, president
of the Mexico Beach Community Develop-
ment Council, "where you can just relax and
be yourself. Here, even the Joneses don't
want to keep up with the Joneses!"
I still think often of this lost-in-time vil-
lage on the Gulf of Mexico. And after you
visit, you will, too.
DS
LOST IN TIME…
AND LOVIN' IT!
AS THE SERVER SPOKE ABOUT HER TOWN, MEXICO
BEACH, I KEPT WAITING FOR HER TO EXCUSE HERSELF
AND RUSH OFF TO ANOTHER TABLE. BUT EVEN THOUGH
IT WAS DINNERTIME IN THE BUSY RESTAURANT, SHE
MADE US FEEL LIKE WE WERE HER ONLY CUSTOMERS.
By Steve Winston
TRAVEL PLANNER
Plan your escape to Mexico Beach at
mexicobeach.com.
A family collects seashells on Mexico Beach.
Photo: ©2015 Mexico Beach Community Development Council
M