Sure, you could go to any old beach and enjoy yourself just fine. But the folks at Southern Living have put a lot of thought into which beach towns are best for which particular visitors. A couple of Alabama spots – one of them far inland – made their list of pairings.

“The Best Southern Beach Towns for Every Type of Traveler,” published Sunday, recommends the best beaches for groups such as “Girlfriend Getaways” (Hilton Head, S.C.), “Book Worms” (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) and “Pet Parents” (Rehoboth Beach, Del.) The article lands hot on the heels of a slew of “South’s Best” rankings from the magazine. In those, Alabama was represented by a couple of restaurants, several towns and cities, a historic coastal hotel and a state park.

When it comes to the perfect destination for a “Guys’ Weekend,” Orange Beach “is exactly what the doctor ordered,” according to the magazine. Personally we’ve never had a doctor prescribe “golfing, fishing, and water sports … along with a pickup game of beach volleyball.” Maybe we need a referral to whomever Southern Living is seeing, if they’re accepting new patients.

Related:

Which Alabama towns and cities did Southern Living name ‘South’s Best?’

Southern Living ranks 2 Alabama restaurants among the ‘South’s Best’

Historic Alabama hotel picked as one of the South’s best

Alabama state park (with a beach!) picked as one of the South’s best

Other highlights: “Cook your catch” restaurants and shopping at The Wharf. (In the interest of full disclosure, the wording of the entry continues Southern Living’s tendency to sort of lump Gulf Shores and Orange Beach together as one destination. But Orange Beach got the headline.)

The list wasn’t limited to saltwater shores. It directed “Lake Lubbers” (or Lake-lovers, if you prefer) to Lake Martin. “The wooded shoreline makes for great birdwatching and the local restaurants, from casual to fine dining, will have you planning your next visit.”

While Florida dominated the list, Mississippi also was represented. Bay St. Louis is the best beach for “The Crowd-Averse,” according to the article.