Every year, for our "Great Little Beach Towns" feature, we comb the country for choice destinations--those special towns where families can both get away from it all and find plenty to do surrounded by sand, sun, and water. One such treasure is Amelia Island, an old-time Florida island filled with nature adventures. If this whets your family's vacation appetite, we suggest you grab a tall lemonade, get barefoot, and read on to find out more.

MILES OF SEASHORE

Waves tickled our feet as we strolled along the beach at Amelia Island, Florida, searching for--and finding--fossilized shark teeth in the sand. "There's one!" said our son, Patrick, age 10, pouncing before the surf could take it away. Soon, my husband, Pat, and I were picking them up as well, like other parents and kids along the shore.

It's hard to imagine a better summer escape than this 13-mile-long barrier island just north of Jacksonville near the Georgia border. The shark's teeth are cool, as any kid will tell you, but they're only a small part of the island's appeal. In fact, as my family discovered last summer, Amelia is actually two places in one: an unspoiled nature retreat at the southern end of the island and a quaint Victorian seaport (the setting for the movie PIPPI LONGSTOCKINGS) at the northern end.

We began our vacation with a two-day stay at Amelia Island Plantation, a kid-friendly resort hidden in a slice of old Florida's palmettos and Spanish moss-draped live oaks. (The recreation package at Amelia Island Plantation includes everything from access to 23 pools to bikes, nature tours, golf, and kids' programs. Nightly summer rates begin at $259 for a hotel room and $482 for a two-bedroom villa; 800-874-6878 for updated rates.) First on our agenda was swimming in the rolling surf of the Atlantic. Then we set off on bikes to explore the plantation's seven miles of paved trails. (If you left your bikes at home, rentals are available at Wheels & Keels; 800-874-6878.)

The bicycle paths curve under a canopy of green to such favorite locations as the Sunken Forest, where a walkway leads through a mysterious, wind-sculpted forest of live oaks set between dunes, and Aury Island, a family fishing hole where we saw big, mossy turtles swim to the docks for pieces of bread. Named after a famous local pirate, "Copper" Jack Aury, the island features a dockside pirate ship play area and a treehouse crawling with kids. As the sun began to set, we ended the day with a picnic on the shore.