Other than building great outdoor projects, here's what we love most about this city.

1. Florida's Secret Pearl
New Smyrna Beach carries the nickname "Florida's Secret Pearl" — and the locals work hard to keep it that way. While Daytona draws the crowds and Orlando gets the tourists, NSB quietly delivers 17 miles of white sand beach, a world-class surf break, a walkable arts district, and a downtown that feels like it was designed for people who actually live there. The secret is getting harder to keep.

2. The Shark Bite Capital of the World — and Proud of It
New Smyrna Beach holds the unofficial title of the world's most shark-bitten beach — specifically the waters around Ponce Inlet, where consistent swells and abundant baitfish draw both surfers and sharks in equal measure. The bites are almost always minor, the surf is consistently excellent, and the fact that NSB leans into the reputation rather than hiding from it says something about the character of the place.

3. America's Top Small City for the Arts
NSB has been named one of America's top small cities for the arts — and it earns it. The Atlantic Center for the Arts brings world-renowned master artists to residency programs. Canal Street and Flagler Avenue are lined with independent galleries, studios, and creative businesses. The Little Theatre has been running for decades. For a city of 32,000 people, the cultural output here is genuinely remarkable.

4. Smyrna Dunes Park
At the northern tip of the barrier island, Smyrna Dunes Park offers 184 acres of coastal scrub, mangroves, and pristine inlet views — with more than two miles of elevated boardwalks, a fishing pier, and a dog-friendly beach that locals treat as their personal backyard. Views of the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse come included. It's the kind of park that makes residents feel like they live somewhere genuinely special.

5. Sugar Mill Ruins
Just west of downtown, the ruins of a 19th-century sugar mill sit preserved inside Eldora State House site at Canaveral National Seashore — remnants of a plantation destroyed during the Second Seminole War. They're one of the more quietly compelling historical landmarks on Florida's east coast, and most visitors to NSB never find them. Residents who know where they are treat them like a local secret worth keeping.