Every year there is an event in my hometown (plus several adjoining cities) that absolutely chokes the roads with classic cars->ke503 and car enthusiasts for as far as the eye can see, and 2015 will be no different. “Cruisin' the Coast" returns to Southern Mississippi from October 4th through the 11th for the 19th time since its inception in 1996. Classic vehicles of all sorts from 41 states, as well as all the way from Canada and Sweden (?!) register to attend, so it is by no means a little, local 'podunk' event by any stretch of the imagination.

There are countless mini-events, swap meets and concerts with period music to keep everyone entertained. Best of all, it takes place along a 27-mile beachfront drag, and each city along the route holds events on different days to keep the crowds moving and give everyone a taste of the beautiful local scenery along the Gulf Coast. The event managers tout the 'sugar-white sand beaches' as a draw, but to be honest, anyone calling our sand beaches 'sugar white' has never seen sugar!

Still, they are lovely beaches. All that aside, there is no better place to be if you are into classic cars, trucks->ke242, etc., and if you are not really a fan, you may well be once you attend the 'Cruise-In.' There are plenty of hotels to pick from, and many people come in RVs and 'camp' along the drag, but if you plan to come, I strongly recommend booking a room in advance. The event had 7,293 vehicles registered last year, and I have no reason to believe that this year will be anything other than bigger and better! Visit http://cruisinthecoast.com/ for more info.

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Why it matters

This event, besides being the largest car event in the state, has been growing every year and has collected an impressive array of awards, to include the Governor's Excellence in Tourism Award and the Shining Example Award by the Southern Tourism Society, and it was named a Southern Travel Treasure by AAA's magazine, "AAA Southern Traveler." If you are in the market to buy, sell or trade a classic, or are looking for swap-meet parts to restore a vehicle that you already own, then this is the place to be.

Besides the hardware, the event is flooded with friendly and knowledgeable people who are happy to talk (for hours if you let them) about any and all topics related to owning, building and restoring a project vehicle of your own. The information you can glean from talking to folks at this event can in itself be a treasure.