I did my civic duty this weekend and headed to the beach. I listened to the ads on the radio in Atlanta telling me that the beaches of Northwest Florida are clear, and I listened to the pleas from my friends at CVBs across the Gulf Coast. And they were right. The beaches were beautiful, and while the gulf oil spill was on the tip of everyone’s tongue, not a drop was in sight.

I joined my sister for the weekend at Sandestin, where she had tacked on a weekend stay after attending a Family Law Institute conference at the resort, and we came across quite a few other people who did the same from her conference and from other events finishing up or starting during the weekend at the Hilton Sandestin and Linkside conference centers on the expansive property. Between all the convention attendees and the hoards of families in town for Memorial Day, it seemed to us like any other beautiful summer weekend in the Beaches of South Walton. We ate at some of our favorite restaurants and even tried YOLO boarding on the bay. Our only worries were the storm clouds that came in and out throughout the weekend.

While it was encouraging to see the beaches packed, everyone around seemed to echo the same concerns we’ve been reporting since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig started gushing oil back in April: When will the leak be stopped and will visitors keep coming with so much uncertainty? Unfortunately in both cases, it seems only time will tell.

But I encourage you to join me in this duty and take a relaxing trip to the beach — or even more importantly, keep meeting there. Thousands of people depend on tourism and meeting dollars for their livelihood along the Gulf Coast and need our support.