Florida is a pretty sweet place to be. Many families make the trek down to the Sunshine State at least once, be it by car, plane, bus or private jet. A lot of people associate Florida with Disney World, tourism, palm trees and beaches. Well, as a person that has visited Florida more times than I can count and lived there for a year, I can tell you that the beach is a pretty wonderful place to be in Florida.

There are many beaches in Florida: Miami, Clearwater, Daytona, Cocoa Beach (and Cape Canaveral)-- really, the list goes on. The problem many of us find is that all of these places are really tourist-y. Are you really getting the true Florida experience if everything around you is constructed to fit your needs, desires, expectations and budget?

I had the privilege of living twenty minutes from New Smyrna Beach, which is hands down my favorite beach in Florida. As a half Florida native, I’ll tell you right now that NSB is the place to go for that authentic and relaxed Florida experience. Now, I won’t promise total relaxation at NSB, considering it is the shark attack capital of the world. Yeah, so that is a bit daunting, but I have swum in the waters of North Beach and South Beach countless times and haven’t had any unfortunate run-ins with oceanic creatures.

New Smyrna Beach is the best beach to visit if you want to really enjoy your vacation in Florida. There’s Flagler Avenue, which is probably the most tourist-y part of NSB, but is low-key tourist-y. Locals are actually around, swimming and sunbathing at the beach, because the amount of tourists choking the beaches is somewhat low in numbers.

The sands and water are relatively clean and clear, and the beaches are obviously well-kept. NSB has an impressive surfing community, so if you’re interested in surfing or learning how to surf, this is a really good place to go. If you love eating food and watching the waves roll in, there are a handful of beach-front restaurants, like Breakers, scattered here and there.

If you don’t want to eat beach-front, or maybe you’re feeling something fancier, there are restaurants like Norwood’s, Corkscrew, The Garlic, and Yellow Dog Eats which are all super delicious food joints I would highly recommend. Yellow Dog Eats also often has live music, which is a plus.

I think the best part about NSB is that is isn’t too touristy. Obviously there are some tourist-y flavors in this quaint beach-side town, but overall there is a warm, homey feel that just made me feel like there was nowhere else I would rather be in the world. My fondest memories at NSB were the four times my family went to the beach at sunrise. The locals are out and exercising or reveling in the majestic sights and everything is calm and peaceful, a feeling not found often enough in life today. It’s cleansing in many ways.

If you find yourself in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, you know you’ve hit the jackpot. The beach is just barely over an hour from Orlando and Disney World. It’s pretty close to Daytona Beach as well. You’re also twenty miles away from DeLand, which is home to Stetson University. Stetson is where the movie The Waterboy was filmed and it is also considered one of the most beautiful campuses in the United States! NSB is the place to be, but don’t just take my word for it-- see it for yourself.