island babies
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captiva island

It's the middle of the afternoon, and my son, Javier, is passed out on a lounge chair, an oversized umbrella casting angular shadows on his 30-pound frame. A steel-drum band plays island music as hyper-kinetic kids squeal and splash all over the deck surrounding the Pointe Pool at South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island. Somehow, this vibrant soundtrack has lulled my 2½-year-old to sleep. I, on the other hand, am torn between gazing out at Pine Island Sound and diving into a novel I began reading two months ago.

I wish I could tell you that life at South Seas is about a lot more than this, but Jav and I haven't brought ourselves to do much else ? yet. The zero-entry pool ? one of 14 throughout the 2½-mile-long property ? has made it way too easy for us to lounge around. Bamboo baskets full of the usual grill fare keep making the rounds, so it's not like we've had to go anywhere when hunger strikes. And when the action in the pool starts to feel like old news, Jav and I walk to the edge of the deck to watch dolphins play in the sound (a repeat guest later tells me they're most active in the morning).

RIDE-A-LONG>> A couple of hours later, we head back to our two-bedroom condo on the resort's open-air trolley. Its cracked wooden benches hint at years of shuffling families between pools, the marina and the bevy of condos, hotel rooms, villas and private homes that dot this sprawling resort. The setting sun casts a golden glow over everything. "I can't see," Jav says, reaching for his beach hat.

The nostalgic feel of this plantation-style resort ? not to mention the sheer size of it ? hints at a time when generations of families vacationed in the same place year after year. Kids enjoy a huge amount of freedom here, riding the trolley to the arcade at Captiva Village where an old-fashioned pizza parlor sells retro candy and ice cream.

OUT AND ABOUT>> With our pick of pools and beaches hugging the resort, Jav has plenty of spots to practice his bubble-blowing skills. We hunt for shells but never quite make it to the local shell museum for proper identification; we join an impromptu carnival with blow-up slides and a mini croquet court set up on the great lawn near the new H2Whoa!, a colossal pool complex with tubular slides; and we take the trolley into "downtown" Captiva one morning for blueberry pancakes at Keylime Bistro. A sunset ride with Captiva Cruises turns up more wildlife and earns us a mini local ecology lesson to go with the on-the-water entertainment. After 6 p.m., the tiny stretch of gingerbread cottages, beach shops and eateries that comprise Captiva Village morphs into a promenade for resort-wear-clad families deciding where to dine. We put our name down at the Bubble Room at the recommendation of a friend who claims the red-velvet cake was the best she'd ever had, but the wait stretches so long that we move to the long-standing Green Flash. This second-story waterside eatery provides a great view to go with our Gulf shrimp and island rice.

NATURAL STAGE>> As we drive off the island at the end of our stay, our last stop is J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on neighboring Sanibel Island. We walk a few of the boardwalks that jut out into the sound, scanning the water and woods for "scary creatures" like alligators, but end up coming across one lonely raccoon. Still, the nature preserve served as a theater for the grand finale of our weekend: an aerial show of roseate spoonbills, ibises and even a few white pelicans gliding across the sky before coming home to roost. southseas.com, fortmyers-sanibel.com ? ANA CONNERY

Summer weekend rates from $169 per night. $149 weekdays.

room to roam
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Duck Key

Most know the Keys as a fisherman's paradise and home to Key West's Duval Crawl, but there's a playful side to this rustic and colorful archipelago that has little to do with bonefish or beer. It's a place where kids can swim up to wooden planks in the middle of a lagoon and perform their best swan dive for parents sipping rumrunners under thatched-roof tiki huts (actually there are two lagoons: The second is home to resident dolphins that are available for educational swim-a-longs). This is the protocol at the newly refurbished Hawks Cay mega-resort on Duck Key, about halfway between Miami and the Southernmost Point.

SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS>> Families have been coming here since the '50s. Some pile their clan into pastel-colored villas facing mangroves and bays. Others come by boat (85 slips are available). Family reunions book the Sanctuary, a gated enclave of 16 Key-West-style homes, each with its own splash pool. Smaller families opt for guest rooms in four main buildings. A lagoon- and pool-facing room in building number two overlooks a fire pit where folks settle in at sunset to hear local guitarists croon Van Morrison faves. Far from the quaint and kitschy style found throughout the Keys, everything here has a Tommy Bahama vibe. Spa-like bathrooms have huge glass showers with built-in seating. Lanai rooms feature two-tiered decks that spill onto the pool deck.

OFFSHORE>> A short walk along bougainvillea-draped paths takes you around the tennis courts and to the marina, where families fill picnic tables after the resort chefs cook what was caught on the "hook and cook" charter. While teens gather for a snorkeling trip near the dive shop, a Miami family of four comes in from a jaunt around uninhabited islands atop WaveRunners. The foursome's chatter is focused on their discoveries: a sunken truck turned upside down, a submerged sailboat and a stretch of flats where they hopped off their WaveRunners to wade in the clear, shallow water. Most everyone makes a pit stop at the Dockside Marina store, where cigars and wine are conveniently for sale alongside floaties and fins.

QUIET TIME>> Hawks Cay was clever enough to separate the adults-only "tranquility" pool from the family version with an entire building. A crop of cabanas hugs the pool as soft music plays over carefully placed speakers that help drown out the splashing on the other side of the property. A white, bay-facing gazebo nearby is an ideal reading spot and just a few steps from the Beach Grill, where New Hampshire and Ohio families were recently overheard chatting across tables as they noshed on Key West pinks and conch fritters with papaya dipping sauce. Each was on a self-guided tour of South Florida that included a day trip to the Conch Republic, just 61 miles south.

MORE THAN JUST A PLAYGROUND>> The Indies Club here is like a camp compound. A life-size pirate boat with chutes on all sides dumps one pigtailed girl into ankle-deep water while her dad snaps pictures and her mom lolls in a hammock. Around them is a putt-putt course; a full-scale checkerboard near a traditional playground; and a volleyball court where night games draw kids painted in all sorts of colors that make them glow in the dark. An old-fashioned snack shack serves burgers and dogs through a cutout window.

WATERSIDE DINING>> By the main pool, Alma is home to 20 kinds of rum and Latin-influenced fresh fish and meat dishes in large and small portions.The casual, fishing-village-like ambience at Tom's Harbor House lures a mix of locals who fill the bar area. Patio seating provides a view of the boats docked at the marina and the bridge that leads right into Duck Key. hawkscay.com ? AC
Summer rates from $145 per night.

into the woods
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Orlando

As my son, Kai, and I put our right leg in and shake it all about on orders from the banjo-playing cowboy on stage, my husband, Alex, tries not to laugh. Those parents not participating in the sing-along hoedown at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground's amphitheater are gathered around two crackling fire pits roasting marshmallows for their s'mores. When the song ends, my hokeypokey partner ditches me for the red-nosed Dale making his way through the crowd. Kai gives him a passionate squeeze. Our camera rolls.

LOG LIVING>> Truth be told, the camera has been rolling practically from the moment we stepped into our one-bedroom, air-conditioned log cabin nestled under towering pine, oak and cypress trees. Our little abode is charming in a rustic, Davy Crockett way. Wood planks coat walls while a plaid carpet blankets the bedroom floor. But it's the set of log-constructed bunk beds that catches my toddler's attention. "A big-boy bed," he says, climbing the ladder without my help.

I open the cupboard in the kitchen ? they do dishes here too, by the way ? and find Mason jars for cups. "Disney really does think of everything," I tell Alex, then pour myself a rum and Diet Coke.

LIVE ACTION>> Alex takes the helm of our rented golf cart. On Big Pine Drive, we find rows of luxury RVs bedazzled in white lights. We venture on paths that weave around the Meadow Recreation area as our shoulders begin to release suburban tension. Construction tape ropes off the pool; a new slide is in the works and due by summer. Canoes are available for rent, though, with four miles of canals, plus there's a new archery experience. We find colorful targets set up in front of a billowing white sheet, just waiting for someone to aim and fire. (But we're just not the shoot-'em-up types.)

We are, however, all about the pony rides. We'd been talking this up to Kai for a few days now, and like a confident little John Wayne, he straddles Cricket, a gentle brown pony, and holds onto the saddle with pride. Alex and I take turns holding the pony's rein, leading Cowboy Kai and his trusty steed through the dusty corral.

NOT YOUR ORDINARY CAMP FOOD>> Dinner the first night is the down-home buffet at the Trail's End restaurant, where it's not only OK but expected that you will indulge in country-fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green-bean casserole.

The following evening, we step it up a notch for dinner at Artist Point in the nearby Wilderness Lodge. We opt to drive our car instead of taking a complimentary 10-minute boat ride across the Seven Seas Lagoon so we could make it back to the campfire sing-along in time. While waiting for our table, we can't help meander to the flowing waterfall in the shadow of the resort's three-story picture windows. Once at the table, we share the signature smoky portobello soup with roasted shiitakes and chive oil appetizer. We agree to swap my half of the soup for half of his braised buffalo short rib with parsnip-potato gratin and glazed leeks. What Kai and I won't share, however, is the double-chocolate cheesecake with vanilla shortbread, raspberry coulis, Grand-Marnier mousse and candied orange peel.

FLICK THE SWITCH>> Later that night, after the campfire singing has quieted (and my son's disappointment at that begins to dissipate), the nightly projection of a Disney movie begins. Tonight it's Tarzan, followed by High School Musical 3 for the night owls. Snuggled under a blanket, hypnotized by the clickity-clack of horse hooves pulling a private carriage through the campgrounds, Alex reaches out his arm, camera in hand, and takes another photo of the three of us. My head is not in the frame, Kai is blinking and Alex is making a funny face. But we don't care. We're enjoying the ride. disneyworld.com ? Kelly Ladd Sanchez

Summer rates for cabins that sleep six from $315 per night.

cottage living
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Rosemary Beach

Tucked away in North Florida on pillow-puff sand dunes laced with Florida scrub sits Rosemary Beach, a charming New Urbanist community ? everything is within walking distance of everything else ? that sits on a quiet stretch of shoreline facing the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A web of artfully landscaped footpaths and boardwalks weave through a town center inspired by the Dutch West Indies and stops at the beach. There is tidiness in this town, its streets lined with tin-roofed beach cottages, each with its own patio or porch but just steps from the next, prompting interaction with neighbors. As one resident told us, "If you walked around here with an empty wine glass, you couldn't take 10 steps before someone filled it for you."

EVENING ENTERTAINMENT>> If kids don't make pals while tumbling the emerald-green lawns scattered around the property, they usually do during a pottery-painting class at Camp Rosemary. Twice a week, the camp organizes nighttime events, so grown-ups can sip chardonnay in peace on the terrace at Courtyard Wine and Cheese, which feels like a sidewalk café somewhere in Europe.

A STONE'S THROW>> Perhaps our favorite thing about this place: no need to overpack. Fully equipped cottages come with laundry facilities and entertainment centers. Pick up kites, skim boards and crab nets at Bamboo Beach. (Ask where you can search for blue crabs in the pools of water that form just offshore. With a good eye, you'll scoop up a crustacean or two.) Or ride away with a beach cruiser or tandem bike from Bamboo Bicycle next door. For an afternoon snack break, there's Sugar Shak, where candy displays look as if they were arranged by Willy Wonka. And if you aren't up to the rigors of making dinner, pick up oven-ready meals such as mac and cheese at Cowgirl Kitchen. But don't worry if the kids don't eat. Remember, you're on vacation. rosemarybeach.com ? PATRICIA LETAKIS & CAROLINA A. MIRANDA

Summer rates from $250 for a six-person carriage house. See opposite page for package details.

natural surprise
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Vero Beach

When it comes to palm trees, Al Smith knows his silver bismarck from his red feather. Surprisingly, his volunteer gig at McKee Botanical Garden in Vero Beach has also provided perspective on what turns on kids. "Dinosaurs!" he exclaims playfully, referring to the reptile exhibit that drew a whopping 40,000 people to the garden last fall (it returns in November). The spectacled enthusiast is eager to introduce the master gardeners who spend Saturday mornings at McKee's entrance, answering locals' gardening questions. "You'd be surprised how many folks come by with their kids," Smith says.

A delightful garden ? one of the state's first roadside attractions ? and an engaged and family-friendly community are just two of the many pleasant surprises for those who visit this little-known beach town halfway between Palm Beach and Cocoa Beach. On Saturdays, a bustling farmers market is a showcase for flip-flop-clad families buying fresh seafood from Captain Jerry's as well as delicate flowers grown on nearby Orchid Island. Across the street, kids blanket the ocean-side playground and then cross back for homemade ice cream at the family-run Cravings, a corner bakery that doubles as a popular breakfast spot. Walk along the shore here, where only a few hotels exist before a string of beach homes takes over, and you'll come upon plenty of fishermen casting a line right on the shore. "Lots of whiting and perch here," says one local pop. "But in the summer, it's all about the pompano."

Unlike so many overdeveloped beach towns, Vero Beach has a height limit on all buildings ? three stories ? and only a handful of hotels in what's considered downtown (on the mainland, the city of Vero has a historic district of its own). Families have plenty of green space and wide sidewalks flanking shops and eateries, from the friendly feel of the Lemon Tree Inn, where every meal wraps with free fruit sorbet, to the Ocean Grill, a Vero Beach landmark in a driftwood building where the catch of the day often sells out. For no-frills eats, Casey's Place is a burgers-and-dogs lunch counter with a handful of picnic tables.

Find family-friendly digs at the Vero Beach Hotel & Spa, where kids score an animal-print robe to wear during their stay. Concierge Genevieve Introcaso, known to guests as the escape artist, suggests families bike the 10-mile Jungle Trail full of indigenous wildlife with cycles available on property. "A pontoon boat ride to uninhabited islands with a packed picnic is also a good option," she says. The pool deck here feels like a tropical island oasis thanks to a bevy of lush foliage, and the ocean-side terrace at the Indigo Room restaurant gives kids a chance to comb the beach while awaiting their orders.

ROLL OUT THE WELCOME MAT>> The vibe in Vero Beach is welcoming and small town, with a heavy emphasis on natural beauty. Streets have names like Mockingbird Drive, Date Palm Road and Bougainvillea Way, and the homes surrounding the pedestrian- friendly downtown are mostly Old Florida ranches on canopied estates shaded by live-oak and banyan trees (great eye candy for a bike ride). Come lunchtime, homemade soups and fish sandwiches lure families to the Seaside Grill inside Jaycee Park just north of downtown. Cross the boardwalk out front, and you're on an undeveloped shoreline where barefoot kids fly a rainbow of kites.

TAKE IN A SHOW>> Natural stages abound in Vero Beach, with the Indian River Lagoon forming a portion of the Intracoastal Waterway on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Hike along canopied paths next to wild coffee bushes at Oslo Road Conservation Area, or check out one of the best surfing spots in Florida at Sebastian Inlet (it's also one of the prettiest beaches and state parks). For families that like to learn on vacation, naturalist Kristen Beck of Kayaks, Etc. takes groups through Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (the nation's first) and onto the Sebastian River to explore local wetlands. Tucked into a nature sanctuary, the Environmental Learning Center is a "wet lab" facility designed to teach kids about the local ecology. For a more traditional take on entertainment, the Riverside Children's Theatre gives kids the spotlight with programs that range from the Adventures of Peter Rabbit (through May 3) to Comedy Night, when pint-size comedians will take the mic on May 15 and parents sit back and aah yes, be entertained. verobeachhotelandspa.com, indianriverchamber.com, verobeach.com ? AC
Weekend summer rates from $129 for state residents ($169 otherwise).

Weekday rates from $89 for residents, $139 otherwise.