With winter looming in Colorado, my family was looking for a warm beachside destination but one that offered something more than just crowded beaches and high-priced attractions. Florida seemed like a likely choice, and after some searching, we found what we were looking for in New Smyrna Beach.

Located just south of its well-known neighbor Daytona Beach, New Smyrna has that old Florida feel where more mom and pop restaurants outnumber the large chains, the beaches are idyllic and uncluttered and you can stay for a week or a month at any number of condos rather than in a sterile hotel room.

A short one-hour ride from Orlando Airport brought us to Highway A1A to our home for the week at Ocean Walk Condominiums, just one block from New Smyrna Beach. “Perfect,” said my daughter Veronica as she surveyed the kitchen, baths and spacious bedrooms. One of many accommodations that dot the landscape, Ocean Walk also has a clubhouse, pool and workout room.

New Smyrna has consistently been voted one of the best beaches and it is easy to see why. While many like to visit Daytona for the novelty of driving and parking on the beach, few realize that you can do the same thing in New Smyrna. Miles of clean, soft sand are available for beachgoers to find their ideal spot. We spent the afternoon sunbathing, watching surfers and enjoying a picnic lunch that we made in our condo, saving some money over eating out every meal.

This isn’t to say that we didn’t enjoy the many quaint eateries in this town. We decided to ditch our diets and indulge in the many varieties of food. We loved the coconut shrimp and lobster at Norwoods, the chocolate cake at the Skyline Café and the breakfast at the Beacon.

Even though my wife Nancy and I remember the old time soda fountains from our youth, Veronica had never experienced that until we ate at the Little Drug Co on Canal Street. A throwback to an earlier time, this establishment has managed to preserve its historic charm that dates back 80 years. Here, the female servers call you Sugar and Hon and will whip you up a chocolate malt made with real ice cream or a patty melt and serve it to you in an old style coffee booth or at the meandering counter.

Veronica ordered a cherry soda and watched wide-eyed as her server built a gigantic creation with ice cream and cherry flavoring that was almost twice as tall as the fountain glass.

While sand and ocean were important to us, we also wanted to experience other activities, and again, New Smyrna did not disappoint. At the local airport, I arranged to take a ride on a 1941 Stearman PT-17 biplane, courtesy of Vintage Biplane Rides. Formerly a WW II Army trainer, owner Bruce Hamilton takes passengers on once in a lifetime rides on a piece of history over the beach and the intercoastal waterway and around Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. As I was strapped into the front of the open cockpit plane, an old style head covering with microphone was placed over my head. Taxiing down the runway, the pilot told me the only way to see is to zig zag. Once aloft, with the wind in my face, I felt exhilarated and had a glimpse into what those early army plots must have experienced as they went into battle.

Birders will love the many locations around New Smryna where they can observe the local wildlife. These include the Canaveral National Seashore, Smyrna Dunes Park and Merritt Island Refuge, located a short distance to the south.

There are enough activities here to keep you occupied from morning till night and we stayed busy the entire day. The tourism office, located just off Highway 44, has entire walls of brochures and information about things to see and do. Some of the more popular include kayak trips through the mangroves, sunset cruises and eco-adventures.

New Smyrna has just about everything you will need when it comes to shopping, including groceries and drugstores, video rentals and quaint retail shops with the more popular areas being on Canal Street and Flagler Avenue. Nancy and Veronica spent time browsing the shops and came away with some nice souvenirs and, of course, the ever popular salt water taffy.

While we spent the majority of time in town, we did make several day trips. The first was north up the coast to Daytona Beach and then up to St Augustine, the oldest city in the United States (New Smyrna is the second according to the visitor’s center). Another time, we headed south to Titusville and to my favorite restaurant on the planet for shrimp—Dixie Crossroads. Its owner, Laurilee Thompson, is fishing boat captain turned environmental protector and has some of the best rock shrimp you will find anywhere. Titusville is also home to the Kennedy Space Center, War Bird Museum and Police Hall of Fame.

While the masses head for the better known parts of Florida for their warm-weather fun, we now know where to go for the best of the Sunshine State. But please don’t tell anyone about our discovery…it’s a secret!