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.

Mexico 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 Development 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 village on the Gulf of Mexico. And after you visit, you will, too.

Travel Planner

Plan your escape to Mexico Beach at mexicobeach.com.