Locals Know What’s Best

As a born-and-raised Emerald Coast lifer, I find no fault in bragging about home

Something about meeting a fellow Emerald Coast local automatically engenders kindred spirits. Maybe you’re at a coffee shop near the coast, and you get to chatting with the barista. They ask where you’re from, and to their surprise, you’re a local. All of a sudden, your iced latte is discounted by 10 percent, and you’ve made a new friend.

Sure, as a tourist destination, we love our visitors. But the commonality of being a local creates an infallible connection, especially for those of us born and raised on the Emerald Coast. While, as individuals, we remain different, we find that we are the same in many ways, too.

We suffer the same traffic and crowds. We know all the good beach spots and parking areas. We shop at the same grocery store. We remember when the old mall had its heyday. We can recall the same high school hallways.

We have a mutual understanding that, as locals, we know what’s up. And we respect each other’s opinions when bragging about our hometown and offering recommendations to visitors.

As editor of Emerald Coast Magazine, I’ve come to find that crafting a regional lifestyle publication is a lot like bragging on your hometown in conversation with fellow locals. With each issue, I find new reasons to brag about the Emerald Coast.

Like realizing that we have a fencing community with Emerald Coast Blades, which to me is unique and quite interesting. And knowing that our area is home to niche events like the indie gaming convention Really Rad Weekend that takes over the Island Resort with a slew of vintage pinball machines and cabinet game tournaments. Or the fact that the band Weezer’s longtime photographer, Sean Murphy, is from here and shoots locally all the time, even though he could be off shooting rock bands in LA on any given day.

How cool is that? How cool is our home, y’all?

Adding to my brag-aphone soap box speech, I get to share in the revelry of our Best of the Emerald Coast winners this issue, as we announce the results of our annual readers’ poll in our feature story. You heard that right, folks, I said readers’ poll. This is no pay to play system; it’s a democracy. Each and every winner won their title by garnering the most votes.

As we already established, locals know what’s up. So if you’re not from here, or you’re new to the area, or you’re simply looking for something outside of your comfort zone, feel free to use our Best of the Emerald Coast feature as your personal recommendation guide for the best things to do, see, eat, and try from Pensacola to Panama City.

And if you find something cool
while you’re out there, let me know.
I’m always looking for recommendations.

All the Best,

Paige